Zhaoxin, the Chinese chip-maker famous for Kaixian line of x86 processors, and a major beneficiary of the Chinese government's ambitious "3-5-2 plan" of public investment toward the country's computer hardware independence by the mid-2020s, unveiled plans to design its first discrete GPUs that could double up as scalar-compute and AI processors. The company's baby step is a tiny 70-Watt dGPU that will be fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm silicon fabrication process that will likely serve as a tech demonstrator and development platform for ISVs. The dGPU is largely expected to derive from VIA's S3 Graphics IP as VIA has collaborated with Zhaoxin as an iGPU provider for its Kaixian line of x86 SoCs.

Zhaoxin is a brand that makes multi-core 64-bit x86 processors primarily for use in Chinese state IT infrastructure. It's part of the Chinese Government's ambitious plan to make its IT hardware completely indigenous. Zhaoxin's x86-64 CPU cores are co-developed by licensee VIA, specifically its CenTaur subsidiary that's making NCORE AI-enabled x86 processors. The company's KaiXian KX-6780A processor is now commercially available in China to the DIY market in the form of motherboards with embedded processors.

The KaiXian KX-6780A features an 8-core/8-thread x86-64 CPU clocked up to 2.70 GHz, 8 MB of last-level cache, a dual-channel DDR4-3200 integrated memory controller, a PCI-Express gen 3.0 root-complex, and an iGPU possibly designed by VIA's S3 Graphics division, which supports basic display and DirectX 11.1 readiness. The CPU features modern ISA, with instruction sets that include AVX, AES-NI, SHA-NI, and VT-x comparable virtualization extensions. The chip has been fabricated on TSMC 16 nm FinFET process.

S3 Graphics' future hung in the balance since June 2011, when its parent company VIA Technologies announced sale of its stake in it. Since then, it's been a word on the wires, that smartphone maker HTC has been in the fray to buy it out, since it is facing IP turbulence with Apple. HTC and Apple used S3 Graphics (September 2011) and AMD (November 2011), respectively, as proxies in their patent infringement battles. It emerged out of the patent spat, that S3 Graphics holds a handy bouquet of graphics IP, and HTC announced that it is now back on track to acquire it.

Smartphone giant HTC backed S3 Graphics' claims to certain graphics-related patents in the patent infringement case against Apple. "We think S3's patent portfolio is valid and strong, and we have decided to complete the purchase of S3 after cautious assessment," HTC's general counsel Grace Lei said, at an annual shareholders' general meeting. S3 Graphics currently owns about 270 patents, some of which are licensed to Sony Corp., Nintendo Co. and Microsoft Corp., Lei added.

These are some lively times at Apple's legal department. The company is locked in intellectual property disputes with multiple companies, in multiple countries. Some of these are familiar foes such as Motorola Mobility and Samsung, others regional and lesser-known. The one thing patent disputes do, to all parties involved in them, is dent PR. Every legal dispute attracts or at lease leaves scope for bad press, and more often shapes public opinion against the disputing parties.

Apple learned a new trick in the trade which at least two recent events with very different outcomes, may have helped shape. First, it recently thwarted display IP infringement claims by S3 Graphics thanks to timely help by GPU supplier AMD, and second, it suffered a setback with regards to some brand names claimed by Chinese company ProView. You see, the ups and downs of IP disputes can have some very varied effects on the company's image. Apple's new trick is simple: make a different company, with a much different brand name, to handle those IP disputes on behalf of Apple, so brand Apple isn't directly dragged into the mess. Enter your friendly neighbourhood patent-troll, Digitude.

The world of corporate disputes is a funny one. S3 Graphics filed a compliant against Apple for infringing four of its patents related to its graphics IP. Later this year, ITC announced a verdict ruling in favor of S3 Graphics around the same time S3 Graphics was being purchased by HTC. In a spectacular turn of events, on November 21, ITC took a U-turn by overruling the favorable verdict and dismissing S3 Graphics' case.

Commentators note that AMD's intervention into the case as a non-party may have played a key role, AMD claimed the patents in question to be its own, later Apple sought dismissal of the case based on the grounds of AMD's claims. ITC denied AMD and Apple requests to publicly disclose the details of the patents in question, so the the public would't find out what patent claims were used against S3 Graphics. AMD is currently the principal supplier of GPUs for Apple's Mac products, though there are now rumors that with the next generation of Macs, Apple could change its GPU supplier to AMD's rival NVIDIA.

In late September, S3 Graphics, still a subsidiary of VIA Technology and soon to be transferred to HTC, dragged Apple Inc. to court over charges of patent infringement related to graphics component IP of nearly all Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and iMac. Last month, AMD, now a main supplier of graphics processors for Apple's Mac products, intervened with a counter lawsuit claiming it owned the patents that S3 has asserted against Apple, and sought an immediate halt to S3's patent case against Apple.

In an October 28 filing with the ITC, S3 says that a federal judge struck down a request for an immediate halt into S3's case, but the Commission is scheduled to release its final decision on November 15. The case struck down is (rather was) Advanced Micro Devices Inc. v. S3 Graphics Co., 11cv965, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (Wilmington).

Soon to be subsidiary of HTC, currently held by VIA Technologies, S3 Graphics, fired off two more patent infringement charges against Apple Inc. Last week, VIA Technologies had sued Apple for alleged infringement of two of its CPU-related patents. These fresh charges by S3 Graphics, like those by VIA, seek sales ban on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, as well as Mac in the United States. The complaints were filed with the US ITC (United States International Trade Commission), and a district court in Delaware.

S3 Graphics patents that the company claims Apple infringed are: #5945997 "block- and band-oriented traversal in three-dimensional triangle rendering," and #5581279 "VGA controller circuitry". If S3 Graphics pulls it off, it could inflict significant damage on Apple's sales, as the company heads towards the winter shopping season.

ZOTAC is readying a new ZBox mini-PC model that makes use of VIA Nano X2 ultra-low power x86 platform. Nano X2-powered ZBox models have been already spotted in the Japanese market. The new ZBox model will make use of Nano X2 U4025, which is a dual-core processor clocked at 1.20 GHz. While VIA is the smallest x86 processor vendor, in the ULV category, the company does tend to punch above its weight, competing with low-wattage Intel Atom processors.

The Nano X2 U4025 processor will be backed by VIA VX900H chipset, with integrated S3 Graphics. The VIA-powered ZBox will be available in two SKUs: a complete product, and a barebones package to which you have to add some of your own compatible components. Both will support up to 4 GB of DDR3 memory, a 2.5-inch SATA bay will be provided to install a hard drive or SSD. Most other features will be consistent with other ZBox models: 6-in-1 card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0 connectivity, as well as HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. Originally based on the Intel Atom platform, ZOTAC's ZBox is available in AMD Fusion "Zacate" platform apart from the new VIA-powered one. The new ZBox models will be available worldwide by the end of this month.

VIA Technologies, Inc. ("VIA") today announced the signing of definitive agreement to sell all of its shareholding in S3 Graphics Co., Ltd. ("S3 Graphics") to HTC Corporation ("HTC"). S3 Graphics is a leading provider of innovative graphics visualization technologies used in PCs, game consoles and, more recently, mobile devices.

VIA acquired S3 Graphics in 2001 with the intention to accelerate integration of graphics capabilities with its processor and chipset products. S3 Graphics became undercapitalized in 2005, and VIA introduced WTI Investment International, Ltd. ("WTI") as a new investor to help fund the operations and R&D initiatives. WTI is a private investment company, in which Cher Wang, Chairman of VIA, is a significant shareholder.

S3 Graphics unveiled the latest addition to its power-efficient Chrome Series graphics product family, the Chrome 5000E-based S3 Graphics Chrome eH1. Demoed at ESC 2010 April 27-29, Booth No.1238, the S3 Graphics Chrome eH1 is designed for harsh environments and industrial grade systems, offering extreme reliability and longevity, transforming any embedded platform into a multimedia powerhouse.

The S3 Graphics Chrome eH1 brings together a compelling blend of features that meet the needs of next generation embedded systems; these include DX10.1 3D graphics, superb HD video decoding and a range of display connectivity options including DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and CRT. With the Chrome eH1, designers can bring the latest graphics and real HD video horsepower to existing platforms, without longevity and product sourcing issues.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced its participation at Digital Signage Expo 2010, Feb. 24 - 25, Las Vegas. Join VIA at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Hall C1-2, Booth 1240 and experience the latest technologies for next-generation signage systems, including a demonstration of the forthcoming S3 Graphics Chrome 5400E x2; a dual GPU add-in-board aimed at advanced, multi-display digital signage applications.

The S3 Graphics 5400E x2 is a highly integrated and flexible video card that features dual graphics and multimedia processors. Boasting extreme hardware acceleration of the latest HD video codecs, the S3 Graphics 5400E x2 uses S3 Graphics' PanoChrome technology to provide up to four independent HD video streams at resolutions of 1080p on up to eight displays, employing a variety of display modes and configurations.

S3 Graphics　announced the latest addition to its power-efficient embedded graphics processor family, with the unveiling of the OpenCL 1.0 capable Chrome 5400E GPGPU processor. The S3 Graphics 5400E will be unveiled at the Electronic Manufacturer Exposition (eMEX), October 22nd - 25th, in Suzhou, China at the Suzhou International Expo Center, Hall 4A, Booth No. 4K08.

OpenCL is an open, cross-platform standard used to harness the power of a GPUs internal shaders to accelerate parallel computations in applications ranging from scientific, medical, and other high performance computing (HPC) markets. The native OpenCL engine in the 5400E GPU enables our partners to go beyond graphics and video, and penetrate these diverse HPC markets.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the adoption of the VIA Nano processor platform by Tongfong, one of China's leading notebook providers, for their new Tongfong S30A 13.3" thin and light notebook.

The Tongfong S30A includes the high performance yet power efficient 64-bit 1.3GHz+ VIA Nano U2250 processor coupled with the unified VIA VX800 MSP and discrete S3 Graphics Chrome 435 ULP graphics for an HD video proficient, DirectX 10.1 certified notebook. HD audio and an HDMI port ensure that Tongfong customers will be able to enjoy rich media content in its finest form.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the first expansion HD module for the VIA EPIA-P710, the VIA P710-HD. Featuring the powerful 4300E embedded graphics processor from S3 Graphics, this first Pico-I/O module for stackable Pico-ITXe boards delivers Hi-Def video playback and advanced graphics in an extremely low power, compact form factor.

With multiple display support including dual DVI and HDMI, the VIA P710-HD module opens up a new realm of possibilities to system integrators of multimedia intensive embedded applications. Sophisticated digital signage, arcade gaming, kiosk and POI applications can now take advantage of multiple digital display configurations and cutting edge Hi-Def playback of resolutions up to and beyond 1080p.

S3 Graphics today announced the latest addition to its power-efficient Chrome 500 Series graphics processor family, with the unveiling of an 850MHz clocked GDDR3 based Chrome 540 GTX. Today's users can convert an ordinary PC into a Hi-Def entertainment powerhouse for Dual-Stream Blu-ray and HD videos, using the newly defined DisplayPort digital interface, HDMI and Dual-Link DVI for seamless connectivity to the latest digital monitors and HDTVs.

Today's multimedia enthusiasts require extra GPU horsepower to perform high-quality HD video decoding, image post-processing, and stunning color enhancement when displaying the latest HD content on Blu-ray or streaming video-on-demand. With the Chrome 540 GTX, you now have the power to bring every movie experience to life, and enjoy bonus footage through Picture-in-Picture, all while enjoying 8 channels of high fidelity audio with the S3 Graphics built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor.

S3 Graphics made a quiet addition to its lineup with the Chrome 540 GTX graphics card. Spotted first on the GStore by TechConnect Magazine, the new graphics card made it to the company's store without the company even announcing it, or assigning a product page on the company website. From what the card's specifications on GStore and its tiny picture tell, this card builds on the basic architecture of its predecessor the Chrome 530 GT, by increases in clock-speeds and expanding connectivity options.

The Chrome 540 GTX features a core clock speed of 800 MHz, its memory is clocked at 850 MHz. The card uses a 64-bit wide GDDR3 memory interface that holds 256 MB of memory. It is compliant with the latest graphics standards: DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0, and uses a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 interface. Compliance aside, the accelerator is built mainly for HD video acceleration and multi-head display. The Chromotion 2.0 technology is said to provide hardware-acceleration for Blu-ray, H.264 and VC-1 video standards. It uses a full-height PCB to hold three connectors on-board: DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort. The card is HDCP-capable and has an integrated audio controller that is routed to the connectors. The Chrome 540 GTX is available at the GStore for US $69.95.

The state of the world economy has become a soft-target, an easy excuse, for several companies in pessimism, or simply in a wilt, to plan and execute large-scale layoffs, better termed workforce reductions. S3 Graphics, a company that once showed signs of growth post acquisition by VIA with the introduction of entry-level, yet current-generation graphics accelerators, has reduced its United States workforce by as much as 25%. While the figure appears to be a large number of jobs, it counts in hundreds, which still includes a sizable amount of S3 Graphics employees across various divisions of the company, including some sections of the parent company.

As expected the most likely cause is the company's reaction to the global economic slowdown, with depleting market-share and profitability. While normally companies look to sustain operations post such workforce reductions in pursuit of growth, in the case of S3 Graphics, this instead puts the development of the company's next-generation graphics processor (GPU) in uncertainty, as portions of the engineering departments weren't immune to the reductions either. Currently, S3 Graphics with its Chrome 500 series graphics accelerators are eying its share of the entry-level discrete graphics market, with its products designed for HD entertainment, GPGPU and 3D acceleration. The graphics technologies of S3 have been in use by its parent company for years, with its chipset products. S3's next-generation graphics processor is expected to incorporate newer manufacturing technologies from Taiwan-based foundry companies.

S3 Graphics will participate in the annual Lunch@Piero's press event, held during CES in Las Vegas on January 8th and 9th. Attendees at Lunch@Piero's can experience the latest HD IP-based media-on-demand based on a unique and innovative hardware-level IP protection mechanism showcased on the S3 Graphics Chrome 400 Series Hi-Def multimedia processor using a Content Protection LSI from Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited.

With the market transition to IP-based HD multimedia, movie studios and content creators canuse this new, secure multimedia platform to protect and control precious HD video IP distribution from source to display, while overcoming the inherent vulnerabilities of today's widely used software-based security methods.

S3 Graphics, a leading provider of graphics and multimedia technologies, today announced the availability of CyberLink PowerDVD 8 software for Blu-Ray playback on the Chrome 500/400 Series graphics processors.

The combination of S3 Graphics' ChromotionHD 2.0 video engine and CyberLink's leading high-definition movie playback software gives users a higher level of theatre-quality HD video playback experience. Immersive realism in single and dual-stream (PiP) Blu-ray playback can now be experienced on the latest desktop and mobile platforms.

VIA Technologies, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced a powerful new 3-chip silicon platform that brings HD performance to ultra compact systems for a far richer user experience.

While desktop PCs, notebooks and embedded devices are getting smaller and thinner, demands on system resources are growing by the day, with higher definition video content, richer Internet resources and increasingly complex image manipulation requiring more powerful processing, video and graphics capabilities. Codenamed "VIA Trinity", the new platform meets all these performance requirements using much less board real estate than traditional 4-chip platforms, yet still within a comparably low power envelope.

S3 Graphics today released Beta drivers for the latest version of the OpenGL 3.0 API to take advantage of the Khronos Group's open, cross-platform 3D standard on the newly released Chrome 500 Series programmable GPUs. This major milestone allows software developers to start OpenGL 3.0 development on S3 Graphics hardware using the latest beta driver and GLSL 1.3 shading language on Windows XP and Vista.

These drivers bring out the latest capabilities of the OpenGL 3.0 API so developers can enhance their software applications to fully utilize the Chrome 500 Series graphics hardware for innovative and realistic 3D rendering. New features in OpenGL 3.0 include a new version of GLSL shader language, vertex array objects, 32-bit FP textures, four new texture compression methods, sRGB rendering/blending, and performance enhancements for conditional rendering with highly efficient array indexing.

S3 Graphics today announced its next generation Chrome 500 graphics processors, building upon the success of a product family based on the most power-efficient GPU architecture on the market. Today's users will now be able to enjoy the latest Blu-ray playback, streaming HD video, DirectX 10.1, and OpenGL 3.0 applications on Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms.

Today's PC users are demanding more application processing power than ever before as HD video and graphics accelerate the user experience. With the Chrome 500 Series, you can enjoy Hi-Def Blu-ray movies and watch bonus features with Picture-in-Picture while enjoying 8 channels of high fidelity audio with the S3 Graphics' built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor. DirectX, OpenGL, and GPGPU applications can be efficiently processed with programmable shader cores to speed-up 3D and non-gaming functions.

S3 Graphics, a leading provider of graphics and HD Multimedia technologies, today announced the availability of S3FotoPro, a GPGPU application using the latest programmable architecture powered by the Chrome 400 Series GPUs. Utilizing an array of S3 stream processors, the GPUs can accelerate parallel data workloads and perform work on thousands of concurrent threads to achieve Gigaflops (GFLOPS) of high-throughput computations.

S3FotoPro is an example of a computationally expensive process for image quality improvements that is best achieved on a GPU instead of a CPU due to the S3 stream processor architecture. The algorithm complexity and high calculation requirements required by S3FotoPro enables the parallel workload speedup to be magnitudes (>100x) of times faster than the latest CPUs in the market today. In addition, the GFLOPS-per-Watt and GFLOPS-per-Dollar favor the GPU computational efficiency over standard CPU calculations.

S3 Graphics today announced its Chrome 400 Ultra Low Power (ULP) graphics processor series, based on the most power-efficient GPU architecture on the market. Today's users will now be able to enjoy the latest HD media playback and DirectX 10.1 gaming experience on mini-notes as well as notebook PCs.

Ultra mobile PCs, like the increasingly popular mini-note PC category, are designed to be thin and light so manufacturers could not integrate largely due to the required cooling apparatus. Using less than 7 watts, the S3 Graphics Chrome 400 ULP series graphics processors produce significantly less heat than competitor offerings, enabling the addition of dedicated graphics to mini-note PCs for the first time.

S3 Graphics, a leading provider of graphics and visualization technologies, today announced its latest S3 Graphics Chrome 440 GTX desktop cards. Boards are now available at online retail affiliate GStore, with future shipments by key European partners in addition to multiple retail partners in Asia.