Via's Low-Cost Mobile CPU Launches

Via Technologies, a Taiwanese chipmaker, announced on Friday a new line of processors that it claims are as fast as current Intel and AMD mobile chips. However, Via's C7 processors come at a fraction of the price, clearing the way for sub-$800 thin profile laptops.

The C7 processor will initially come at speeds of up to 2.0 GHz, with up to a 800 MHz serial bus. Via says its top-of-the-line processor runs at about 20 watts of peak power - 40 percent cooler than Intel or AMD.

"With the rest of the market moving towards low power, heat efficient processor design and distributed platforms, the industry is clearly starting to follow the direction we have been championing for many years," said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, VIA Technologies, Inc.

The processor will be manufactured by an IBM processing plant in New York, which is a significant shift from the company's previous processors that were manufactured by Taiwanese plants. Via has high hopes that the new C7 will help to gain market share for the company.

By all accounts, Via only has a 1 percent share of the processor market, which most analysts attribute to the fact that its past chips were quite a bit slower than the offerings from either Intel or AMD.

It is likely that most of the sales of C7 processor units will occur in emerging technology markets; however, some reports have suggested that the low-cost chip may make it into laptops sold in the U.S. and Europe.