Advanced mobile processor fosters the “Simply Mobile” lifestyle by enabling easy to carry notebooks with wireless capabilities and longer battery life

Taipei, Taiwan, 08 July 2003 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the introduction of the new VIA Antaur™ mobile processor.

Combining exceptionally low power consumption and thermal density with enhanced performance features for all the most popular productivity and digital media applications, the VIA Antaur processor has been specifically designed for the rapidly emerging new generation of mainstream and ultra-portable slim and light notebooks that enable the “Simply Mobile” lifestyle. When configured with best of breed 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g technologies, the VIA Antaur processor further expands the boundaries of mobile computing by adding an unprecedented level of freedom and convenience for people wishing to connect to the growing number of global wireless hotspots.

“With the launch of the VIA Antaur processor, we see a tremendous opportunity to expand the overall size of the notebook market by enabling a new generation of innovative, slim and light designs,” said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Wireless connectivity, extended battery life, and excellent performance will give people the freedom to fully enjoy the benefits of the Simply Mobile lifestyle.”

About the VIA Antaur Processor

The VIA Antaur processor is based on the unique VIA CoolStream™ architecture of the “Nehemiah” processor core that minimizes power consumption while optimizing performance, making it an ideal solution for innovative slim and light notebook designs. Consuming as little as 11 watts (Maximum Thermal Design Power) when running at a clock speed of 1GHz, the VIA Antaur also features PowerSaver 2.0 technology that can reduce processor power draw by as much as 50% to further extend battery life. With its low profile EBGA package measuring only 1.5mm high and low thermal density, the VIA Antaur has only minimal active cooling requirements to enable designs with thinner and smaller components, reducing notebook weight and thickness.

Initially available at a speed of 1GHz, the VIA Antaur processor comes packed with advanced performance features such as StepAhead™ Advanced Branch Prediction, sixteen pipeline stages, support for SSE multimedia instructions, a full-speed Floating Point Unit (FPU) and an efficiency-enhanced 64KB Full-Speed Exclusive L2 cache with 16-way associativity for memory optimization. For enhanced digital media applications such as high quality DVD and audio playback, the VIA Antaur can be coupled with the highly acclaimed VIA UniChrome™ CLE266 chipset, featuring an integrated hardware MPEG-2 decoder, DDR266 SDRAM support, VIA Vinyl™ Audio integrated 5.1 surround sound, high-speed USB2.0 ports, and 10/100 Fast Ethernet. 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity can be added through an optional PCMCIA Card or USB wireless adapter.

To enhance the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of electronic data for mobile users on the go, the VIA Antaur integrates the VIA PadLock™ Data Encryption Engine, the world’s first hardware Random Number Generator (RNG) integrated into a CPU. Designed as an extension of the VIA Antaur processor core, PadLock delivers world-class levels of entropy for security applications without utilizing power hungry CPU cycles.

VIA Antaur Processor Availability

The VIA Antaur processor is shipping in volume now. Notebooks featuring the VIA Antaur processor are initially on sale in the Greater China Region, and are expected to be available in Europe and the US in the fourth quarter of 2003.



About VIA Technologies, Inc.

VIA Technologies, Inc. is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia, networking and storage silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. VIA is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE2388) and achieved annual revenues of over US$720 million in 2002. http://www.via.com.tw