BIOS: Technology Means Business

VIA’s latest product offering is a ‘ground-breaking’ high performance all-in-one x86 chipset for ultra-compact embedded systems.

The VIA CX700 digital media IGP chipset for the VIA C7 and Eden processor platforms claims to be the most advanced x86 embedded chipset.

It integrates all the cutting-edge features of a modern chipset’s North and South bridges, including rich video graphics, HD audio, and DDR2 and SATA II support, into a single, compact and highly power-efficient package.

Designed specifically for the embedded market and already adopted by leading industry players, the VIA CX700’s video is provided through the proven VIA UniChrome Pro IGP core with its 128-bit 2D/3D graphics, hardware MPEG-2 video decoding acceleration and intelligent video rendering technology of the Chromotion CE video display engine. This is complemented by the VIA Vinyl HD Audio controller supporting up to eight high definition channels.

VIA’s renowned memory controller technology has been incorporated into the VIA CX700, with support for both DDR400 and the high-bandwidth DDR2 533MHz memory up to 4GB with ECC capability, and 32-bit as well as 64-bit system memory to extend performance, design and cost flexibility to developers.

Broad connectivity comes with support for SATA, SATA II and PATA drives, two COM, six USB 2.0 ports and four PCI slots, allowing for considerable flexibility in board configuration. Moreover, developers can also integrate support for ISA through an ITE PCI bridge chip, combining legacy ISA connectivity with high bandwidth DDR2 memory support for far more powerful embedded systems.

Flexibility is extended to display technologies, with the VIA CX700 integrating a multi-configuration LVDS/DVI transmitter, a popular feature for embedded systems, as well as standard TV-out, and incorporating DuoView to enable dual screen display.

The VIA CX700 exemplifies VIA’s design philosophy of reducing the size of the platform in order to enable ever smaller, cooler and lighter systems. In the CX700, VIA has integrated all the key functionality of both the North and South bridges of a regular VIA chipset into a single chip package exactly the same size as a North bridge (37.5x37.5mm), representing a saving of over 34 per cent in board real estate.

This represents a major breakthrough for the embedded industry where ultra compactness is essential, and will have significant benefit for embedded boards such as PC/104 and VIA EPIA mainboards.

Complementing the power-efficient VIA C7 and fanless VIA Eden processors it supports, the VIA CX700 is based on a highly sophisticated power efficient architecture that enables such rich integration into a compact package with a maximum power envelope of just 3.5-Watts. A number of key power management technologies are incorporated that monitor activity and dynamically control power according to system load requirements.

Targeted for key embedded applications such as Point of Sales (POS) equipment, industrial PCs (IPC) and ultra compact, low power desktop systems such as thin clients, the VIA CX700 has been designed from the ground up to deliver excellent performance, features and power efficiency.

The reduction in board space and operating power requirements together with the extensive multimedia, memory, connectivity and display flexibility provides embedded customers with the ideal chipset to take their ultra compact systems to the next stage.

The VIA CX700 is expected to be available in volume quantities later in Q2 2006. Pricing is available upon request. Further information about the single-chip VIA CX700 digital media IGP chipset may be found here.

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