Via goes mainstream with new Isaiah processor

Via Technologies is preparing its first high performance x86 chip, targeted squarely at the mainstream. Historically, Via focused in niches like that of ultra-compact PCs, or small mobile devices such as the OQO. Codenamed Isaiah, the new processor is thrifty in the area of power consumption, yet features superscalar, out-of-order execution on just 3.5 watts of power. Three years in the making, it is designed by Via subsidiary Centaur Technology and packs between two to four times the performance of Via's current C7 processor. The vice president of corporate marketing at Via, Richard Brown, noted that the Isaiah is "very, very close" to Intel's Core 2 Solo offering.

For more on Via Technologies:
- check out this CNET News article