Via gate-crashes AMD/Intel party

Taiwanese chip maker Via Technologies has confirmed that it will introduce its 1Ghz Samuel 2 processor in the first half of next year. The chip marks the first time that Via has directly challenged Intel and AMD.

Taiwanese chip maker Via Technologies has confirmed that it will introduce its 1Ghz Samuel 2 processor in the first half of next year. The chip marks the first time that Via has directly challenged Intel and AMD.

Marketed under the Via Cyrix III brand name, the chip is aimed at the budget segment of the market, targeting Intel's Celeron and AMD's Duron processors.

Via is also thought to be keen to focus the product on the Asian and European markets rather than try to take on Intel and AMD in the US and in Japan.

The first Socket 370 Samuel 2s will be made using a 0.15 micron process, and will feature 128K Level One cache and 64K Level Two cache. Samuel 2 is pin compatible with Celeron and will run at 133Mhz, 100Mhz and 66Mhz front-side bus. Intel's Celeron is restricted to 66Mhz.

The Cyrix part of the processor is also designed to be more thermally efficient than Celeron, leading to speculation that a portable version of the product can be expected in the near future.

Via entered the low end of the PC chip market after it acquired the Cyrix microprocessor line from National Semiconductor for $167m in August last year. The first Samuel 2 chips are expected to launch at between 733Mhz and 800Mhz, with the 1Ghz part following early next year.