Via deals out playing card-sized motherboard

Taiwanese chipset manufacturer Via Technologies has unveiled a motherboard barely bigger than a playing card.

The VIA VT6047 Pico-ITX form factor reference design, which claims to be the smallest fully-featured x86 mainboard in the industry, is designed to spearhead a new world of ultra compact embedded PC systems and appliances.

The Pico-ITX measures 10cm x 7.2cm and is just 50 per cent of the size of the previous title holder, the Nano-ITX form factor.

The tiny mainboard is designed to be powered by one of Via's energy efficient processor platforms, such as the Via C7 or fanless Eden processor in the 21mm x 21mm nanoBGA2 package.

"The Pico-ITX represents Via's commitment to spearhead x86 innovation through our proven technology leadership in driving down the platform size," said Richard Brown, vice president of corporate marketing at Via.

"As with the Mini-ITX and Nano-ITX form factors before it, this new platform has raised the excitement level among enthusiasts and customers alike, firing the imagination an almost unlimited range of what were previously impossibly small systems."