ALL ABOUT LINUX

VIA ups its investment in Linux as market demand moves towards affordable, low power mobile devices

SAN FRANCISCO, September 8, 2009 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that VIA Technologies, Inc. has become its newest member.

VIA offers highly integrated low power x86 processor platforms that are being adopted in a wide range of netbooks, notebooks, desktops, servers, and embedded devices from leading brand names such as Dell, HP and Lenovo.

VIA is among a growing number of processor platform vendors that recognize the importance of working with the Linux community. By collaborating at the technical and business levels, VIA can ensure its hardware and the technology of its partners are supported in the Linux kernel releases. The company opened its specifications and code and began to adhere to a quarterly release schedule more than a year ago. This move allows open source developers to easily support VIA’s components.

“VIA shares the Linux Foundation’s goal of fostering the growth of the
Linux ecosystem,” said Richard Brown, vice president of marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “We are seeing new momentum for Linux, particularly in the mobile space, and are excited about the potential of Linux in this segment and are investing considerable resources in supporting developments in this area.”

VIA continues to work closely with the Linux community to ensure compatibility with its processor platforms by providing drivers, key documentation and source code. For access this information.

“VIA is among an important group of companies that are working with the Linux community to help create a whole new class of computing devices,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs. “VIA’s membership represents an acknowledgement that we’re seeing industry-wide: Linux is fueling the future of the PC industry. We’re excited to work with them on that future.”

VIA Technologies Inc. will attend the first ever LinuxCon, organized by the Linux Foundation and sponsored by Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Novell and Qualcomm. LinuxCon is taking place September 21-23, 2009 in Portland, Oregon.

As a new member, VIA Technologies, Inc. will also attend the invitation-only Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit in April 2010.

About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc is the foremost fabless supplier of power efficient x86 processor platforms that are driving system innovation in the PC, client, ultra mobile and embedded markets. Combining energy-saving processors with digital media chipsets and advanced connectivity, multimedia and networking silicon enables a broad spectrum of computing and communication platforms, including its widely acclaimed ultra compact mainboards. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs and system integrators. 

About the Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the Linux Foundation sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by hosting important workgroups, events and online resources such as Linux.com.