Chipzilla is plans to expand in the global smart-grid market after a spike in demand for energy-saving technologies. Hannes Schwaderer, Intel’s director of energy in Europe, Middle East and Africa said that the company wants to take a “significant chunk” of the market for smart-grid microprocessors.

Smart grids allow power generators and users to monitor usage, helping utilities adjust supply to consumption and reducing costs by saving energy in transmission. The market is expected to be worth $5 billion in annual sales by the end of the decade. Talking to Bloomberg, Schwaderer said there is a lot happening in smart-grid development.

“There’s a big opportunity for Intel to sell more chips. That’s why we’re in,” he said.

Intel is forging partnerships to tap the market. It has agreed with France’s Alstom to cooperate on smart grids and has scored a deal with Germany’s EON on better integration of renewables on the country’s transmission network.

More here.