Via Technologies Inc. provided a glimpse on Tuesday of features that will be offered with the company"s upcoming next-generation processor core, called Esther. The first Esther-based processors from Via are expected to be available during the second half of the year. Optimized for security and e-commerce applications, the chips will be manufactured at IBM Corp."s 300-millimeter wafer fabrication plant in East Fishkill, New York, using a 90-nanometer process.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) manufactures processors based on Via"s Nehemiah core using a 130-nanometer process. While IBM will produce some processors for Via, the company will continue to use TSMC to manufacture other chips. The 90-nanometer process will allow Esther-based processors to consume 3.5 watts of power at a clock speed of 1GHz, Via said in a statement. In January, Via said the more advanced process would allow it to produce chips running at 2GHz that consume the same amount of power as the company"s current processors.