Via Technologies, a developer of central processing units, core-logic sets and other chips, on Thursday unveiled its mini-ITX 2.0 specification for next-generation miniature personal computers. Despite of the lackluster welcome initially in 2001, the mini-ITX today is a relatively wide-spread standard for small form-factor PCs, which may mean a lot of chances for mini-ITX 2.0 to become even more popular.

“Today’s mini-ITX mainboards have come a long way in seven years, with faster processor speeds yet more power efficient platforms than ever, richer digital media feature integration, and greater connectivity and storage options. […] To extend its leadership at the cutting-edge of small form factor innovation, Vi\ announced mini-ITX 2.0, setting a minimum standard of the latest PC technology specifications for mini-ITX mainboards designed for small form factor desktop PCs,” a statement by Via Technologies reads.

The mini-ITX 2.0 open industry standard defines minimum platform technology requirements for media-rich optimized mini PCs:

• Power-efficient, high-performance x86 microprocessor, e.g., Via Nano;
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM support;
• DirectX 9.0-compatible integrated graphics core, DirectX 10-compatible add-in-board support;
• PCI Express x16 slot;
• 1 port for LCD display, 1 HDMI port on add-in card;
• High-definition audio support with 5.1-channel surround sound output support;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• 2 Serial ATA II ports, 1 Parallel ATA port;
• 4 USB 2.0 ports;
• 17cm x 17cm size;
• Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Premium (through an add-in DX10 graphics card), Microsoft Windows XP, and major Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Suse Linux and gOS.

It is interesting to note that during the presentation of Via mini-ITX 2.0 platform at a press conference during Computex Taipei 2008 trade-show Via Technologies acted together with Nvidia Corp., a leading developer of graphics processing units and chipsets.

Considering the fact that mini-ITX 2.0 is a key announcement for Via Technologies, presence of Nvidia means that the alliance between two companies is very important for both.