Hong Kong firm offers 'Chinese' CPU for Linux PCs

By Peter Clarke Semiconductor Business News

HONG KONG -- Culturecom Holdings Ltd., a publisher of Chinese language "fighting" comics that migrated into information technology in the 1990s, has begun selling its V-Dragon microprocessor for use in Chinese PCs.

Culturecom, which listed on Hong Kong's stock exchange, professes links to Transmeta Corp. and IBM Corp. A report on Culturecom's Web site when the first reports surfaced said transactions in its shares were suspended on July 23 pending an announcement on a cooperation effort with eForce Group and Transmeta to exploit the Linux-based Midori operating system.

The V-Dragon CPU incorporates support for Chinese-language characters, according to the company. It was unveiled at an event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the company said.

The company said it signed agreements for the sale of about 100,000 V-Dragon CPUs, and letters of intent related to the sale of an additional 200,000 V-Dragon CPUs on the first day of the trade show.

According to Culturecom's Web site, the V-Dragon was developed with help from IBM and has been designed to run the Midori variant of the Linux operating system. In addition, the V-Dragon CPU was specifically developed to meet criteria established by the Chinese government as part of a standard information technology environment for China, Culturecom said.

"This V-Dragon Midori Linux embedded architecture is a leading system of its kind in the China market and is in line with the Chinese government's IT policy. Culturecom is confident it will make a significant impact on market share with this new development," Frank Cheung, chairman of Culturecom, said in a statement.

Speakers at the trade show opening ceremony included: Zheng Minzheng, director general of the department of electronics and information product administration in the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry; C.D. Tam, CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp.; and Alexander Poon, chairman of The Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Asia.