S3 Inc, a Silicon Valley-based computer chip manufacturer, has signed a contract to provide its graphic accelerators to China’s top PC maker, Legend. Legend will pre-load S3 Inc’s Savage4 accelerator which runs along side an Intel Pentium III processor, on its Luna Office PC series and Tianhe Home PC series. The Savage4 provides users with added features that help run graphic intensive business and home software applications.
After years of strong sales and OEM contracts with domestic PC makers, US specialist chip makers are beginning to look to international markets to foster growth and China is the fastest growing PC market in the world.
Legend Group has a target of increasing its sales fivefold by 2004 to $10bn, which would propel it into the ranks of the world’s top 500 companies. Last year, its PC sales were up by nearly 90% to 750,000 giving it a nearly 18% share of the local market. This year it predicts 1.2 million PCs will be shipped.
