14 DAY TRIAL // This year's Computex trade show was definitely the place to go to see the latest product releases. Besides all the buzz around the release of the netbooks, a few other companies have also managed to hold the headlines with their newest products. Among them, VIA made for a nice surprise with the release of the low-power Nano processors, which are expected to compete with Intel Atom in providing the computing power necessary to MIDs or netbook computers.
Even more, the chip manufacturer also held an impressive demonstration of its latest Mini-ITX 2.0 platform that, with the help of a Nano processor and a discrete graphics card from NVIDIA, was capable of providing a more than decent Crysis experience. And because VIA has really high-hopes for the Nano product, it is reported to be already thinking of a way to expand its Nano lineup. Apparently, VIA is seriously considering becoming a real competitor for Intel, at least as far as the low-voltage, low-power chips are concerned.
Reports indicate that VIA is now planning the introduction of dual-core Isaiah-based CPUs, which are expected to be produced by TSMC. Word has it that the new chips will be built on a 45nm manufacturing process, and are poised to enter mass production in the first half of 2009. In order to reach this target, VIA and TSMC are already in talks regarding the new dual-core Nanos.
If the chips do materialize, they will most certainly provide a strong competitor to Intel's Atom processor, as they will feature more computing power thanks to the dual-core technology. The new chips will also be better because of the 45nm fab process, which will make them more energy-efficient.
Because predictions say that both the MID and the netbook market will see an impressive boost, VIA's dual-core Nano processors could potentially prove to be a successful product for the chip manufacturer.