Intel 'Asian', 'wary' American market

Strong demand from new markets, as well as a wave of low-cost laptops will help Intel to do business easily in Asia throughout the year. However, the chip giant will have to closely monitor the signs of recession. of the US economy.

" In general, I am very optimistic about the prospects for growth in Asia. But it will be a blame if not cautious about the current economic situation in the US, " said Navin Shenoy, Intel Asia-Pacific General Manager. Duong said.

Export concerns

Intel Asia-Pacific revenue includes lots of direct-selling chips in Asia, as well as products that integrate into computers and then " export " to other regions.

As a result, Intel could not help but keep an eye on every "sneeze" of the world's largest economy, where fears of an economic crisis are weighing on many people's psychology.

" Export activity based on the US market has shown signs of slowing down recently. However, the pace of consumption in Asia - Pacific is still very strong and does not suffer any impact or Any drop, at least at this time, "Shenoy said.

Research firm IDC predicts that PC consumption in Asia will increase by 16.7% in 2008, five times more than the US (3%). " The US credit crisis does not have a big impact on demand in the Asian PC market ," IDC said.

The main "gods"

Source: Reuters Intel had a good fourth quarter business result, although slightly lower than Wall Street's forecast. According to its officials, the main reason is because flash memory chip prices fall too quickly, affecting overall revenues and profits.

The Asia-Pacific region alone contributes revenue of up to 5.3 billion USD - accounting for nearly half of its total revenue.

" We set a record for CPU sales, and also set a record for the number of chipsets consumed, " Shenoy said.

The biggest contribution to Intel's fourth-quarter business table is the 65-nanometer old chip. The first batch of chips using the new 45-nanometer technology (called Penryn) has just been launched in November, so consumption has only been modest.

However, Intel believes Penryn's sales will take off very quickly within the next few months, even overcoming 65-nanometer seniors in the third quarter of 2008.

Two new Intel products, Silverthorne and Canmore, will also land in Asia this year. In it, Silverthorne is the first 45-nanometer chip model designed by Intel for low-cost laptops and is expected to ship in the second half of 2008.

Towards new products

Currently, affordable laptops like EEE from Asus are only equipped with Intel's "antique" Celeron M processor. Silverthorne's hard-to-deny advantages are cheap and power-saving, so it won't make the laptop's price team.

" We hope Silverthorne will boost demand for laptops in developing countries, especially in Asia, " Shenoy said.

Another chip Intel is expected to make in Asia is Canmore, a chip that integrates processors with graphics chips and the ability to watch high-definition video. Launched at CES 2008, Canmore aims at digital products and modern home entertainment devices.

" Products of this type have tremendous opportunities in markets like Korea and Taiwan, " Shenoy is confident.

In addition, another Intel-backed technology is also expected to see positive changes in Asia this year, WiMax. According to analysts, by 2013, Asia - Pacific will lead the world in mobile WiMax applications.