VIA pc-1 Initiative
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The VIA pc-1 Initiative is a project of VIA Technologies to help bridge the digital divide by developing innovative and sustainable information and communication technology (ICT) solutions to benefit one billion people who currently do not have access to computers or the Internet. The envisioned computing and connectivity solutions are to bring these users social, economic, and educations benefits. The initiative was established in January 2005.
VIA has developed a range of products for specific usage requirements, including server appliances, thin clients, desktop, mini and mobile computers. These systems were designed to be very affordable, compatible and capable, consume little power, produce little heat and noise, and be resistant to dust.
As part of the initiative, VIA has also become actively involved in supporting digital inclusion projects around the world, and advocates the use of alternative renewable energy sources wherever applicable.
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[edit] Aims
VIA believes that achieving the goal of connecting "the next 1 billion" people requires an intrepid and radical approach: one that takes computing technology beyond the traditional confines of the standard PC into new markets, new environments, new usage models and new product categories.
As such, VIA pc-1 is focused on the following three key areas:
- Expanding Individual PC Ownership through the creation of more affordable, reliable, and energy efficient PC systems with smaller and more attractive form factors that can fit into the dense living environments often found in emerging market households.
- Increasing PC & Internet Access opportunities for people who cannot afford to buy PCs through innovative and sustainable Community Access deployments in schools, offices, libraries, Internet Cafes, Village Kiosks, and Telecenters.
- Enabling PC & Internet Access in the world’s remotest regions though the development of specialized Power, Heat, and Dust systems designed to combat the major challenges of operating in the most extreme environmental conditions.
By adopting this approach, VIA believes that the pc-1 Initiative can make a significant contribution towards increasing the number of people with access to PCs and Internet to 2 billion by 2010.
[edit] Design concepts
To meet the diverse requirements that are typical of emerging market areas, the VIA pc-1 Initiative is focused on leveraging the flexibility, scalability and energy-efficiency of VIA’s silicon and platform technologies to build a sustainable and scalable system platform architecture that will enable the rapid and cost effective development of a broad spectrum of different devices.
At the heart of the VIA pc-1 System Platform Architecture are the VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms that have been optimized to meet the specific needs of digitally divided areas. Combining a choice of VIA pc-1 series Processors built by IBM using a 90-nanometer Silicon on Insulator (SOI) process with the highly integrated VIA CN700 digital media chipset, VIA pc-1 systems offer the following key benefits:
- Energy Efficiency: With their industry-leading low power consumption, VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms not only deliver excellent performance per-watt on the market, but also reduce the burden on the often limited electricity generation infrastructure in emerging and harsh environments. In addition, they can also operate in hostile environmental conditions where there is no air-conditioning and devices based VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms can also be configured to run on car and truck batteries and even solar panels, making them ideal for deployment in even the most remote locations.
- Rich Digital Media Performance: With processor clock speeds of up to 2GHz and support for advanced 2D/3D graphics, MPEG-2 hardware acceleration, and multi-channel audio, VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms provide all the functionality and performance necessary to run a complete variety of computing, communications, and entertainment applications required by emerging market users, including VOIP telephony and videoconferencing, email, IM, and web browsing, productivity suites, and digital movies and music.
- Software Compatibility: With their native x86 instruction set, VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms are fully compatible with a complete range of Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems and applications, providing flexibility in meeting the specific software language needs of emerging market users.
- Seamless Connectivity: With advanced connectivity features such as Fast Ethernet and USB 2.0, VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms can be connected to high-speed fixed and wireless broadband networks, as well as being used to plug in a full range of digital cameras, digital video cameras, and other peripherals. Optional TV-Out support also means that VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms can be coupled with a TV as well as standard CRT and LCD monitors.
- Durability & Scalability: With proven reliability and inherent flexibility, VIA pc-1 Processor Platforms provide a highly durable and scalable solution for deployment in a wide variety of usage scenarios, ranging from Internet Cafés and Village Kiosks to households, schools, government departments, and businesses.
[edit] Systems
There are numerous pc-1 systems currently available; future designs are being developed. Pc-1 systems are based on VIA reference designs, but differing brand names (established by vendors) featuring pc-1 technology can be found. Some examples include iDot pc-1 systems in Taiwan, Longmeng pc-1 systems in China, Geniac pc-1 systems in Nigeria, Sico pc-1 systems in Egypt, and Alaska pc-1 systems in Mexico.
VIA pc-1 system reference designs are currently available in the following categories:
- VIA pc-1 Mainboards
- VIA pc-1 Power Saving PC
- VIA pc-1 PC Clients
- VIA pc-1 Notebooks
- VIA pc-1 PHD Appliances
- VIA pc-1 Mini-PC
These reference designs are currently based on the following platforms:
- VIA pc1000 Platform (800MHz VIA C3 processor, VIA CLE266 chipset)
- VIA pc1500 Platform (1GHz VIA C3 processor, VIA CLE266 chipset)
- VIA pc1500E Platform (1GHz VIA Eden processor, VIA CLE266 chipset)
- VIA pc2500 Platform (1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor, VIA CN700 chipset)
- VIA pc2500 Mobile Platform (1.5GHz VIA C7-M processor, VIA CN700 chipset)
[edit] Usage scenarios and target markets
With its scalable and modular design the VIA pc-1 system platform architecture enables the deployment of computer devices in a wide variety of usage scenarios. These include individual ownership, community and multi-user access, and assisted access segments. These range from computing solutions for the home, schools, libraries, offices, Internet kiosks and cafés.
VIA pc-1 systems have been designed primarily to service emerging markets, which is a fairly broad term. Typically, developing countries (India and China being the best examples) that are evolving towards technology driven communication and information solutions can be described as emerging markets. Yet, the design features of pc-1 systems also endear them to many usage scenarios in developed countries.
With climate change becoming increasingly apparent, coupled with rising costs of energy, consumers from all around the world are becoming more conscious of environmentally and economically friendly solutions. This is especially true of multi-user computing environments such as schools, businesses and Internet kiosks and cafes. Add to this, the low-power consumption and low-heat output qualities of pc-1 systems are equally well suited for use in farms and townships in remote and rural areas (especially where alternative power supplies are used) in developed countries such as Australia and USA.
[edit] Projects
As a part of the pc-1 Initiative, VIA has become actively involved in various digital inclusion projects around the world. These include working alongside the Geekcorps in Mali to determine the requisite qualities for a computer designed to be used in hot dusty conditions, as well as donating low-powered computers for use in Mali desert radio stations.
VIA has worked closely with the Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) in a collaborative effort to bridge the digital divide in emerging markets within Pacific Rim countries. One of these projects includes donating 20 systems for use in the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) in the Northern Mountainous Area (NMA) of Vietnam. VIA is also working with ADOC and the Institute for Information Industry (Taiwan) in various ways on an affordable computing advocacy project.
VIA works with the Samoan Ministry of ICT to establish Samoa's first solar powered information center, arranging for solar cells and computers to be provided.
In South Africa, VIA has worked with Ikamvayouth in several projects - most recently in providing computers and thin clients for a tuXlab IT center at the Nazeema Isaacs Library in Khayelitsha.
[edit] See also
- One Laptop per Child, also called "$100 Laptop Project" or "XO-1"
- Classmate PC
- Personal Internet Communicator
- Simputer
