VIA Unveils Single Chip USB 3.0 Hub Controller

VIA will be taking the opportunity provided by the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to demonstrate its latest advancement in the field of USB 3.0 connectivity, the VIA VL810 SuperSpeed Hub Controller. This device is touted as "the industry’s first integrated single chip solution" capable of USB 3.0 transfer speeds. The device features one upstream and four downstream ports, which are backwards compatible with previous USB interfaces, but unleash their true potential when paired with devices using the latest Universal Serial Bus.

"The growing emphasis on high-definition multimedia content is placing increasing demands on current data transfer technologies," Richard Brown, vice president of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc., said. "SuperSpeed USB not only makes transferring HD video files, high pixel count digital photos, and backing up hard drives quick and easy, but VIA's new hub controller allows consumers to get the most out of the technology by expanding the capacity of PC systems."

The five ports support Hi-Speed (480Mbps), Full-Speed (12Mbps) and Low-Speed (1.5Mbps) data traffic. They enable the already infamous transfer rates that are ten times higher than those offered by USB 2.0 connections. Furthermore, to this capability is added the increased power efficiency and improved device-host controller interaction.

A notable element used in the construction of the VIA VL810 that reduces the power consumption is the use of the 80nm CMOS technology. To this are added the hub's ability to relay, to the host, the latency tolerance. In addition to this, the individual links have the capability to enter progressively lower power states when link partners are in idle mode.

As most other corporations will do with their own respective technologies, VIA will be showing a demo of the VIA VL810 SuperSpeed Hub Controller during CES 2010. The demo will be displayed on January 7th and 8th during the annual Lunch@Piero media event. Further details may be found on the company's website.