VIA Technologies, Inc unveiled their next-generation Isaiah x86 Processor Architecture today which will produce high performance and functionality with low power consumption to help enable the “Small is Beautiful” devices. These “Small is Beautiful” devices include slim and light notebooks, pocket-sized UMPCs and Ultra Mobile Devices with multimedia with wireless broadband capabilities to smaller formed green PCs and Digital Entertainment Centers that combine space saving designs with minimal energy consumption.
Designed from the ground up by VIA’s US-based processor design subsidiary, CentaurVIA Isaiah Wafer Technology Inc., the VIA Isaiah Architecture combines a 64-bit superscalar speculative out-of-order microarchitecture, high-performance multimedia computation, and a new virtual machine architecture. The first generation of Isaiah-based products will be pin-compatible with the VIA C7 processor family, enabling a smooth transition for system builders and providing them with an easy upgrade path for current designs.
The first processors implementing the VIA Isaiah Architecture will use proven 65 nanometer technology for greater power efficiency. This combined with new enhanced power and thermal management capabilities, will help drive the rapidly emerging categories of green, silent and small form factor desktop PCs and home media centers, and ultra thin and light notebooks and mini-notes with the best performance per watt on the market.