VIA CEO Wenchi Chen Introduces Nano-ITX Mainboard and the Dawn of Digital Intelligence at VTF2003

New tiny Nano-ITX form factor is the future for Totally Connected smart digital lifestyle devices, while Empowered Connectivity looks to creating a whole new market of first-time users

VIA Technology Forum, Taipei, Taiwan, 24 September 2003 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today outlined a clear vision for a tri-segmented industry during the opening keynote presentation of the VIA Technology Forum 2003, taking place Wednesday 24 September 2003 in Taipei, Taiwan.

In his keynote, VIA President and CEO Wenchi Chen showed how the IT industry is undergoing its fourth major Revolution as it moves from the PC era to the age of Total Connectivity, providing a host of new challenges as well as new opportunities, bringing tremendous growth for the industry but requiring considerable innovation at both the silicon and system levels to satisfy a more diverse set of user demands.

Chen then introduced the Dawn of Digital Intelligence; first noting the inexorable move to digitizing our information streams such as communication and entertainment, and then seeing how the PC platform extends perfectly into convergence devices to enable more intelligent and sophisticated digital media management and manipulation. This transition is segmenting the IT industry into three distinct tiers: High Definition Computing, Total Connectivity and Empowered Connectivity.

High Definition Computing is focused on technological advances on the PC platform that facilitate the creation of digital intelligence; Total Connectivity is defined as the proliferation of digital intelligence through the home, office, school, industry and mobile world through a wide spectrum of connected devices; and Empowered Connectivity is the provision of affordable yet feature rich platforms to enable the billions of digital have-nots access to the world of digital information. There is a clear cascade effect of technological innovation and digital intelligence, originating in the High Definition arena and being incorporated into Totally Connected devices and eventually into Empowered Connectivity systems. And VIA is providing technologies to facilitate each segment of this new market environment.

“Across the board, VIA silicon and platform solutions form the building blocks for each of these key segments,” said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO of VIA Technologies, Inc. “For High Definition Computing, VIA provides leading core logic, audio, networking and graphics solutions to help raise the performance bar on the PC platform and support advanced technologies and applications, in the Totally Connected home we have our new Infotainment Server reference design with enriched audio and video capabilities, along with a wide range of exciting new smart digital partner innovations also on show at Computex this week.”

“Empowered Connectivity aims to enable the billions of ‘digital have-nots’ access to the knowledge and education available on the Internet, allowing them to make more informed choices and so improve their standard of living,” noted Chen. “So we are working with key industry partners and governments to bring cost effective but feature rich products to market focused on connecting and communicating, to provide those people with those education and communication resources, as well as entertainment and commerce.”

Chen reviewed the incredible success of the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard series, as in just over 18 months it has inspired hundreds of companies and individuals to create new form factor PCs and digital lifestyle devices with enhanced digital media, networking or communications capabilities, as well as numerous unique case mods. He then displayed the VIA Nano-ITX mainboard, at just 12cm x 12cm, the smallest ever standard platform with full PC functionality, which is ideally suited for the next generation of smaller, quieter, digitally intelligent home, office, mobile, industrial and commercial devices. Declared “the shape of things to come” by Chen, the Nano-ITX board will be launched later this year.

About the VIA Technology Forum

The VIA Technology Forum (VTF) showcases VIA’s commitment to develop an innovative open architecture technology platform that enables our partners to design, manufacture and market products that exploit the possibilities and enhance the scope and utility of Internet connectivity. The theme, ‘Total Connectivity: The Revolution’ reflects how the PC platform is completing the revolution from a computing machine to a connecting device that fits smoothly into our living environment, and embraces the key elements of VIA’s Total Connectivity vision, including convergence, pervasive connectivity, increased functionality in mobile devices and the trend towards smaller and quieter systems, and looks at how they have created a momentum in the industry for system design innovation, making the living room PC and the always-connected consumer a reality.

The technology tracks are Performance Computing, looking at key technologies that will drive further advances in performance in home and enterprise systems, including performance processing, memory technologies, and peripheral and chip interconnects; and Connected Lifestyle, covering elements of the Total Connected lifestyle, from technology trends in notebooks, mobile devices and phones, to digital media platforms and embedded applications, with a focus on real end market applications.

VTF2003 comprises three one-day events in Taipei, Beijing and Tokyo on the 24th, 26th and 30th of September respectively, and has attracted major sponsors including AMD, Elpida, Hynix, Infineon, InterVideo, Maxtor, Micron, Microsoft and Phoenix. For more information on the VIA Technology Forum 2003, please visit the website at: http://www.via.com.tw/vtf.jsp.



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