VIA Technologies
Encyclopedia
VIA Technologies is a Taiwan
ese manufacturer of integrated circuit
s, mainly motherboard
chipset
s, CPUs
, and memory
, and is part of the Formosa Plastics Group
. It is the world's largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets. As a fabless semiconductor company
, VIA conducts research and development of its chipsets in-house, then subcontracts the actual (silicon
) manufacturing to third-party merchant foundries, such as TSMC
.
by Wen Chi Chen
(陳文琦), among others. He was employed at Intel before joining Symphony, and is still CEO of Symphony. Chen transferred the employees of Symphony to Taiwan, to start chip production. VIA stands for "Very Innovative Architecture".
In 1997, the headquarters were moved to Taipei, Taiwan.
In 1992, VIA took a major part in the PC Common Architecture standard group, pushing the move from the ISA
bus to the PCI
bus.
In 1998, VIA acquired most of Cyrix
, then a division of National Semiconductor
, and also Integrated Device Technology
's Centaur, marking its entry into the x86 microprocessor
market. VIA is the maker of the VIA C3
and VIA C7
processors, and the EPIA
platform. The Cyrix MediaGX
platform remained with National Semiconductor.
In 2001, VIA established the S3 Graphics
joint venture.
In January 2005, VIA began the VIA pc-1 Initiative
, to develop information and communication technology systems to benefit those with no access to computers or Internet. In February 2005, VIA celebrated production of the 100 millionth VIA AMD chipset.
In 29 August 2008, VIA announced that they were releasing official 2D accelerated Linux drivers for their chipsets, and would also release 3D accelerated drivers.
then buy the chipsets for inclusion into their own product brands.
In the late 1990s, VIA began diversifying its core-logic business, and the company has since made business acquisitions to form a CPU division, graphics division, and a sound division. As advances in silicon manufacturing continue to increase the level of integration and functionality in chipsets, VIA will need these divisions to remain competitive in the core-logic market.
platform. With the Apollo VP3
chipset VIA pioneered AGP
support for Socket 7 processors..
VIA's present market position derives from the success of its Pentium III
chipsets. Intel discontinued the development of its SDRAM
chipsets, and stated as policy that only RAMBUS memory would be supported going forward. Since RAMBUS
was more expensive and offered few, if any, obvious performance advantages, manufacturers found they could ship performance-equivalent PCs at a lower cost by using VIA chipsets.
While historically VIA chipsets had suffered compatibility and performance issues, especially regarding AGP implementations, an internal program to raise standards had also begun, and VIA's fast and stable mature chipsets found market appeal, and profits soared. Many companies that had previously maintained Intel-only buying policies placed volume orders with VIA. Intel eventually restarted SDRAM development, and produced the 815 chipset, with 133 MHz SDRAM support and a 133 MHz Front Side Bus CPU interface. As NVIDIA
came out with the powerful nForce2
chipset for the Athlon, VIA's market share started to decline. At the same time, VIA benefited from AMD's popular Athlon
processor, for which VIA sold millions of chipsets.
In response to increasing market competition, VIA decided to buy out the ailing S3 Graphics
business. While the Savage chipset was not fast enough to survive as a discrete solution, its low manufacturing cost made it an ideal integrated solution, as part of the VIA northbridge
. Under VIA, the S3 brand has generally held onto a 10% share of the PC graphics market, behind Intel, ATI
, and NVIDIA
. VIA also includes the VIA Envy
soundcard on its motherboards, which offers 24-bit sound.
While its Pentium 4
chipset designs have struggled to win market share, in the face of legal threats from Intel, the K8T800 chipset for the Athlon 64
has been popular.
VIA has also continued the development of its VIA C3
and VIA C7
processors, targeting small, light, low power applications, a market space in which VIA is successful. In January 2008, Via unveiled the VIA Nano
, an 11 mm × 11 mm footprint VM-enabled x86-64
processor, which debuted in May 2008 for ultra-mobile PC
s.
Centaur
acquisition, VIA appears to have come into possession of at least three patents, which cover key aspects of processor technology used by Intel. On the basis of the negotiating leverage these patents offered, in 2003 VIA arrived at an agreement with Intel that allowed for a ten year patent cross license, enabling VIA to continue to design and manufacture x86 compatible CPUs. VIA was also granted a three year grace period
in which it could continue to use Intel socket infrastructure.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese manufacturer of integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s, mainly motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
chipset
Chipset
A chipset, PC chipset, or chip set refers to a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to work together. They are usually marketed as a single product.- Computers :...
s, CPUs
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, and memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
, and is part of the Formosa Plastics Group
Formosa Plastics Group
Formosa Plastics Group is a Taiwanese conglomerate of diverse interests, including biotechnology, petrochemical processing and production of electronics components...
. It is the world's largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets. As a fabless semiconductor company
Fabless semiconductor company
A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices and semiconductor chips while outsourcing the fabrication or "fab" of the devices to a specialized manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry...
, VIA conducts research and development of its chipsets in-house, then subcontracts the actual (silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
) manufacturing to third-party merchant foundries, such as TSMC
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited or TSMC is the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, with its headquarters and main operations located in the Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan.-Overview:...
.
History
In 1983, the firm was founded from the Symphony Company in Silicon ValleySilicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
by Wen Chi Chen
Wen Chi Chen
Chen Wen-Chi has been President and CEO of VIA Technologies, Inc. since 1992, and has overseen its transition from chipset designer to a leading developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions...
(陳文琦), among others. He was employed at Intel before joining Symphony, and is still CEO of Symphony. Chen transferred the employees of Symphony to Taiwan, to start chip production. VIA stands for "Very Innovative Architecture".
In 1997, the headquarters were moved to Taipei, Taiwan.
In 1992, VIA took a major part in the PC Common Architecture standard group, pushing the move from the ISA
Industry Standard Architecture
Industry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
bus to the PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect
Conventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
bus.
In 1998, VIA acquired most of Cyrix
Cyrix
Cyrix Corporation was a microprocessor developer that was founded in 1988 in Richardson, Texas as a specialist supplier of high-performance math coprocessors for 286 and 386 microprocessors. The company was founded by former Texas Instruments staff members and had a long but troubled relationship...
, then a division of National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
, and also Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, that designs, manufactures, and markets low-power, high-performance mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for the advanced communications, computing, and consumer industries. The company...
's Centaur, marking its entry into the x86 microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
market. VIA is the maker of the VIA C3
VIA C3
The VIA C3 is a family of x86 central processing units for personal computers designed by Centaur Technology and sold by VIA Technologies. The different CPU cores are built following the design methodology of Centaur Technology.-Samuel 2 and Ezra cores:...
and VIA C7
VIA C7
The VIA C7 is an x86 central processing unit designed by Centaur Technology and sold by VIA Technologies.- Product history :The C7 delivers a number of improvements to the older VIA C3 cores but is nearly identical to the latest VIA C3 Nehemiah core. The C7 was officially launched in May 2005,...
processors, and the EPIA
EPIA
VIA EPIA is a series of mini-ITX, nano-ITX and pico-ITX motherboards with integrated VIA processors...
platform. The Cyrix MediaGX
MediaGX
The MediaGX CPU was an x86 processor manufactured and designed by Cyrix and later after merger manufactured by National Semiconductor, and was introduced in 1997. The core is based on the integration of the Cyrix Cx5x86 CPU core with hardware to process video and audio output...
platform remained with National Semiconductor.
In 2001, VIA established the S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics, Ltd is an American company specializing in graphics chipsets. Although they do not have the large market share that they once had, they still produce graphics accelerators for home computers under the "S3 Chrome" brand name.-History:...
joint venture.
In January 2005, VIA began the VIA pc-1 Initiative
VIA pc-1 Initiative
The VIA pc-1 Initiative is a project of VIA Technologies, established in January 2005, to help bridge the digital divide by developing information and communication technology systems to benefit those who currently do not have computers or Internet access.-Aims:The initiative sought to enable the...
, to develop information and communication technology systems to benefit those with no access to computers or Internet. In February 2005, VIA celebrated production of the 100 millionth VIA AMD chipset.
In 29 August 2008, VIA announced that they were releasing official 2D accelerated Linux drivers for their chipsets, and would also release 3D accelerated drivers.
Products
VIA's business focuses on integrated chipsets for the PC market. Among PC users, VIA is best known for its motherboard (core-logic) chipsets. However, VIA's products include audio controllers, network/connectivity controllers, low-power CPUs, and even CD/DVD-writer chipsets. PC and peripheral vendors such as ASUSASUS
ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboards, desktops, laptops, monitors, tablet PCs, servers and mobile phones...
then buy the chipsets for inclusion into their own product brands.
In the late 1990s, VIA began diversifying its core-logic business, and the company has since made business acquisitions to form a CPU division, graphics division, and a sound division. As advances in silicon manufacturing continue to increase the level of integration and functionality in chipsets, VIA will need these divisions to remain competitive in the core-logic market.
Audio Circuits
| Circuit | Sampling rate Sampling rate The sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the unit for sampling rate is hertz , sometimes noted as Sa/s... |
Resolution Sampling (signal processing) In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous signal to a discrete signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of samples .... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital | Analog | Digital | Analog | |
| VT1613 | 96 kHz | 96 kHz | 20-bit | 20-bit |
| VT1618 | 96 kHz | 96 kHz | 20-bit | 20-bit |
| VT1708B | 96 kHz | 192 kHz | 24-bit | 24-bit |
Processors
| Series | Model | Core | Frequency [MHz] |
Front Side Bus [MHz] |
Year | Process [nm] |
Die size [mm^2] |
Power [W] |
L2 Cache [K] |
L1 I/D Cache [K] |
Performance [SPEC2000] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | Eden ESP | Samuel 2 | 300-600 | 66/100/133 | 2001 | 150 | 35x35 | 2.5-6 | 64 | 64/64 | |
| Eden ESP | Nehemiah | 667-1000 | 133/200 | 2003-2004 | 130 | 35x35 | 6-7 | 64 | 64/64 | ||
| Eden-N | Nehemiah | 533-1000 | 133 | 2003 | 130 | 15x15 | 2.5-7 | 64 | 64/64 | ||
| Eden | Esther | 400-1500 | 400-800 | 2006-2007 | 90 | 30 | <7.5 | 128 | 32/32 | ||
| Eden X2 | ? | 800 | ? | 2011 | 40 | 11x6 | ? | ? | |||
| C3 | C3 | Samuel 2 | 667-800 | 100-133 | 2001 | 150 | 13 | 64 | 64/64 | ||
| C3 | Ezra | 800-1000 | 100-133 | 2002 | 130 | 8.3-10 | 64 | 64/64 | |||
| C3 | Nehemiah | 1000-1400 | 133-200 | 2003 | 130 | 35x35 | 15-21 | 64 | 64/64 | ||
| C3-M | Nehemiah | 1000-1400 | 133-200 | 2003 | 130 | 35x35 | 11-19 | 64 | 64/64 | ||
| C7 | C7-D | Esther | 1500-1800 | 400 | 2006 | 90 | 21x21 | 20-25 | 128 | 16/16 | |
| C7-M | Esther | 1000-2000 | 400 | 2005 | 90 | 21x21 | 12-20 | 128 | 16/16 | ||
| C7 | Esther | 1500-2000 | 800 | 2007 | 90 | 21x21 | 12-20 | 128 | 16/16 | ||
| PV530 | PV530 | Esther | 1800 | 800 | ? | 90 | 21x21 | ? | 128 | 64/64? | |
| Nano VIA Nano The VIA Nano is a 64-bit CPU for personal computers. The VIA Nano was released by VIA Technologies in 2008 after five years of development by its CPU division, Centaur Technology... |
Nano | Isaiah | 1000-1800 | 533-800 | 2008 | 65 | 8x8 | 5-25 | 1024 | 64/64 | |
| Nano X2 | Isaiah | 1200+ | 800 | 2011 | 40 | 11x6 | 13 | 2x 1024 | 2x 64/64 | 955/891 17.1/14.5 rate |
|
| QuadCore | QuadCore | Isaiah | 1200+ | 1333 | 2011 | 40 | 2x 11x6 | 27.5 | 4x 1024 | 4x 64/64 | 30.1/24.1 rate |
| Series | Model | Core | Frequency [MHz] |
Front Side Bus [MHz] |
Year | Process [nm] |
Die size [mm^2] |
Power [W] |
L2 Cache [K] |
L1 I/D Cache [K] |
Performance [SPEC2000] |
VX900
- Supported Processors
- VIA Nano™, VIA Nano 3000 Series™, VIA C7®-M processor, VIA Eden™ processors
- V4 protocol supporting 800/533/400MHz FSB
- Memory Controller
- Supports up to two unbuffered 32/64-bit DIMMs
- DDR3 1066MHz / DDR2 667
- Unified Video Decoding Processor
- WMV / VC1 Video Decoding Mode
-
-
- VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to level 3.0
- Accelerates AP@L3 from VLD or iDCT
- De-blocking filtering
- Adaptive macroblock quantization
- H.264 Decode Mode
- Accelerates MP@L4.1 H.264 Stream from VLD level
- Multi-mode, multi-reference MC
- Interlaced frame / MBAFF decoding
- CAVLC and CABAC support
- Inner loop de-block filter
- BP/MP/HP (CABAC or CAVLC) up to level 4.1
- MPEG-2 decoding mode
- Fully compatible ISO/IEC spec in main profile
- Supports VLD
- MPEG-4 Decoding Mode
- Supports MPEG4
- MPEG4 ASP Level 5
- XVID
- Interlaced frame decoding
- Supports 1/4 –pixel MC
- High Definition Audio Interface
- Up to 32-bit sample depth at 192 kHz sampling rate
- Supports three independent codecs streams
- Supports jack sensing and retasking
- Integrated 2D Graphics Processor
- 128-bit 2D engine with hardware rotation capability
- High Definition video processor with VMR capability
- Up to 256 MB frame buffer
- Integrated 3D Graphics Processor
- 250MHz engine clock
- VIA Chrome9 HC3 – programmable DirectX 9 graphics engine
- 128-bit DX9 graphics engine with 2PS and 2VS
- Internal full ARGB for high rendering quality
- Display Support
- Dedicated CRT interface
- Single channel LVDS transmitter
- DVP1 to external HDMI/LVDS/DVI transmitter and TV encoder
- Multiplexed interface for DisplayPort/HDMI
- Multiplexed interface for DisplayPort/PCI Express
- Supports DuoView+ dual image capability
- Video Capture Port
- Parallel and serial Transport Stream inputs
- Supports 8-bit or 16-bit CCIR656/601 input
- External Hsync / Vsync support
- Supports HD resolution up to 1080i 60 or 1080p 30
- Storage and Peripheral Interface
- 2 SATA 2.0 interface
- Support SD/MMC/MS/MS pro memory card interface
- Supports PCI-Express one 4-lane and two 1-lane ports
- Supports eight USB 2.0 ports
- Supports PCI and LPC buses
- Supports SDIO and SPI
- Supports four UART ports
- Power Management
- ACPI 3.0 and PCI Bus Power Management 1.1 compliant
- Extensive system power management
-
VN1000
- Processor Support
- VIA Nano, VIA C7, C7-D and Eden™ (V4) processors
- PowerSaver™ Support
- Yes
- VIA V4 Bus
- 400/800 MHz
- Memory Support
- DDR2 677/800 and DDR3 800/1066
- Max Memory
- 16GB
- PCI Express
- One 8-lane, four 1-lane
- North/South Bridge Link
- Ultra V-Link (1GB/s)
- Graphics Core
- VIA Chrome 520
- DirectX Graphics
- DirectX10.1
- Video Acceleration
- H.264, WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
- HDTV support
- Yes – HTDV resolutions inc 1080p, 1080i and 720P
- Multi-Display Support
- Yes – including dual HDMI DisplayPort and LVDS
Market trends
VIA established itself as important supplier of PC components with its chipsets for Socket 7Socket 7
Socket 7 is a physical and electrical specification for an x86-style CPU socket on a personal computer motherboard. The socket supersedes the earlier Socket 5, and accepts P5 Pentium microprocessors manufactured by Intel, as well as compatibles made by Cyrix/IBM, AMD, IDT and others.Socket 7 was...
platform. With the Apollo VP3
Apollo VP3
Apollo VP3 is a x86 based Socket 7 chipset which was manufactured by VIA Technologies and was launched 1997. y.On its time Apollo VP3 was a high performance, cost effective, and energy efficient chipset. It offered AGP support for Socket 7 processors which was not supported at that moment by...
chipset VIA pioneered AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port
The Accelerated Graphics Port is a high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. Since 2004 AGP has been progressively phased out in favor of PCI Express...
support for Socket 7 processors..
VIA's present market position derives from the success of its Pentium III
Pentium III
The Pentium III brand refers to Intel's 32-bit x86 desktop and mobile microprocessors based on the sixth-generation P6 microarchitecture introduced on February 26, 1999. The brand's initial processors were very similar to the earlier Pentium II-branded microprocessors...
chipsets. Intel discontinued the development of its SDRAM
SDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
chipsets, and stated as policy that only RAMBUS memory would be supported going forward. Since RAMBUS
Rambus
Rambus Incorporated , founded in 1990, is a technology licensing company. The company became well known for its intellectual property based litigation following the introduction of DDR-SDRAM memory.- History :...
was more expensive and offered few, if any, obvious performance advantages, manufacturers found they could ship performance-equivalent PCs at a lower cost by using VIA chipsets.
While historically VIA chipsets had suffered compatibility and performance issues, especially regarding AGP implementations, an internal program to raise standards had also begun, and VIA's fast and stable mature chipsets found market appeal, and profits soared. Many companies that had previously maintained Intel-only buying policies placed volume orders with VIA. Intel eventually restarted SDRAM development, and produced the 815 chipset, with 133 MHz SDRAM support and a 133 MHz Front Side Bus CPU interface. As NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
came out with the powerful nForce2
NForce2
The nForce2 chipset was released by Nvidia in July 2002 as a refresh to the original nForce product offering. The nForce2 chipset was a platform for motherboards supporting AMD's Socket A CPUs along with DDR SDRAM...
chipset for the Athlon, VIA's market share started to decline. At the same time, VIA benefited from AMD's popular Athlon
Athlon
Athlon is the brand name applied to a series of x86-compatible microprocessors designed and manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices . The original Athlon was the first seventh-generation x86 processor and, in a first, retained the initial performance lead it had over Intel's competing processors...
processor, for which VIA sold millions of chipsets.
In response to increasing market competition, VIA decided to buy out the ailing S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics
S3 Graphics, Ltd is an American company specializing in graphics chipsets. Although they do not have the large market share that they once had, they still produce graphics accelerators for home computers under the "S3 Chrome" brand name.-History:...
business. While the Savage chipset was not fast enough to survive as a discrete solution, its low manufacturing cost made it an ideal integrated solution, as part of the VIA northbridge
Northbridge (computing)
The northbridge has historically been one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Increasingly these functions have migrated to the CPU chip itself, beginning with memory and graphics controllers. For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Fusion...
. Under VIA, the S3 brand has generally held onto a 10% share of the PC graphics market, behind Intel, ATI
ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. was a semiconductor technology corporation based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, that specialized in the development of graphics processing units and chipsets. Founded in 1985 as Array Technologies Inc., the company was listed publicly in 1993 and was acquired by Advanced Micro...
, and NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
. VIA also includes the VIA Envy
VIA Envy
The VIA Envy24 audio chipset series delivers true 24-bit sound for personal computers. While available as a discrete card, it is sold in greatest volume as an integrated solution for motherboards....
soundcard on its motherboards, which offers 24-bit sound.
While its Pentium 4
Pentium 4
Pentium 4 was a line of single-core desktop and laptop central processing units , introduced by Intel on November 20, 2000 and shipped through August 8, 2008. They had a 7th-generation x86 microarchitecture, called NetBurst, which was the company's first all-new design since the introduction of the...
chipset designs have struggled to win market share, in the face of legal threats from Intel, the K8T800 chipset for the Athlon 64
Athlon 64
The Athlon 64 is an eighth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by AMD, released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name Athlon, and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP...
has been popular.
VIA has also continued the development of its VIA C3
VIA C3
The VIA C3 is a family of x86 central processing units for personal computers designed by Centaur Technology and sold by VIA Technologies. The different CPU cores are built following the design methodology of Centaur Technology.-Samuel 2 and Ezra cores:...
and VIA C7
VIA C7
The VIA C7 is an x86 central processing unit designed by Centaur Technology and sold by VIA Technologies.- Product history :The C7 delivers a number of improvements to the older VIA C3 cores but is nearly identical to the latest VIA C3 Nehemiah core. The C7 was officially launched in May 2005,...
processors, targeting small, light, low power applications, a market space in which VIA is successful. In January 2008, Via unveiled the VIA Nano
VIA Nano
The VIA Nano is a 64-bit CPU for personal computers. The VIA Nano was released by VIA Technologies in 2008 after five years of development by its CPU division, Centaur Technology...
, an 11 mm × 11 mm footprint VM-enabled x86-64
X86-64
x86-64 is an extension of the x86 instruction set. It supports vastly larger virtual and physical address spaces than are possible on x86, thereby allowing programmers to conveniently work with much larger data sets. x86-64 also provides 64-bit general purpose registers and numerous other...
processor, which debuted in May 2008 for ultra-mobile PC
Ultra-Mobile PC
An ultra-mobile PC is a small form factor version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was however only sold in Asia...
s.
Legal issues
On the basis of the IDTIntegrated Device Technology
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, that designs, manufactures, and markets low-power, high-performance mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for the advanced communications, computing, and consumer industries. The company...
Centaur
Centaur Technology
Centaur Technology is an x86 CPU design company, now a wholly owned subsidiary of VIA Technologies, a member of the Formosa Plastics Group, Taiwan's largest industrial conglomerate.-History:...
acquisition, VIA appears to have come into possession of at least three patents, which cover key aspects of processor technology used by Intel. On the basis of the negotiating leverage these patents offered, in 2003 VIA arrived at an agreement with Intel that allowed for a ten year patent cross license, enabling VIA to continue to design and manufacture x86 compatible CPUs. VIA was also granted a three year grace period
Grace period
A grace period is a time past the deadline for an obligation during which a late penalty that would have been imposed is waived. Grace periods, which can range from a number of minutes to a number of days or longer, depending on the context, can apply in various situations, including arrival at a...
in which it could continue to use Intel socket infrastructure.
See also
- Mini-ITXMini-ITXMini-ITX is a 17 x 17 cm low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies in 2001. Mini-ITX is slightly smaller than microATX. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low power consumption architecture, which makes them useful for home theater PC systems,...
- Pico-ITXPico-ITXPico-ITX is a PC motherboard form factor announced by VIA Technologies in January 2007 and demonstrated later the same year at CeBIT. The formfactor was transferred over to SFF-SIG in 2008. The Pico-ITX form factor specifications call for the board to be 10 × 7.2 cm , which is half the area...
- Nano-ITXNano-ITXNano-ITX is a computer motherboard form factor first proposed by VIA Technologies at CeBIT in March 2003 , and implemented in late 2005. Nano-ITX boards measure 120 × 120 mm , and are fully integrated, very low power consumption motherboards with many uses, but targeted at smart digital...
- NanoBookNanoBookThe NanoBook is an ultra-mobile PC reference design by VIA Technologies, Inc. It has a clamshell form factor, a 7-inch 800×480 touchscreen display, and a full-size keyboard. It weighs less than 850 g and has a claimed battery life of up to 4.5 hours...
- List of VIA chipsets
- List of VIA microprocessors
- List of VIA Nano microprocessors