Microsoft Venus Plan Provides Opportunities for Taiwan Firms
nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com
March 16, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- The "Venus" project, which was recently agreed
upon by Microsoft Corp. and China, for the promotion of the Windows CE
operating system, also will provide business opportunities for Taiwan's
producers of chipsets.
More than ten Taiwan-based IC designers have been chosen to supply
chipsets required by Microsoft's Windows CE system for the project.
Nine computer companies from both Taiwan and China, including local giant
Acer Inc., signed a memorandum supporting the Venus plan with Microsoft in
Shenzhen, China, on March 10.
The plan will enable Chinese users to surf the Internet, play video games and
watch laser discs on their TV sets, with the addition of a set-top-box decoder.
A Taiwan-based software official said that while only 2.1 million Chinese are
Internet subscribers, more than 300 million have immediate access to TV sets.
This means that there is a good potential market for TV-based Internet
access in China.
Other Taiwan-based firms that will participate in the project include
Integrated Technology Express (Taiwan) Inc. (ITE -- a subsidiary of United
Microelectronics Corp.), and Acer Laboratories Inc., an Acer subsidiary.
Related story: Microsoft Provides Internet Access to Chinese TV Users
(Commercial Times, Taiwan) |
