VIA Labs VL820 becomes the World's First USB-IF Certified USB 3.1 Gen 2 Hub

[btarunr]

VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of SuperSpeed USB and USB Power Delivery Controllers, today announced that the VIA Labs VL820 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Hub Controller has achieved SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps certification from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). The VIA Labs VL820 is the world's first USB-IF Certified USB 3.1 Gen 2 Hub.

The VIA Labs VL820 features one upstream port and four downstream ports, each capable of supporting SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps devices, while providing backward compatibility for previous generation USB devices. The VIA Labs VL820 was designed with USB-C in mind, integrating an optionally configurable USB Billboard Device for Alternate Mode applications such as Thunderbolt 3 peripherals or DisplayPort over USB-C multi-function dongles.



"The VIA Labs VL820 has been over two years in the making, and our top priority during the development process was ensuring excellent interoperability," said Jay Tseng, Director, VIA Labs Inc. "Throughout this process, we co-tested with every major USB 3.1 Gen 2 Host provider and various device manufacturers and test tool companies in a collaborative effort to reach this goal."

USB-IF certification provides the assurance that products based on these certified components will interoperate with the billions of compliant USB-enabled devices available on the market while delivering the speed, efficiency, and power specified by USB standards.

"Certified USB products from companies including VIA Labs lay the foundation for successful market adoption and interoperability," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO. "USB-IF is pleased that VIA Labs has achieved certification of its USB 3.1 Gen 2 Hub controller, representing the final piece to ensure a fully functional SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps ecosystem guided by the USB-IF compliance program."

VIA Labs VL820 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Hub Controller
The VIA Labs VL820 is already seeing strong adoption in USB-C peripherals, docking stations, monitors, gaming devices, and other product categories. VIA Labs VL820-powered end products will be available as early as Q4, 2017.

The VIA Labs VL820 comes in two configurations: VL820-Q7 is the standard configuration and utilizes a simple QFN-76 9x9mm package. VL820-Q8 is optimized for USB-C, integrating muxes for the upstream port and two downstream ports, while offering a manufacturing-friendly QFN-88 10x10mm package.

VIA Labs VL820 Availability
The VIA Labs VL820 Hub controller is available now and shipping in quantity.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[john_]

Still waiting for that "new" low power X86 VIA processor. Did they totally abandoned that one?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Still waiting for that "new" low power X86 VIA processor. Did they totally abandoned that one?

Their x86 license expired a long time ago. They arent allowed to make or sell them unless they have one of them

 

[john_]

Their x86 license expired a long time ago. They arent allowed to make or sell them unless they have one of them

I think it is valid until 2018.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I think it is valid until 2018.

What makes you think that?

I heard it expired back in 2009/2010 Hence why you didnt see Via Nano gain much traction. Nano was on available albeit on limited supply on some netbooks and with some ITX offerings.

 

[john_]

What makes you think that?

I heard it expired back in 2009/2010 Hence why you didnt see Via Nano gain much traction. Nano was on available albeit on limited supply on some netbooks and with some ITX offerings.

I remembering read it somewhere, and I was remembering right.

Via Technologies will not leave CPU market despite losses | KitGuru

Timothy Chen, a special assistant to the president of Via Technologies, said that the company’s x86 licenses is valid until 2018.

As for the new VIA processor, I was talking about Isaiah II, not Nano.

 

[XiGMAKiD]

Still waiting for that "new" low power X86 VIA processor. Did they totally abandoned that one?

The product is already released and there are demo for it

 

[john_]

The product is already released and there are demo for it

That product (in the first link) is based on an older processor series. 40nm running at under 1.5GHz.The Isaiah II was 28nm running at 2.0GHz, like the C4650 in those youtube videos in your second link.

My bad.
Thanks for the link

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I remembering read it somewhere, and I was remembering right.

Via Technologies will not leave CPU market despite losses | KitGuru



As for the new VIA processor, I was talking about Isaiah II, not Nano.

My info was also slightly wrong..

VIA was granted the x86 license by Intel for a period of 10 years in 2003, during which it could make x86 based processors and sell them. However, while that period expired in 2013, Intel had also included a 3 year grace period during which negotiations to renew the contract could be had. Anyone without a math handicap would notice that this grace period expires in 2016. The current status of the licensing agreement between VIA and Intel is not known.

So nobody knows exactly whats going on with VIA -- Maybe they stopped working on it because they didnt know what they wanted to do and didnt want to put all their resources and funding into it when they didnt know what the outcome of their x86 license would be.

If VIA are still silent, I assume they havent managed to negotiate a renewal or decided not to pursue the Idea of making CPUs

 

[TheLostSwede]

What do you mean no-one knows? The company is still actively developing products at Centaur in Austin. VIA has also partnered with http://www.zhaoxin.com/ in China and they co-brand and sell products in China, for China.

 

[XiGMAKiD]

And they just tape out another generation of their CPU this year, 8-core with DDR4

Source

 

[FreedomEclipse]

What do you mean no-one knows? The company is still actively developing products at Centaur in Austin. VIA has also partnered with http://www.zhaoxin.com/ in China and they co-brand and sell products in China, for China.

I meant in regards to the CPU side of the business. (if that wasnt clear -- though I thought it was pretty clear as it was what some of us were talking about)

Maybe you should read my entire post rather then just one part of it

 

[TheLostSwede]

I meant in regards to the CPU side of the business. (if that wasnt clear -- though I thought it was pretty clear as it was what some of us were talking about)

Maybe you should read my entire post rather then just one part of it

I read it and it was pretty clear that you made a statement based on YOUR lack of information. It doesn't mean that no-one knows what's going on at VIA.

I personally know several people that works at Centaur and I have an idea of what's going on there, but it doesn't mean I have the right to share that on a public forum. I can tell you that they have something new coming and it's not too far away, but as to what that is, well, I guess you'll have to wait and see. Will it be available outside of China? I don't know. What I can say is that it's unlikely to be available in a consumer product.

But please, stop making statements like that just because you don't know. It doesn't mean it applies to everyone else, it just makes you look stupid (even more so as someone that's associated with TPU). Clearly XiGMAKiD knows what they're working on, so it's not that top secret.

 

[Fx]

Good for them. It's good to see VIA still kicking around making notable strides.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I read it and it was pretty clear that you made a statement based on YOUR lack of information. It doesn't mean that no-one knows what's going on at VIA.

I personally know several people that works at Centaur and I have an idea of what's going on there, but it doesn't mean I have the right to share that on a public forum. I can tell you that they have something new coming and it's not too far away, but as to what that is, well, I guess you'll have to wait and see. Will it be available outside of China? I don't know. What I can say is that it's unlikely to be available in a consumer product.

But please, stop making statements like that just because you don't know. It doesn't mean it applies to everyone else, it just makes you look stupid (even more so as someone that's associated with TPU). Clearly XiGMAKiD knows what they're working on, so it's not that top secret.

Oh great, Good for you.

you seem very angry, I am very sorry for having offended you. I am not lucky enough to know people who work in the business or have links, ties or contacts within the business or industry itself to be able to pass me on information which i so crucially seek. I can only browse the internet and nibble at small crumbs of information to draw up my own conclusions.

I am in the wrong and I am definitely stupid and not worthy of making such statements based on my on conclusions/opinions when I try to peice together what little information that is available.

I will refrain from making statements in the future as I clearly have no idea who XiGMAKiD is or what he, she is working on.




Though the irony is, You have nothing to back up your claims either apart from what you have pulled out from thin air. Its no good to tell me off for making 'false statements' then not provide any legit information to back your claims up apart from saying you know people who work there and cant talk about it.

It makes you look stupid too, Im just saying..

 

[TheLostSwede]

Oh great, Good for you.

you seem very angry, I am very sorry for having offended you. I am not lucky enough to know people who work in the business or have links, ties or contacts within the business or industry itself to be able to pass me on information which i so crucially seek. I can only browse the internet and nibble at small crumbs of information to draw up my own conclusions.

I am in the wrong and I am definitely stupid and not worthy of making such statements based on my on conclusions/opinions when I try to peice together what little information that is available.

I will refrain from making statements in the future as I clearly have no idea who XiGMAKiD is or what he, she is working on.




Though the irony is, You have nothing to back up your claims either apart from what you have pulled out from thin air. Its no good to tell me off for making 'false statements' then not provide any legit information to back your claims up apart from saying you know people who work there and cant talk about it.

It makes you look stupid too, Im just saying..

Is that so? Well, you don't know now, so whatever on your last comment, but I have over a decade worth as a writer in this industry starting out at one of the largest computer magazines in Europe at the time, then helping start a few tech websites that are still around to this day, but hey, who cares, right?

My statement was based on the fact that you said no-body knows what VIA is up to, which clearly isn't the case. So maybe next time you make a blanket statement like that, you want to rephrase and ask if anyone knows what a certain company is up to, rather than assuming things. There are a lot of industry people in these forums and some of them might just know. However, quite often, it's not possible to share the information we know, as it would put friends of ours in a bad spot.

As to the topic of VIA/Centaur, they are, as pointed out, working on new x86 designs, but as the company hasn't officially said much about it, I'm afraid I can only share so much.

I'm not angry, I simply wanted to point out that as someone that's part of TPU, you might want to consider a different way of making your statements, although I guess I came across a bit abrasive. There are simply too many people making uneducated statements that make it sound like they're in the know and as someone that's a staff member here, it makes it look like it's an official statement.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Is that so? Well, you don't know now, so whatever on your last comment, but I have over a decade worth as a writer in this industry starting out at one of the largest computer magazines in Europe at the time, then helping start a few tech websites that are still around to this day, but hey, who cares, right?

And im the Queen of England. But hey, who cares, right???

Not only was your 'a bit abrasive' you come across as arrogant as well as a bigot, because 'you have been writing for a computer mags for over a decade'

all i see in your post is some child sitting on a high chair screaming at the screen because someone on the internet is wrong...

Please get over yourself....

Call me out for possible misinformation which I have pieced together from my findings on the internet yet provide nothing to correct me other than 'I know people' and 'Im a writer for a computer magazine for over a decade'



I am not like you. I dont work in IT, And i havent written for any IT mags for over a decade so I dont have the experience you might have but thats not a reason to be condescending towards me.

You are blessed with contacts and knowledge. Theres no need to be a dick about it.

 

[oxidized]

Someone is kinda irascible here, waddup man?

 

[ironcerealbox]

You've got to be careful with universal quantifiers, man.

As soon as you say "all cats are black" or "no cats are black", you run into the potential to make yourself look like an ass. Some wise words for those young ones that lack wisdom (the "learned things" based on life experiences) or that lack knowledge but say whatever they want:

You can't spell "assume" without first spelling "ass"; so, never assume.

The point made by TheLostSwede is that VIA is still involved and you took offense to his correction of your universal statement. Your reply was that he did NOT read your entire post (again, another assumption) and he corrected you again.

Just sayin', man. ;P

 

[oxidized]

You've got to be careful with universal quantifiers, man.

As soon as you say "all cats are black" or "no cats are black", you run into the potential to make yourself look like an ass. Some wise words for those young ones that lack wisdom (the "learned things" based on life experiences) or that lack knowledge but say whatever they want:

You can't spell "assume" without first spelling "ass"; so, never assume.

The point made by TheLostSwede is that VIA is still involved and you took offense to his correction of your universal statement. Your reply was that he did NOT read your entire post (again, another assumption) and he corrected you again.

Just sayin', man. ;P

The fact he only posted to "correct" someone, says enough already, to that add he sounded like a douche...

 

[dorsetknob]

Their x86 license expired a long time ago. They arent allowed to make or sell them unless they have one of them

Think your find all the X86 Licenses are still Valid
Problem is for all the companys that hold one Excluding AMD
is its now A useless license (Because Intel and AMD will not licence their IP Except to each other).
To Make the point Very Clear
Nvidia have and still manufacture a X86 CPU ( a 386 based embedded CPU)

 

[Zaxx420]

I'm a bit fuzzy on the part about '1 upstream port and 2 downstream ports'...isn't 3.1 bi-directional and symmetrical? tia

 

[TheLostSwede]

I'm a bit fuzzy on the part about '1 upstream port and 2 downstream ports'...isn't 3.1 bi-directional and symmetrical? tia

It's a hub though, not a controller, so only one of the five ports can be connected to a controller, hence one upstream port. The remaining ports would be for devices, hence downstream ports.