Intel fights rival P4 chipset

Manufacturers advised not to use VIA chipset

Intel is warning PC and motherboard manufacturers not to incorporate VIA Technologies' recently released chipset for Pentium 4 systems into their products, as it could draw them into a costly legal battle.

The move is likely to mean that systems featuring the chipset will be in short supply, forcing many firms seeking Pentium 4 machines to purchase more expensive systems that use Intel chipsets.

VIA launched the Apollo P4X266 this month and said it would speed up mainstream adoption of the Pentium 4. The chipset allows Intel's processor to work with double data rate memory, which is faster than the standard SDRam and significantly cheaper than Rambus RDRam. RDRam is the only memory currently supported by Intel on the Pentium 4 platform.

Although Intel intends to release a chipset to let Pentium 4 systems use standard SDRam next month, an Intel chipset supporting DDR SDRam is not expected until early next year, giving VIA a head start with system vendors looking to bring cheaper Pentium 4 boxes to market.

Intel is trying to stop VIA exploiting this advantage, and claims that VIA does not have the legal right to sell the product. "[VIA] is not licensed to sell products that are compatible with the Pentium 4," commented Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy.

VIA marketing director Richard Brown confirmed that Intel had already warned some VIA customers not to use the Apollo P4X266 in their systems, but he added that he was confident that the product would still reach the market.

"The pressure is very intense right now," he said. "But I think you'll start to see motherboards come out very soon. There are customers that we are talking to, and we're very confident that you'll see our product on the market."

Intel's move is still likely to reduce the availability of Pentium 4 systems running DDR memory until the company's own chipset is released, further delaying mass adoption of the processor by business customers. Sales of the chip have so far failed to meet expectations.

Firms may also be dissuaded from rolling out PCs that use the VIA chipset because of fears that the systems will be pulled from production at a later date in the event of a court case.

Brown said that VIA is comfortable with the licensing situation, and that the Apollo chipset would actually help Intel push the Pentium 4 to a wider market.

"You can't keep on slashing just the cost of the processor," he said. "You have to reduce the cost of the overall platform. The successful rollout of the Pentium 4 platform is key for the industry as a whole. We think it's in everyone's interest to work together on this."