Intel net income up 167 per cent from 2009

But signs are that 2011 may show more modest gains

Intel has reported a net income of $11.7bn (£7.38bn) for 2010, an impressive 167 per cent increase on the previous year's results.

Revenue stood at $43.6bn (£27.49bn), an increase of 24 per cent compared with 2009, while earnings per share were up 166 per cent at $2.05 (£1.29).

Intel's Data Centre Group, which supplies products for servers, saw the strongest gains with revenue up 35 per cent. This compares with the PC Client Group, which produces microprocessors for laptops and desktops, which saw a reduced increase of 21 per cent.

"2010 was the best year in Intel's history. We believe that 2011 will be even better," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO.

This may be slightly optimistic, given that growth in Intel's net income already appears to be slowing down.

Also, Intel's revenue projection for the first quarter of 2011 is $11.5bn (£7.26bn). which is about level with its sales for Q4 2010.