VIA announced a new low-voltage QuadCore processor

The Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits, VIA Technologies, has announced today in a press release that it has developed the “world’s lowest power quad core x86 processor”.  The new CPU will reportedly be used in next generation mainstream notebooks and is expected to set some baseline standards.

Epan Wu, who is the Head of Processor Platforms at VIA Technologies was quoted as saying: "As a result of the rapid proliferation of high definition multimedia content and increasingly demanding multithreaded applications, a four core processor is the new baseline for today's mainstream PC user," … "The VIA QuadCore processor meets that need with the industry's most power efficient architecture."

Apparently, one of the most compelling advantages of this central processing unit is that it has a maximum TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 27.5 Watts. This explicit quality of VIA’s new QuadCore processor supposedly makes it about 21% more energy-efficient than its nearest competitor.

With a core frequency of 1.2GHz and based on 40nm technology, the 64-bit CPUs have out-of-order architecture and will support overclocking. Further specs include 4MB of Level 2 cache, 1333MHz V4 Bus, hardware virtualization support and AES encryption features. Reportedly, PC vendors will not experience difficulties integrating the new CPU as it is delivers full pin-to-pin compatibility with VIA Eden, VIA C7 and VIA Nano E-Series, and VIA Eden X2 processors. This product is also compliant with the RoHS directive on the elimination of six hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

Offering a multi-threading performance, VIA Technologies latest low-voltage QuadCore x86 chips will presumably be ideal for notebooks and multi-display environments. In addition, they will be on display at this year’s Computex and will reportedly start shipping in Q3 2011.

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