VIA pc-1 Community Solution enables ICT training for disadvantaged youth and students in Vietnam’s Northern Mountainous Area, creating a template for university-based implementations of ICT for community development
Taipei, Taiwan, 18 May 2006 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today opened the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, a digital facility that will serve both the local youth community and the university faculty in a practical approach to ICT training and skills enhancement that can be replicated at other academic institutions. Powered by a balance of PCs, clients and server, the VIA pc-1 Center will act a showcase of how VIA pc-1 Community Solutions can harness the power of computing for education.
Located in the poorer Northern Mountainous Area of Vietnam, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) is strategically important as a learning center in the region, with specialized knowledge of local education requirements as well as the experienced training resources vital for the success of this ICT for Development (ICT4D) project in local community development.
“We are proud to be working with an experienced institution like TUAF, and are confident that the VIA pc-1 ICT Center will become a blueprint for ICT education and community development in Vietnam and far beyond,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “TUAF is pioneering ICT training within an academic institution in emerging regions, and VIA’s flexible and extremely power-efficient pc-1 systems form the ideal foundation for such digital learning centers.”
“TUAF and VIA believe that community development through ICT requires specialized know-how and specialized technology, and both elements come together in this VIA pc-1 ICT Center,” said Professor Doctor Dang Kim Vui, Rector of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam. “This collaboration will enable us to effectively outreach to the local youth population as well as further prepare our students to function effectively in an information society, which is essential to avoid Vietnam being left behind in the global development race.”
ICT4D Supported by Cornell University and APEC
Leading proponent of ICT for education, Cornell University of the US has worked with TUAF in spearheading this ICT for Development (ICT4D) program aimed at disseminating the benefits of ICT training among the local community.
“TUAF is taking a major step to demonstrate to international agencies and to other countries how higher education can play a vital role in bringing information and communication services to rural populations,” said Dr. Royal Colle, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, USA. “Up to now, most information technology projects have overlooked or ignored educational institutions as partners. In supporting this initiative, VIA and the ADOC program have given a vote of confidence to the idea that universities – as society's key knowledge institutions – can make computers, networks, and data relevant and beneficial to many thousands of people in the Northern Mountainous Area.”
Recognizing the significant contribution that TUAF can make to alleviating the high unemployment in the region and raising the e-readiness of the community, the APEC Digital Opportunity Centre (ADOC) agreed to support the ICT4D program in late 2005, and enlisted VIA within the ICT Alliance to support. The VIA pc-1 ICT Center is one of the two manifestations of this support at TUAF; ADOC will also open an “eSchool” to provide ICT training to local SMEs.
ADOC was established in 2004 to assist APEC member economies in building their ICT infrastructures through the generation of trade and investment by the industry, and the Institute for the Information Industry in Taiwan (III) has the remit to execute their policies. In May 2006, VIA became the first vendor in Taiwan to partner with ADOC, and the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at TUAF is the first active collaboration under the auspices of that ICT Alliance.
VIA pc-1 Community Solutions for Education
The VIA pc-1 Community Solution deployed at the VIA pc-1 ICT Center comprises a ten-piece client/server configuration and ten Power Saving PCs to provide a flexible infrastructure for instructors in enabling centralized classroom-based teaching as well as individual learning opportunities.
Based on the highly efficient VIA pc-1 processor platforms, VIA pc-1 Community Solutions are designed to deliver the essential tools to facilitate education, develop new skill sets and enable individuals to learn and to contribute to the global online community; these systems can be installed in almost any environment, and can be powered by alternative energy sources such as solar power or car batteries.
“In providing a flexible, innovative approach to computing and communications systems, VIA’s pc-1 Community Solutions are a flexible, innovative approach to deploying the most appropriate technology in the variety of emerging market situations,” continued Richard Brown of VIA. “VIA pc-1 Community Solutions are designed to deliver the essential tools to facilitate education, develop new skill sets and enable individuals to learn and to contribute to both the local and the global communities.”
Further information on VIA pc-1 Community Solutions may be found at the VIA website at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/empowered/community_solutions.jsp, while a white paper on the VIA pc-1 Community Solution implemented at TUAF may be found at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/downloads/...mpowered/WP060518pc-1_Community_Solutions.zip
About the VIA pc-1 Initiative
The VIA pc-1 Initiative is aimed at enabling the next one billion people to get connected. With a focus on communication, education and information, the VIA pc-1 Initiative seeks to empower millions of people to improve their quality of life through technology, especially in emerging markets. Comprising a range of flexible systems based on VIA’s acclaimed energy-efficient processor platforms, the VIA pc-1 Initiative is a realistic approach to bringing technology to millions more people within a sustainable business framework. Of the numerous initiatives VIA has launched to enhance the technology experience and the quality of life, the VIA pc-1 Initiative has a universal remit to make a difference to the lives of many more millions of people.
Further information on the VIA pc-1 Initiative may be found on the VIA website at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/empowered/
About the VIA pc-1 Community Portal
VIA has also launched a community website specifically to cover issues relating to the digital divide, the VIA pc-1 website (www.viapc-1.com, which looks at the real technical, logistical and economic challenges facing the PC, communications and infrastructure industries as well as governments in trying to bridge the digital divide.
Taipei, Taiwan, 18 May 2006 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today opened the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, a digital facility that will serve both the local youth community and the university faculty in a practical approach to ICT training and skills enhancement that can be replicated at other academic institutions. Powered by a balance of PCs, clients and server, the VIA pc-1 Center will act a showcase of how VIA pc-1 Community Solutions can harness the power of computing for education.
Located in the poorer Northern Mountainous Area of Vietnam, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) is strategically important as a learning center in the region, with specialized knowledge of local education requirements as well as the experienced training resources vital for the success of this ICT for Development (ICT4D) project in local community development.
“We are proud to be working with an experienced institution like TUAF, and are confident that the VIA pc-1 ICT Center will become a blueprint for ICT education and community development in Vietnam and far beyond,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “TUAF is pioneering ICT training within an academic institution in emerging regions, and VIA’s flexible and extremely power-efficient pc-1 systems form the ideal foundation for such digital learning centers.”
“TUAF and VIA believe that community development through ICT requires specialized know-how and specialized technology, and both elements come together in this VIA pc-1 ICT Center,” said Professor Doctor Dang Kim Vui, Rector of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam. “This collaboration will enable us to effectively outreach to the local youth population as well as further prepare our students to function effectively in an information society, which is essential to avoid Vietnam being left behind in the global development race.”
ICT4D Supported by Cornell University and APEC
Leading proponent of ICT for education, Cornell University of the US has worked with TUAF in spearheading this ICT for Development (ICT4D) program aimed at disseminating the benefits of ICT training among the local community.
“TUAF is taking a major step to demonstrate to international agencies and to other countries how higher education can play a vital role in bringing information and communication services to rural populations,” said Dr. Royal Colle, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, USA. “Up to now, most information technology projects have overlooked or ignored educational institutions as partners. In supporting this initiative, VIA and the ADOC program have given a vote of confidence to the idea that universities – as society's key knowledge institutions – can make computers, networks, and data relevant and beneficial to many thousands of people in the Northern Mountainous Area.”
Recognizing the significant contribution that TUAF can make to alleviating the high unemployment in the region and raising the e-readiness of the community, the APEC Digital Opportunity Centre (ADOC) agreed to support the ICT4D program in late 2005, and enlisted VIA within the ICT Alliance to support. The VIA pc-1 ICT Center is one of the two manifestations of this support at TUAF; ADOC will also open an “eSchool” to provide ICT training to local SMEs.
ADOC was established in 2004 to assist APEC member economies in building their ICT infrastructures through the generation of trade and investment by the industry, and the Institute for the Information Industry in Taiwan (III) has the remit to execute their policies. In May 2006, VIA became the first vendor in Taiwan to partner with ADOC, and the VIA pc-1 ICT Center at TUAF is the first active collaboration under the auspices of that ICT Alliance.
VIA pc-1 Community Solutions for Education
The VIA pc-1 Community Solution deployed at the VIA pc-1 ICT Center comprises a ten-piece client/server configuration and ten Power Saving PCs to provide a flexible infrastructure for instructors in enabling centralized classroom-based teaching as well as individual learning opportunities.
Based on the highly efficient VIA pc-1 processor platforms, VIA pc-1 Community Solutions are designed to deliver the essential tools to facilitate education, develop new skill sets and enable individuals to learn and to contribute to the global online community; these systems can be installed in almost any environment, and can be powered by alternative energy sources such as solar power or car batteries.
“In providing a flexible, innovative approach to computing and communications systems, VIA’s pc-1 Community Solutions are a flexible, innovative approach to deploying the most appropriate technology in the variety of emerging market situations,” continued Richard Brown of VIA. “VIA pc-1 Community Solutions are designed to deliver the essential tools to facilitate education, develop new skill sets and enable individuals to learn and to contribute to both the local and the global communities.”
Further information on VIA pc-1 Community Solutions may be found at the VIA website at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/empowered/community_solutions.jsp, while a white paper on the VIA pc-1 Community Solution implemented at TUAF may be found at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/downloads/...mpowered/WP060518pc-1_Community_Solutions.zip
About the VIA pc-1 Initiative
The VIA pc-1 Initiative is aimed at enabling the next one billion people to get connected. With a focus on communication, education and information, the VIA pc-1 Initiative seeks to empower millions of people to improve their quality of life through technology, especially in emerging markets. Comprising a range of flexible systems based on VIA’s acclaimed energy-efficient processor platforms, the VIA pc-1 Initiative is a realistic approach to bringing technology to millions more people within a sustainable business framework. Of the numerous initiatives VIA has launched to enhance the technology experience and the quality of life, the VIA pc-1 Initiative has a universal remit to make a difference to the lives of many more millions of people.
Further information on the VIA pc-1 Initiative may be found on the VIA website at:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/empowered/
About the VIA pc-1 Community Portal
VIA has also launched a community website specifically to cover issues relating to the digital divide, the VIA pc-1 website (www.viapc-1.com, which looks at the real technical, logistical and economic challenges facing the PC, communications and infrastructure industries as well as governments in trying to bridge the digital divide.
