Intel will back up its forecast of continued growth in 2005 with the launch of a new chipset for PC laptops next week - the latest version of the Centrino brand that has powered the company's recent overperformance against the rest of the industry.
The Silicon Valley company is due to launch its Sonoma platform in San Francisco on January 19th, offering compatibility with higher-speed Wi-Fi technology and enhanced video and audio capabilities.
Eighty new notebook computers will feature the chip at launch.
On Tuesday, Intel beat analysts' forecasts in predicting sales of $8.8 billion (€6.6 billion) to $9.4 billion in its seasonally weaker first quarter.
Consensus estimates were for $8.9 billion in revenues.
The company employs more than 3,000 in the Republic.
The world's biggest chip maker also said it had closed out 2004 with record quarterly and annual sales of $9.6 billion and $34.2 billion respectively, beating market expectations of $9.4 billion and $34.01 billion.
Tuesday's after-the-bell news translated into Intel becoming the biggest riser on the Dow yesterday, up 2.7 per cent by midday yesterday, although it did little to lift other semiconductor stocks.
Investors fear the effects of Intel flexing its financial muscle against rivals.
Stocks of chip equipment makers fared better yesterday, boosted by Intel announcing much higher capital spending in 2005 than expected. It will be between $4.9 billion and $5.3 billion, compared with $3.8 billion in 2004.
Analysts at ThinkEquity Partners said that mobile units had grown 50 per cent year-on-year for Intel and had reached 50 per cent of all PC sales in the US.
