Intel eyes new markets beyond PCs

By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 24 September 2009, 16:03 IST
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San Francisco: Chip maker Intel is eyeing a broader market beyond the PCs. "The future is in personal computing, not just personal computers. We are betting on new market segments such as netbooks, handhelds and consumer electronics to drive growth," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini. The company is designing chips that pack 2.9 billion transistors in an area the size of a finger nail. They plan to create Atom line of microprocessors to power netbooks. "We have the worst recession in 70 years. The netbook filled the gap," he said, adding that Atom will eventually cover connected devices. "At the highest level, every electronic device is likely to be connected to the Internet at some point in time. And we think the architecture to do this, obviously, is Atom," he said. Netbooks outpaced the two other popular devices in the consumer market — Apple’s iPhone and the Nintendos gaming console Wii - in the past three quarters, he added. In-vehicle infotainment systems, which clocked a 17% growth rate in the year when the automotive industry slipped to a recession, are another growth area for Intel. Intel has also begun factory production of its 32 nanometre chip, and the latest one - the 22nm one - continues to deliver the promise of Moore’s Law: smaller transistors, improved performance and lower cost, said Sean Maloney, Intel’s executive vice-president.