Cost and space effective integrated VIA C3™ 1GHz processor and CLE266 North Bridge package delivers advanced x86 computing, connecting and entertainment capabilities for the new wave of small form factor flat panel TVs, car PCs, and ultra portable devices

Taipei, Taiwan, 13 March 2003 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today revealed the key to the next generation of connected computing and entertainment solutions underpinning the emerging Flat Panel Lifestyle, the VIA CoreFusion™ Processing Platform, codenamed “Mark”, with a live demonstration of the “StarHub” all-in-one TV PC concept design at the VIA Press Conference at CeBIT 2003.

Combining the new generation VIA C3™ 1GHz processor based on the “Nehemiah” core with the highly acclaimed VIA ProSavage™ CLE266 North Bridge in a single, low power and space saving package, the VIA ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform architecture has been specially engineered to enable the easy and cost effective integration of today’s key computing, Internet and multimedia applications into the rapidly emerging new segment of flat panel system designs, ranging from plasma TVs and LCD TVs to car entertainment systems and ultra portable notebooks, Tablet PCs and intelligent displays.

“‘Mark’ opens up an exciting new world of innovative new product designs for today’s totally connected lifestyle,” commented Richard Brown, Associate Vice-President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The advanced security, performance and low power features of the new generation VIA C3 processor combine with the great graphics capabilities of the CLE266 North Bridge, including stunning DVD playback, to make the VIA CoreFusion Processing Platform the way forward in highly integrated embedded systems.”

Flat Panel Lifestyle Demo: All-in-One StarHub TV PC

CeBIT today hosted the first ever demonstration of one of the key anticipated design applications for the VIA ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform, the “StarHub” all-in-one TV PC concept design from Insight Solutions. The unique StarHub is an excellent example of the rapidly emerging Flat Panel Lifestyle in the home, forming the conduit to bring digital media entertainment and computing capabilities to a traditional TV viewing format, and clearly illustrating a further leap into the living room for the PC platform.

Integrating a full function, small form factor motherboard into the back of a 17” LCD TV, StarHub delivers a rich array of entertainment and computing applications, including standard TV, Internet browsing, DVD and playback, and Digital Video Recording, in a stylish all-in-one unit. It also comes with a full array of easily accessible connectivity options for hooking up the unit to a home audio system or peripheral devices such as a digital camera, camcorder or MP3 player; these include two USB 2.0 and two IEEE 1394 ports, as well as SPDIF connectors.



“The Flat Panel Lifestyle is increasingly pervasive, with the appearance of more and more small form factor information and display systems in shops, kiosks and public places, as well as all-in-one home TV PCs such as the StarHub concept design, car dashboard entertainment systems and truly portable notebooks and Tablet PCs for the mobile executive,” said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Our new ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform is the ideal approach to driving this technology further into the mainstream lifestyle computing market, providing a highly integrated, ultra compact foundation for unobtrusive connected system designs.”

About the VIA ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform

The new VIA CoreFusion Processing Platform, codenamed “Mark”, combines the new generation VIA C3 1GHz processor based on the “Nehemiah” core with the VIA ProSavage CLE266 North Bridge in a single, low power package that significantly reduces the amount of board real estate required for integrating a full complement of high performance x86 computing, connecting and digital media playback and recording capabilities.

In addition to the integrated S3 Graphics UniChrome™ 2D/3D AGP8X graphics core with integrated full MPEG-2 decoding for silky-smooth DVD playback, the VIA ProSavage CLE266 also features support for the fast DDR SDRAM memory, motion compensation and DuoView for an extended desktop.

The new generation VIA C3 processor is packed with advanced digital media performance features, including support for 16 pipeline stages, SSE multimedia instructions, StepAhead™ Advanced Branch Prediction, an efficiency enhanced 64KB Full-Speed Exclusive L2 cache with 16-way associativity, and a full-speed FPU. With its unique PadLock™ Data Encryption Engine, the VIA C3 is also the first native x86 processor on the market to integrate a high performance, hardware based Random Number Generator directly onto the die of the microprocessor, providing a more secure application that is much more difficult for an attacker to probe or influence.

The VIA ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform can be coupled with a choice of the VIA VT8235 and VT8237 South Bridges that provide support for such advanced connectivity and digital media features as Fast Ethernet, USB 2.0, ATA-133, Serial ATA, and six-channel surround sound. Products built around the VIA ‘Mark’ CoreFusion Processing Platform are expected to be introduced in the second half of 2003.



About VIA Technologies, Inc.

VIA Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator and developer of PC core logic chipsets, microprocessors, and multimedia, optical storage, communication and networking chips. VIA delivers value to the PC industry by designing, marketing, and selling high-performance VIA Apollo core logic chipsets for the full range of PC platforms, and cost-effective VIA C3™ processors for Value PCs and Internet Appliances, as well as developing complete solutions for the PC platform through its VPSD Business Unit. Its customers include the world's top OEMs, mainboard manufacturers, and system integrators. VIA is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, at the center of the Greater China high-tech manufacturing engine, and has branch offices in the US, China and Europe. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE2388), and achieved annual revenues of nearly US$1 billion in 2001. Additional information can be found at http://www.via.com.tw.