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Product category: Manufacturing IT hardware
News Release from: VIA Technologies
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 12 June 2006

Via Reaffirms "Small is Beautiful"
Strategy at VTF

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Via CEO Wenchi Chen demonstrates how VIA's industry leadership in miniaturization and power efficiency is driving real system innovation and the proliferation of digital intelligence

Wenchi Chen, President and CEO of Via Technologies, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, has laid out Via's strategy of continuing to push the limits on miniaturisation of the PC platform based on its unrivalled power efficiency and rich feature integration Centred around the key theme of how miniaturisation and integration on the PC platform is accelerating the extension of the PC platform into new form factors, new usage models and new markets, thereby prompting the proliferation of digital intelligence, Mr Chen outlined Via's comprehensive strategy covering silicon, platform and system level innovation in driving the transition of the PC to devices with consumer electronics appeal

"These days, the industry is talking about performance per watt, which is important on a silicon level; however, we believe that the industry should be thinking of new metrics, such as features per square inch at the platform level, and functionality per pound at the mobile system level, or per litre for desktop systems," said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, Via Technologies.

Underlining these market metrics at the silicon level, Mr Chen showed an early preview of John, the next advance in the Via CoreFusion processor platform series that combines a Via C7-M mobile processor core with the very latest core logic integrating both North and South Bridges, the upcoming Via VX700 mobile chipset.

As a processor plus core logic in a single, complete package, John will play an important role in maintaining the pace of miniaturization especially in the mobile space, when it is launched later this year.

At the system level, there was a preview of the Via Vogue PC, a new concept in personalized PCs that combines a full featured PC module with a "wardrobe" of designer shell outfits, enabling consumers to select a look to suit each environment.

More will be revealed in Q3'06 about this exciting concept, which looks set to redefine the lifestyle PC.

Mr Chen highlighted how Via's leadership on power efficiency is the catalyst driving the convergence of notebooks and handhelds into new device categories such as UMPCs, like those of partners TabletKiosk and PBJ, and further to PC phones, such as the DualCor cPC, which combines full PC functionality with a PDA and a phone in a ultra compact handheld form factor.

With their unmatched performance per watt operation, Via's mobile and UMPC platforms are powered by the highly power efficient Via C7-M mobile processor family, as the regular and ultra low voltage skus respectively, with corresponding mobile chipsets for feature rich, slimline devices.

Via also espoused its strategy on the desktop side, working with partners like AMD on platforms such as the Via K8M890, which was demonstrated during the keynote running Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2 with one of the new AMD Socket AM2 processors.

To emphasise Via's performance on High Definition Computing platforms, there was an appearance onstage of two Chrome Ambassadors, members of the Via-sponsored girlz 0f destruction PC gaming team; Jamie "Missy" Pereyda, reigning Ms QuakeCon champion, gave an overview of life as a professional gamer and a resident in the "Home of Chrome" eSports training facility in Stockholm, where the girls train with other professional gamers using leading edge Via and S3 Graphics Hi-Def hardware.

The Via pc-1 Initiative is another key area that has greatly benefited from Via's leading power efficient technologies, as illustrated by the onstage demonstration of the Via pc-1 PHD Appliance reference design running off a standard 12V car battery.

The PHD appliance is a ruggedized system designed to withstand the environmental challenges of unstable power, and excessive heat and dust prevalent in emerging markets, and able to operate effectively with alternative energy sources such as car batteries and solar power.

Wayan Vota of Geekcorps gave some fascinating insights on the deployment of Via's power efficient technologies in the desert regions of Mali, including a broadcast station serving the remote Bourem Inaly community, and a new project to enable marketplace sales of asynchronous cyber services such as email and voicemail, named "Cybertigi"; this will be the focus of Mr Vota's presentation during Friday's Emerging Markets Technology Track.

"By focusing on miniaturization, Via is taking an alternative path to enabling true product differentiation at all levels of the industry," commented Mr Chen.

"From innovative approaches to silicon and platform feature integration right through to facilitating system innovation for partners in all areas of the industry, from desktop to mobile to handheld, Via is allowing partners to add real value and to grow the market for all of us.".

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