San Francisco - Bolstered by a weak dollar, strong international sales and booming demand for notebook computers, semiconductor giant Intel on Tuesday reported a 25-per-cent surge in second-quarter profits.

The world's largest chip manufacturer said its net income reached 1.6 billion dollars, or 28 cents per share, up from 1.3 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2007. Intel reported record first- quarter sales of 9.47 billion - up 9.1 per cent from last year - with some 80 per cent of revenues coming from outside the US.

"Demand remains strong for our microprocessor and chipset products in all segments and all parts of the globe," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and chief executive, in a statement.

Otellini noted that shipments of chips for portable PCs passed those for desktop PCs for the first time, with demand especially strong for chips in low-end PCs. These Atom chips are seen as a crucial tool in low-cost laptops or netbooks aimed at customers in developing countries.

The company issued a revenue forecast for the third quarter estimating sales at 10 billion to 10.6 billion dollars. (dpa)