Intel

Intel is the world's No. 1 maker of microcomputer components of desktop and server systems.

For the third calendar quarter of 2008, Intel claimed an 80.8 percent market share--gaining 1.1 percent--based on the number of units shipped, according to IDC. The research house also noted that Intel's Atom chip, which is found in Netbooks, boosted global processor shipments in the same quarter, accounting for about 50 percent of the growth.

The chipmaker posted a record revenue of US$10.2 billion for the quarter that ended Sep. 30, and net income was up by 12 percent year-on-year to US$2 billion. However, it recently revised down its fourth-quarter revenue forecast by approximately 14 percent to some US$9 billion, due to weakening demand for its chips worldwide.

Founded in 1968, Intel is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.