Intel President Plans Visit In June To Weigh Indian Market

Intel Corp president Craig Barret, who succeeded Andrew S Grove to the post early this week, is set to visit India in the second half of June.

Barret will visit New Delhi to gauge Indian markets potential and problems. This is a market development visit, Intel spokesman Howard High said from the companys Santa Clara, California, headquarters.

The Intel president, who is likely to be in New Delhi for just a day during a week-long visit to Asia, has a reputation as a globe-trotter eager to scout new markets for the companys microprocessors, and to push the Intel inside branding campaign.

Barret is coming to India with a sense of the countrys promise and problems. We believe India has strong potential, High said, pointing to the countrys high degree of technical skills and awareness. At the same time, the visit will be an opportunity for the Fortune 500 company to gauge potential roadblocks such as gaps in infrastructure.

Electric power for instance is a problem, the spokesman said, underscoring that the trip would help the company understand the nuts and bolts of business in India.

This is a trip for our own education as well as to stimulate the market, he said. Barret is set to meet customers, software developers and other information technology professionals in New Delhi, and may meet with telecommunications ministry officials.

Intel has increasingly turned overseas for new customers in recent years, in response to a US market that is slowly getting saturated. As recently as in 1994, the US market accounted for 51 per cent of Intels revenues. Last year, the US accounted for just 42 per cent.

At the same time, the Asia Pacific regions share of the chip market grew from 14 to 18 per cent. Intel currently has 84 per cent of the $21 billion annual market for microprocessors in the US. Last year, the company notched up $20.8 billion in total revenues.

Fifty-seven year old Barret has long been Intels chief operating officer and widely considered to be Groves heir apparent.