Via to introduce Pentium M chip sets

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Via Technologies Inc. is gearing up to introduce in February a line of mobile chip sets designed for notebooks based on Intel Corp.’s Pentium M processor, a company executive said.

Via, based in Taipei, Taiwan, plans to introduce two Pentium M chip set models, the PN800 and PN880, said Ben Boyden, a Via spokesman. Both chip sets will support 400MHz DDR memory and incorporate an integrated Unichrome Pro graphics core that includes a hardware decoder for MPEG4 video and support for HDTV (high-definition TV), he said.

Chip sets are a core component in notebooks and other computers, connecting the processor with main memory and other components, including hard-disk drives and add-in cards.

The PN800 and PN880 chip sets will compete with Intel’s own Pentium M chip set offerings, the 855 chip set family. Currently, the fastest memory supported by Intel’s 855 chip set family is 333MHz DDR memory. However, the Santa Clara, California, chip maker plans to introduce a new chip set, codenamed Alviso, which will offer support for DDR2, a more advanced memory type that allows for increased performance and lower power consumption, during the second half of this year. Alviso will also offer support for PCI Express.

Via also plans to offer PCI Express support in future versions of its Pentium M chip sets, Boyden said.

The Alviso chip set will comprise a key part of Intel’s upcoming Sonoma mobile platform, also slated for release during the second half of this year. Sonoma will include the Alviso chip set along with Dothan, an upcoming version of the Pentium M that will be produced using a 90-nanometer chip-making process and a dual-band wireless chip set that will support multiple versions of the 802.11 wireless networking standard.

Via is not the only third-party chip set vendor that will produce chip sets for Pentium M.

Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SIS) in Sept. announced plans to introduce two Pentium M chip sets, the SIS648MX and the SIS661MX, during the first quarter of 2004. Both chip sets will support 400MHz DDR memory and the SIS661MX will also incorporate an integrated graphics core, according to the company. In addition, Ali Corp. has also produced several chip set models that support the Pentium M.