VIA and XGI are both expecting to start generate profits in the first or second quarter of next year. Both firms are trying to attack ATi and NVIDIA their positions with new graphics cards. XGI with its Volari's and VIA with its Delta Chromes
VIA Technologies has begun tape out for its Delta Chrome graphics chips, which are expected to hit the market by the end of this year, said the sources. The chips will have an ASP (average selling price) of US$90, aiming to compete with ATI’s Radeon 9600 (non pro) range, according to the sources. VIA posted a pre-tax profit of NT$6.1 million in the third quarter of this year, but concluded the first three quarters with a pre-tax loss of NT$1.74 billion.
XGI, a spin-off from Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) formed in June this year, started delivering its V8 Volari Duo chips in small volume last month and plans to ramp up production in the first quarter of next year.
The XGI V8 Volari Duo is priced at around US$330, comparable to ATI’s Radeon 9800 chips, the sources said. To boost sales, XGI plans to launch chips for the medium-range market in the near future.
