Via Technologies, a developer of microprocessors, core-logic sets and graphics chips, on Tuesday announced that at its Via Global Mobility Bazaar (GMB) Tech Forum Spring, which will be held on March 17^th 2009 in Shenzhen, China, it would bring together a host of PC manufacturing and infrastructure partners and would discuss key technologies and market trends of netbooks.

“With the already strong momentum around mini-notebooks increasing, the Via GMB Alliance has attracted interest from both established players and new companies wishing to enter the market. This is not only a validation of Via’s vision and strategy for the segment, but an acknowledgment of the tremendous business opportunity that exists around these popular devices.”

The GMB program is a collaborative effort between Via Technologies, Microsoft Corp., American Megatrends (AMI), ITE Technologies, SanDisk, several China-based makers of mobile computers as well as a number of infrastructure partners. Under the program, Via as well as AMI, ITE and Microsoft will help manufacturers to develop netbooks, notebooks and other mobile devices based on various central processing units (CPUs) by Via, such as C7 or Nano. The latter will also ensure that the quality of actual products is high enough.

In the few short months since its formation, the number of Via GMB Alliance mini-notebook designs has grown to over 50, with a further 50 new designs expected to be rolled out by the end of Q1 2009, the company indicated.

Over 200 Via GMB Alliance partners have registered to attend the event, where they will observe live demonstrations of the latest mini-notebook technologies, as well as presentations exploring business and technology trends in this rapidly expanding market segment. Topics to be covered include new opportunities for memory module and SSD manufacturers, application utilization tips for embedded controller suppliers, and an overview of a wirelessly networked world and how we to go about getting there.

Tags: Via, Nano, C7