VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today showed that the cryptographic performance of the VIA Nano processor is the most power efficient on the market, due to its dedicated VIA PadLock Security Engine, a suite of security tools integrated directly into the processor die.

The hardware security implementation within the VIA Nano processor means that user data is handled more efficiently and safely by circuitry deep inside the silicon, rather than by using more vulnerable operating system, memory and software resources.

With ULPC, "small is big", they say. This summer, we had seen something not thought of since the days of the Cyrix processor: VIA (that eventually acquired Cyrix), battled with Intel for supremacy in regard to a segment of processors, in this case, ULPC. The VIA Nano proved to be a worthy alternative to Intel's Atom processor. However, with Intel releasing a dual-core version of the chip that remains within the 10W thermal envelope, it seemed like Intel leaped ahead of VIA Nano.

Fresh news suggests that VIA would release a dual-core version of the Nano processor by the end of this year to be able to make it to next year's CES held at Las Vegas. VIA has already earned itself production and supply contracts from HP, this could be accelerating the development of the new chip. In essence, the Nano could make it to HP's netbooks right upon release.

While AMD touted the Bobcat as a definitive competitor to Intel Atom, being a low-power K8 based part with the same design advantages its ancestors had over competing Intel parts when they made up for higher performing alternatives, this part won't make it until next year, enough time for the Atom to gain a stronger foothold in the market. As immediate competition to the Atom, AMD seems to have set an Athlon 64 2000+ single core processor as its ULPC / UMPC processor part. This processor is single core, features a 1.00 GHz clock-speed and 256 KB of L2 cache, which should still give it a performance edge over a 1.50 GHz Atom judging purely by the fact that the Atom isn't based on the Core micro-architecture (yet) and uses an older design.

This processor is based on the Lima core, what's most surprising is that it is found to operate at 8 W at its 1.00 GHz frequency which brings it into the Atom platform's energy domain. The second most surprising point is that this processor will be aided by the powerful AMD 780G core logic (chipset), as opposed to current Atom platforms using a i945G adaptation that has significantly higher thermal envelope as opposed the AMD 780G while being a lot slower (in terms of graphics performance and features). Tom's Hardware conducted a comparison between the two and found that the Athlon-780G combo "knocks-out" Atom-i945G technologically.

Two 45nm Phenom X4 and an Ultra-Mobile CPU Slated for Q4

NordicHardware reports that in Q4 2008, Advanced Micro Devices is slating two models of 45nm Phenom X4 quad-core chips along with a cheap ultra-mobile CPU aimed to compete with the Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors for release. The two new Phenom parts would be based on the new Denreb core to be succeeded by Propus based CPU's in Q1 2009.

Apart from retail models, AMD plans to release a CPU targeted for the ultra-mobile consumer electronics market. The CPU would be derived from the tested K8 architecture that is supposed to give it a design advantage over competing products from Intel and VIA. A major design advantage is of the memory controller being integrated on die that effectively eliminates the northbridge, saving on power consumption. The CPU has a rated TDP of 8W.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the new VIA Nano processor family based on the VIA Isaiah Architecture. Building on the market-leading energy efficiency of the VIA C7 processor family, the VIA Nano processor family offers as much as four times the performance within the same power range to extend VIA's performance per watt leadership, while pin compatibility with VIA C7 processors will ensure a smooth transition for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and provides them with an easy upgrade path for current system or board designs.