VIA Processor Roadmap

by Ilya Gavrichenkov
03/13/2002 | 04:41 PM

VIA company has renewed again its plans concerning CPUs release. Now they look as follows:

• By the end of this quarter (more likely, during the CeBIT show, VIA will officially announce its new C3 1GHz processor made with 0.13-micron technology. This CPU will use an updated C5M (Ezra-T) core, coming with a L2-cache of 64Kb. Ezra-T’s will be pin-compatible with Intel CPUs based on Tualatin (FC-PGA2) core.
• In the second quarter C3 frequencies on C5M core will increase up to 1.2GHz. Also, a C3 processor with a 1.2GHz frequency will be released, but it will be based on a new C5X core with a second-level cache increased to 256KB and will be made with 0.13-micron technology. Besides, C5X will have a number of other improvements made to improve its performance. C5X will have a pipeline increased from 12 to 16 stages, a full-speed FPU-block, additional MMX-block and two SSE-blocks. At the same time, C5X-based processors will stay compatible with Socket 370 (FC-PGA2).
• In the second half of the year the C3 line will be divided into two: an expensive one and a cheaper one. Cheaper CPUs will use a C5XL core which is made of C5X with the L2-cache reduced to 64 KB and with only one SSE-block. The first CPU with such a core will have a frequency of 1.2 GHz.
• In 2003 C3 frequencies with the C5X core will reach the level of approximately 1.5GHz.
• In 2004 VIA is planning to introduce an absolutely new CZA core, which will give a launch to a new C4 processor line. These CPUs will be pin-compatible with Pentium 4 and the frequencies will start from 2 GHz. Most probably, that after CZA core introduction VIA will start producing its processors with 0.1-micron technology.