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Via Technologies May Quit Mass Chipset Business – Rumours.

Category: Chipsets

by Anton Shilov

[ 07/09/2007 | 07:28 AM ]

Via Technologies, a designer of chipsets for personal computers, may refocus its chipset development efforts to make its own-brand C7 platform more appealing. The result of the change will be the company’s quit from the market of core-logic supporting processors by Advanced Micro Devices and Intel Corp.

Via reportedly plans to switch its focus from third party chipsets to chipsets for its own C7 processor platform in order to lead the way for its own microprocessors to such markets as multimedia control, commercial embedded (thin clients, industrial PCs and point of sale terminals), home multimedia and mobile embedded (ultra-mobile devices, set-top boxes, LCD TVs and car electronics), reports DigiTimes web-site.

The change of focus will essentially mean that the company will either cease to develop core-logic sets for third-party microprocessors, or will update its chipset lineup very rarely. In fact, Via has been concentrating on low-cost mainstream-class chipsets for AMD and Intel processors for several years, leaving high-end core-logic market to companies like ATI, Intel or Nvidia Corp.

The rumours regarding Via’s potential quit of the chipset business started to spread when the company did not sign a new cross-licensing agreement with Intel regarding development of chipsets supporting central processing units with 1333MHz processor system bus speed.

While VIA had no comment regarding the speculation of its future plans.