Intel betting on SMEs for revival

Intel, the world’s largest chip maker is banking high on revival of PC demand in the Indian Small and Medium business segment. The company expects that the second half of the year will be better in terms of PC buying because of festivities such as Diwali and others coming up. According to a study by MAIT, the apex body of IT hardware firms, the total PC sales in India had dipped by 7% in 2008-09 which is likely to grow by 7% in 2009-10. The total sales are expected to cross 7.3 million units. The chip maker is working with OEMs and trade partners to bolster adoption of their latest platforms in the SME and consumer segment. Enquiry and purchases are also gradually starting from the enterprise segment as they want to refresh their PC segment to control costs. Intel is also betting on its Atom processors to drive growth in value computing through netbooks and laptops.