PB and thread, Article...Taiwan VIA <2388.TW> sets sales record in October
November 3, 1999 5:44am
Source: Reuters
TAIPEI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan chipset supplier VIA Technologies Inc said on Wednesday it set a fresh monthly sales record in October despite pressure from Intel Corp <INTC.O> and supply shortages caused by a major earthquake.
October sales reached T$1.71 billion, up 135 percent compared to October 1998, beating the previous high in September 1999 by more than 70 percent, VIA said in a statement.
"Under the shadow of earthquake-caused supply shortages and blows from Intel's marketing strategy, VIA again relied on product development and the support of major motherboard makers to set a historical high in sales," it said.
Taiwan's high-tech manufacturers were rocked by a 7.6 Richter magnitude quake on September 21 that killed 2,400 people and temporarily hobbled industry with widespread power outages and weeks of electricity rationing.
VIA and a client, computer maker First International Computer Inc <2319.TW>, have been sued by Intel for alleged patent violations relating to a new VIA chipset capable of supporting microprocessors at higher speeds than existing Intel products.
Intel dismayed many PC makers when it delayed shipment of its high-speed 820 chipset, designed to allow speedy microprocessors such as its own 733 megahertz "Coppermine" chip to communicate with components at the highest possible speeds.
VIA said Intel's delay and high demand for central processing units -- a computer's heart -- capable of supporting high processor speeds brought VIA a particularly large windfall of orders for its Apollo Pro133 series of chipsets.
VIA's roster of customers buying the Apollo Pro133 reads like a who's who of the PC industry -- including Compaq <CPQ.N>, Hewlett-Packard <HWP.N>, International Business Machines <IBM.N>, Micron <MU.N>, Packard Bell NEC <6701.T>, Samsung <05930.KS> and Daewoo <07410.KS>. |
