VIA Announces Lead-Free Mainboard

VIA has accelerated the move to environmentally friendly smart digital devices with lead-free low power VIA processor platforms.

From VIA’s press release:

VIA Technologies, Inc, and Yamashita System, Co. Ltd. today announced the AS-1210, the world’s first lead-free mainboard based on the award winning VIA Eden Platform.

A leading proponent of “Green Computing”, VIA continues to spearhead the drive for environmentally friendly computing by emphasizing power efficiency and ergonomics, and through the early adoption of manufacturing processes that exclude hazardous substances such as lead. VIA’s move to lead-free manufacturing started in 2001 with the introduction of the Enhanced Ball Grid Array (EBGA) package featured on power efficient VIA processors, and the Heat Sink Ball Grid Array (HSBGA) package for its market leading chipsets.

Today, manufacturing of all VIA Eden ESP, Antaur and C3 processors and a wide range of VIA chipsets and companion chips, is lead-free, making it possible to produce totally lead-free motherboards, such as the new AS-1210 from Yamashita System, Co of Japan.

“The transition to ‘green’ manufacturing for VIA has been very smooth and we have been able to ship lead-free processors and chipsets since the end of last year,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The AS-1210 clearly demonstrates the technology leadership of VIA and Yamashita in being the first to market with a lead-free motherboard that meets the requirements of the international market.”

“Market demands in the embedded space are very dynamic and at Yamashita, we pride ourselves in being able to react quickly to changing customer requirements while continuing to deliver the very best quality of products,” said Shinichi Yanagi, Managing Director of Yamashita Systems, Co, Ltd. “By using the lead-free VIA Eden Platform, we are able to cut back on R&D and validation time, enabling us to be first to market with our products because we practically get the whole platform from VIA.”

Now entering mass production, the AS-1210 Micro-ATX mainboard integrates the fanless VIA Eden ESP processor and the VIA CLE266 chipset with the VIA VT8235 South Bridge and will be on display at Techno-Frontier show from the 21st to the 23rd of April, 2004 in Tokyo at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall, booth No. 7203. More information on the AS-1210 can be seen on the Yamashita website at: http://www.misnet.co.jp/prd1210.htm.

VIA’s Lead-Free Manufacturing Initiative
In traditional manufacturing processes, lead is used to attach the chip to the motherboard through tiny solder balls on the underside of the package. With VIA’s lead-free manufacturing technologies, the solder balls now consist of a tin, silver and copper composite.

VIA’s lead-free manufacturing processes will comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) European Union directives that are helping to speed up the move to environmentally friendly computing. More information on VIA’s lead-free manufacturing can be found on the VIA Green Computing Website: http://www.via.com.tw/en/VInternet/leadfree.jsp