Chinese drone maker catches Intel fantasy

MUMBAI, INDIA: Having made investments in PrecisionHawk and Airware, Intel has now invested more than $60 million in Chinese drone maker, Yuneec International.

Yuneec is one of the global players in electric aviation. Founded in Hong Kong, the company produces a wide range of drones specialized for commercial applications such as imaging and photography.

The new joint venture is aimed to develop an unmanned aircraft system by using Intel semiconductors. The future drones from Yuneec will feature Intel chips.

Brian Krzanich, CEO, Intel, said that both the companies will collaborate on product development. "The best way to find new high-tech uses for company’s chips besides the traditional desktop and mobile PCs, is through drones. Drones are a trendy development and would revolutionize the airspace industry," he added.

Not only chip makers, but also venture capitalists are increasingly investing in drones. Tech biggies such as Sony has also partnered with Japanese firm ZMP to create a new drone company called Aerosense. Sony showed off videos of an advanced drone that can travel at 106 miles per hour.

Google and Amazon are also pilot ing the use of drones to find new ways of delivering products to consumers.