50-year-old Intel shifts from PC chips to data emphasis
Processor maker Intel Corporation is transitioning from a PC supplier to a data company, aiming to capitalise on the potential of the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).
Thailand is one of four strategic countries in the Asia-Pacific region for the gaming PC market.
“Intel has been evolving into a company that powers the cloud and billions of smart connected and computing devices since 2016,” Santhosh Viswanathan, Intel’s managing director for Asia-Pacific and Japan, told Thai media on the occasion of the tech giant’s 50th anniversary.
Intel is focused on R&D and acquisitions in the fields of cloud, AI, 5G, memory, FPGA (field-programmable gate array), chip-enabled drones and self-driving vehicles.
Mr Viswanathan said the company’s global revenue in the second quarter rose by 15% year-on-year.
Data-centric business accounted for half of total revenue, while the other half stemmed from PC-centric business. Datacentric business grew by 26%; PC-centric (notebooks, desktops, modems) rose just 6%.
Intel’s full-year revenue performance is forecast to reach nearly US$70 billion (2.27 trillion baht) in 2018, with datacentric business expected to grow by more than 20% and PC business seeing modest growth.
“Our PC business is not shrinking, just flat, while data-centric business grows faster,” Mr Viswanathan said.
Sontiya Nujeenseng, client computing group platform and distribution director for Asia-Pacific and Japan, said Thailand is one of four countries seen as having high potential for gaming PCs in Asia-Pacific (the others are South Korea, Taiwan and Australia).
Areas of strong interest are gaming PCs, 2-in-1 devices and small-form-factor devices such as the NUC (Next Unit of Computing), a mini PC designed by Intel.
Intel is investing in e-sports and PC gaming, a high-growth market — particularly in Thailand.
According to researcher Newzoo, Thailand ranks in the top 20 in gaming revenue worldwide with $597 million.
Gaming PCs offer a vast variety of choices, and Intel’s technology specialises in support for wireless virtual gaming.
Mr Sontiya said Intel’s Optane memory technology helps games load 67% faster.
There are an estimated 2 billion gamers out of the 7.7 billion global population.
Nitipat Praweenwongwuthi, marketing director of Acer Computer, said that in 2018 the overall PC market in Thailand will remain at 2.4 million units.
Traditional PCs will account for 50%, gaming computers will capture 25% and the thin-and-light segment will take 25%, he said.
The thin-and-light market encompasses three sub-groups: thinnest, lightest and two-in-one devices.