TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Via Technologies Inc. has increased its equity position in graphics chip maker S3 Inc. to 14.9% by purchasing approximately 10.8 million shares at $13.50 per share, the company reported here on Friday.
In November, the two companies announced a joint venture to produce graphics and core logic chip sets (see Nov. 2 story). This investment is intended to further strengthen the partnership and collaboration between S3 and Via, the companies said.
"The investment by VIA Technologies in S3 is yet another demonstration of the growing collaboration between our two companies," said Ken Potashner, CEO of S3. "The technology and IP available between our two companies have positioned us to aggressively compete in the value PC segment through the strategy of integrating our technologies."
"S3 is a key partner to us in pursuing our business objectives," said Wen-Chi Chen, president and CEO of Via Technologies. "In addition to the mutual opportunities for the PC market, we see substantial value in S3's communication and financial assets."
