Intel bullish on Asia growth

Multinational high-technology firm Intel Corp. sees the Asia-Pacific region as one of the fastest-growing areas of its business, with emerging markets in Southeast Asia leading the pack.

The company last week launched globally its third-generation line of “Core” personal computer processors. Dubbed as the “Ivy Bridge” series, the new processors offer exponential increases in performance for devices.

In a briefing on Thursday, officials said the new processors would lead to more powerful, more compact devices that use up substantially less energy than the laptops and computers sold just last year.

The company said it was banking on the growth of countries like the Philippines—the second-fastest growing economy in the region next to China in terms of gross domestic product—to drive sales for the rest of the year.

“In terms of growth, countries in Southeast Asia and the likes of India and China are among the fastest markets for Intel,” said Leighton Philips, product management pricing director for Intel’s Asia-Pacific office.

He said the huge populations of these countries and increasing household incomes would lead to the region’s citizens wanting better lifestyles.

Last year, sales growth in countries like Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines surpassed 20 percent. Meanwhile, Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, was the fastest-growing market for Intel last year.

“Asia is one of our core growth centers,” said Philipps, who was in Manila for a visit last week.

In a statement, Kirk Skaugen, Intel vice president and general manager of the company’s PC Client Group, said the launch of “Ivy Bridge” processors means that high-powered devices will soon become the standard in the PC industry, making these more affordable for consumers.

“The 3rd generation Core processors were created from the ground up to generate new experiences,” he said.