Via to ship Nano chips to Samsung

Via will ship about 200,000 Nano chips to Samsung.

In the shadow of the Giants?

 Taiwanese VIA Technologies is expected to ship 150,000-200,000 units of its Nano U225 processors for Samsung's 12.1-inch NC20 netbooks in the first quarter of 2009. They will soon find themselves being inserted in this upcoming Samsung netbook NC20, due sometime in the next month, which will be the only 12-inch unit available following Dell's cancellation of its similarly sized Inspiron Mini. With the absence of competitors in the segment, shipments of VIA Nano CPUs may gain momentum.

The description on the Via site says this new chip is built on the energy efficiency of the VIA C7® processor family, and claims to offer as much as four times the performance within the same power range to extend VIA's performance, while pin compatibility with VIA C7 processors will ensure a smooth transition for OEMs and motherboard vendors, providing them with an easy upgrade path for current system or board designs.

The NC20 fits into Samsung's laptop product line between its Intel Atom-powered NC10 netbook and more powerful systems, which is exactly where Via wants the Nano to be positioned. Winning business from a top-tier vendor like Samsung gives the Nano greater credibility with users and other prospective customers. It also means the chip will be more widely available, which PCWorld says should translate into higher sales for Via. The new laptop is a likely boost for Via, the smallest of the three x86 processor vendors, which is yet to gain significant market share from its bigger rivals, particularly Intel.