Via unveils dual-core Nano X2 processor

Chipmaker Via has announced its first low-power dual-core x86 processor, the Nano X2.

According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, the Nano X2 will be used in desktop, all-in-one and notebook PCs. The 40nm-process processors use the same 64-bit 'Isaiah' architecture that powered Via's earlier, single-core chips.

"The Via Nano X2 processor arrives at a time when software architectures are now optimized to for multi-thread computing," Via marketing chief Richard Brown said in the statement. "Improvements in semi-conductor fabrication means we can now double the number of processor cores while maintaining the same low energy consumption levels that our customers are used to."

Via said it was already sampling the new processors, and systems should appear in the first quarter of this year.