News Release
VIA Launches Seventh Generation 'Nehemiah' CPU Core,
the First x86 Processor to Market with Embedded Security
Features
Combining an integrated PadLock™ Data Encryption
Engine with a wealth of enhanced performance features,
the new generation VIA C3® provides the lowest
power native x86 platform for the fast-growing market
of connected PCs and home entertainment centers
Taipei, Taiwan, 22 January 2003 - VIA Technologies,
Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip
technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced
its new generation VIA C3Ô processor integrating
the 'Nehemiah' core. With its powerful PadLock™
Data Encryption Engine, this next generation VIA C3
is the first native x86 processor on the market with
embedded security features that enhance the protection
of sensitive corporate and personal data.
Available now at a speed of 1GHz, the new processor
core is based on an advanced new CoolStreamÔ processor
architecture that delivers all the necessary performance
for running even the most demanding digital media applications
while maintaining ultra low levels of power consumption
and heat dissipation.
"The launch of the seventh generation VIA C3 processor
extends our leadership in enabling the development of
secure, quiet-running small form factor system designs
for a rapidly growing number of exciting new lifestyle
and productivity applications such as home digital media
entertainment and connected computing," commented
Paul Hsu, Executive Assistant to the President and Head
of VIA's CPU Business Unit. "Integration of embedded
security features in the processor provides the most
robust and cost-effective solution for addressing the
increased demands among individuals, businesses, and
government organizations for enhanced authentication
and protection of their data in today's connected world."
PadLock™ Data Encryption Engine
The PadLock Data Encryption Engine has been integrated
into the new generation VIA C3 processor to ensure greater
confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of electronic
data either stored in the computer or transmitted over
a network or the Internet, and enables a host of powerful
new security applications, including heavy-duty data
encryption and safer online transactions.
At its heart is an advanced Random Number Generator
(RNG) that uses random electrical noise on the chip
to securely produce random number values, and features
a direct application level interface through a new x86
instruction. Developers can obtain random numbers directly
from the hardware without having to use separate software
drivers, thereby providing an inherently more secure
and efficient solution than combined hardware/software
RNG architectures. The RNG includes several operating
modes, offering performance from 750K bits per second
to as high as 6 million bits per second.
"VIA's incorporation of a hardware random number
source on the processor die is exciting for developers,
since it provides a simple and effective way of obtaining
high quality randomness. This is particularly important
for security and cryptography applications, since it
is notoriously difficult to generate random numbers
of adequate quality without a hardware random number
generator," said Paul Kocher, President of Cryptography
Research, Inc. and co-inventor of SSL 3.0. "I am
enthusiastic about the benefit to applications such
as secure web browsing, cryptographic key generation,
and protocols where randomness is required."
CoolStream™ Architecture
Based on the advanced CoolStream architecture, the
new generation VIA C3 processor has a highly efficient
design that, when coupled with the VIA Apollo CLE266
chipset, delivers performance increases of up to 20%
over the current version of the VIA C3 processor in
mainstream productivity applications and up to 73% for
3D graphics applications, while continuing to deliver
the same benefits of low power and minimal heat dissipation.
New performance features include support for clock
speeds of 1GHz and beyond, four new pipeline stages,
SSE multimedia instructions, StepAhead™ Advanced
Branch Prediction, an efficiency enhanced 64KB Full-Speed
Exclusive L2 cache with 16-way associativity, and a
full-speed FPU.
With a typical maximum design power of just over 10
watts at 1GHz, the processor runs extremely cool and
delivers very low levels of energy consumption. This
not only makes the processor ideal for a wide variety
of low profile, small form factor devices, but also
enables very low noise system design implementations
that are necessary for the emerging new generation of
living room digital media entertainment devices.
New Generation VIA C3® Processor Pricing &
Availability
The new generation VIA C3 processor is available now
in a choice of Socket 370 CPGA and Enhanced BGA packages,
priced at $45 per unit in OEM volumes.
For more information on the new VIA C3 processor, please
visit our website at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/viac3/c3.jsp.
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