Intel’s determined to make the best of the mobile future, despite the fact that it’s not the most relevant chip maker in the space.  The company’s CEO Paul Otellini rallied his troops yesterday, telling them the effort will be a “marathon, not a sprint.”

“The big question on many people’s minds is how will we respond to new computing categories where we currently have little presence, specifically tablets and smartphones,” he said yesterday in an e-mail to Intel workers obtained by Bloomberg News. “Winning an architectural contest can take time.”

It may be a long road for Intel indeed.  As smart phones and tablets take precedence in the computing world, Intel stands to lose its foothold on the market.  It’s not for lack of interest–the company’s been working on mobile chip offerings for several years now.  Ensuring its place in the future of the mobile industry,  however, is another story in itself.

Intel has been more voiceforus about its plans for mobile as of late, with a number of projects and investments that are related to these goals.  Some initiatives, such as the Sandy Bridge graphic-processor chip, straddle Intel’s hopes for mobile, with an appeal to the gaming side of the industry.  This is an area that’s already witnessing exponential growth, and is pitted as a huge driving factor in the future demand and monetization opportunities around mobile devices.

Despite Intel’s lag in the chip-making business, a recent revival of PC sales has helped the company maintain market stability.  Otellini’s speech went on to note other dire times at Intel, which the company was able to pull out of.  Intel’s shares saw a rise to 11 cents to $19.35 this morning, indicating optimism for the company is spreading.

[image via Intel]