Founded in 1968, Intel Corporation is the largest semiconductor company in the world. Based in Santa Clara, California, the company is also the inventor of the popular x86 line of processors, which are the microprocessors found in most of today’s personal computers. The company’s product line encompasses a range of solutions that help power the home and IT sectors. Intel manufactures and sells embedded processors, motherboard chipsets, integrated circuits, graphic chips and other hardware related to the computing and communications markets. Intel chips are widely known for having an advanced design and industry leading capabilities.
Intel was originally established as Integrated Electronics Corporation by Gordon Moore and Robert Novice, two pioneers in the semiconductor industry. However, Andrew Grove receives much of the credit for the company’s success through executive leadership and vision. The company started out as one of the first developers of DRAM and SRAM memory chips, which was its main focus in the early 1980s. While Intel introduced the world to the first commercial microprocessor chip in the early 1970s, it wasn’t until the emergence of the PC that it became the company’s primary business. In the 1990s, Intel made a commitment to focus on new processor designs to cater to the fast growing PC market. Around this time, Intel processors became synonymous with the personal computer, thanks to the aggressive “Intel Inside” marketing campaign that essentially made it a household name.
Although the 2000s marked the end of the company’s dominance, Intel processors remain prevalent on today’s PC market. In fact, it was ranked in 2007 as one of the world’s most powerful brands by Millward Brown Optimor. Intel celebrated its 40th birthday in 2008 and has recently announced plans to launch more innovative PC products in the very new future. From the looks of it, Intel will continue to play an integral role in modern computing.