VIA Technologies is scheduled to introduce its new Zoetrope graphics core in May. According to sources, the company is also considering launching a Zoetrope-based graphics chip, in addition to adopting the core for its integrated chipsets. However, VIA says that the idea is still under evaluation at the moment.
Whether the company will launch a Zoetrope-based graphics chip depends on the final performance testing results of the products, VIA said. The Zoetrope is currently at the tape-out stage and is expected to be manufactured using 0.15-micron processing.
Industry sources said that if VIA decides to roll out the chip, the product is likely to target the clone market, similar to the new Xabre400 graphics chip from Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS). SiS formally launched the Xabre400 (formerly dubbed the SiS330) on April 24 (see related story). Besides working with graphics card makers, VIA is said to have not ruled out shipping the products through its VPSD (VIA Platform Solutions Division).
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