<font color=green>10/05 02:41 Via Technology's 3rd-Quarter Chipset Sales Quadruple (Update2)
By Alan Patterson
Taipei, Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Via Technologies Inc., the world's No. 2 computer chipset company after Intel Corp., said third-quarter sales quadrupled from the year-earlier period.
Revenue for the third quarter was NT$10.1 billion ($323 million) compared with NT$2.6 billion in the same period last year, the company said. Fourth quarter sales should also see a similar increase from the year-ago period, according to analysts.
``We expect Via's sales to reach NT$10.8 billion in the fourth quarter,'' said Steve Connor, an analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. ``We expect another month or two of record revenue.''
Sales for Taiwan's Via run counter to other bellwethers in the personal computer business such as Dell Computer Corp. and Intel, both of which reported that third-quarter sales failed to meet expectations.
Via has gained market share against Intel this year as the world's No. 1 chipmaker scaled back chipset production to boost output of processors. Processors function as the brains of the computer while chipsets manage the flow of information between a processor and other parts of a computer such as the display and memory.
``Intel is allocating fewer silicon wafers to the production of chipsets,'' said Connor. Silicon wafers are the material from which chips are made.
Via rose NT$1 to NT$305 at the close of trading on the Taiwan stock market. The stock has risen 33 percent this year and is the best performer on the Bloomberg Asia Pacific Semiconductors Index during the period.
More Rivals
Via also competes against Intel, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Transmeta Corp. in the computer processor business. Via introduced its first Samuel processors this year, which account for less than 5 percent of the company's sales.
Intel last week canceled a plan to make a chip codenamed Timna, which would have been the main rival to Via's Matthew processor. Matthew was slated for production in the first quarter next year. Matthew and Timna, designed for personal computers retailing for less than $600, are system chips that combine processing, memory and graphics functions on a single piece of silicon.
``Intel's pulling out of Timna will leave the low end of the processor business open to Via,'' Connor added.
bloomberg.com
More good news eh!
Milo |
