VIA CEO Wenchi Chen unveiled a prototype of the next evolution of his company's continually shrinking motherboard form-factor at the VIA Technology Forum last week in Taipei, Taiwan. VIA's Nano-ITX form-factor measures just 4.7 x 4.7 in. and represents the “smallest standard platform with full PC functionality,” Chen said.

(Click here to enlarge Nano-ITX photo)

Chen suggested that Nano-ITX is “ideally suited for the next generation of smaller, quieter, digitally intelligent home, office, mobile, industrial, and commercial devices,” and called it “the shape of things to come.”

VIA will begin shipping boards based on the new Nano-ITX spec later this year, Chen said. According to reports, the Nano-ITX prototype shown by Chen boasted a 1GHz C3 processor, and did not include the RS232C serial ports of previous Mini-ITX boards.

The introduction of Nano-ITX follows VIA's release 18 months ago of the 6.7 x 6.7 in. Mini-ITX motherboard form-factor (shown at right), which has since become highly popular for small-footprint PCs and embedded systems, having been adopted by hundreds of companies globally, Chen noted. A whitepaper about the Mini-ITX form-factor specification is available here (PDF download).

 
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