The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pressing ahead with efforts to build an antitrust case against Intel, the world's largest maker of semiconductors, according to an attorney at rival Advanced Micro Devices and other people who have been contacted as part of the investigation.

The FTC inquiry goes beyond issues raised in a now-resolved clash with AMD and involves Intel's relationship with rival Nvidia in the US$12 billion market for graphics chips, which handle computerized images, the people say.

Regulators' efforts show Intel remains dogged by allegations of anticompetitive behavior despite the resolution in November of a long-standing antitrust lawsuit by AMD. In court papers filed in 2005, AMD accused Intel of bribing computer makers not to use its chips. Intel said on Nov. 12 it would pay US$1.25 billion in exchange for AMD's agreement to drop pending litigation.

The commission is looking at a broader range of issues related to Intel's conduct in the marketplace, say executives who have been contacted by the FTC. "The FTC continues to investigate and we are still getting requests for information," Thomas McCoy, AMD's executive vice-president for legal affairs, said in an interview. "The investigation is broader than the issues we complained about to the commission and have since settled."

Read more and the nVidia lawsuit: http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,62059803,00.htm?scid=rss_z_nw