There were 5.5-6.5 million Chromebooks shipped globally in 2014 and shipments in 2015 are expected to grow to 12-14 million units, according to Taiwan-based notebook vendors.

Among notebook vendors, Acer, Samsung Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba and Asustek Computer have launched Chromebooks, with Acer and Samsung leading in shipments, the sources said.

While open-bid procurements in North America's educational sector have accounted for the majority of global Chromebook demand, vendors have been tapping other markets and promoting business-use sales, the sources indicated.

Intel launched its 14nm-based Broadwell platform in January 2015 and will launch entry-level Pentium and Celeron processors based on its Braswell platform in the third quarter targeting Chromebook applications, the sources said.