14 DAY TRIAL // Although the USB 3.0 standard was finalized more than two years ago, motherboard and external storage manufacturers had a very limited number of USB-IF certified solutions to choose from, but their number is expected to grow as VIA just announced they have obtained USB-IF certification for USB 3.0 ICs for external HDDs and is applying for certification for USB 3.0 host controller ICs.
This will add to VIA's portfolio of USB 3.0 products as the company has already received certification, back in September, for their USB 3.0 controller ICs destined to be used in flash drives.
Although VIA has just announced this latest company success, according to DigiTimes, shipments of these brand new HDD integrated controllers have already started.
In addition, it seems like Gigabyte Technology has chosen to go with VIA's USB 3.0 hub controller ICs in their future motherboards, although this solution hasn't been certified by the USB-IF organization yet.
If these rumors are true, then the battle on the USB 3.0 front is going to heat up, NEC being right now the primary supplier of USB 3.0 controllers, although AMD has announced their future chipsets will come with native USB 3.0 support.
"SuperSpeed certification is an industry first that places us well ahead of the USB 3.0 pack," said Gibson Chen, Vice President of Sales at VIA Labs.
"This quality certification combined with the market's broadest USB 3.0 product range, spanning host, hub and device controllers, will assure our customers that we truly have the know-how to drive SuperSpeed into the mainstream."
However good this may sound, USB 3.0 adoption has been held up until now by Intel's lack of support for this technology and I doubt this is going to change with VIA entering the market, although this move will certainly push USB 3.0 controller prices down, making it available on lower priced motherboard models.