Intel, SAP in Online Commerce Venture

Chip giant Intel Corp. in Santa Clara and German management software firm SAP are expected to announce today a joint venture to develop electronic commerce software, marking SAP’s first step outside its core business. SAP, based in Frankfurt, manufactures a business management software package called R/3 that’s run on high-end corporate servers. A spokesman for SAP said the companies will work together to develop software that supports business applications on the Internet. Some analysts believe the venture will address the market for direct business-to-business communications over the Internet with software for Intel-based personal computers running Windows NT. Intel stock closed up $3.13 a share at $96.75 on Nasdaq.