The European Commission said on Wednesday it will rule in its antitrust case against Intel "as soon as possible. "There is no provisional or internal decision on this case, the investigation is very much active and ongoing," commission spokesman for antitrust issues Jonathan Todd told journalists in Brussels.

"It's been going on for several years. We will pursue this case as diligently as we can and we will take a decision as soon as possible," he said.

After a six-year investigation, the commission accused Intel last July of offering "substantial" rebates to computer makers that mostly used its chips.

Europe's top competition watchdog also alleged that Intel had made payments to clients to delay or cancel products using chips made by its US rival Advanced Micro Device, and selling its own chips at below cost in some cases.

AMD, the second biggest computer chip maker, has long accused Intel of using its grip on the market for microchips -- the brains of personal computers -- to choke off competition.

If the commission rules against Intel, the company could face a fine of up to 10 percent of annual sales, which would be around €2.6 billion ($4.1 billion)