The laptop's unique appearance won't change, but the Via processor will boost its capabilities, the OLPC team wrote. Via is providing a chipset that will include a 3D graphics engine and high-definition video decoder in a single package.

"In our continued effort to maintain a low price point, OLPC is refreshing the hardware to take advantage of the latest component technologies," OLPC officials wrote in the post.

Advanced Micro Devices in January said it plans to phase out the aging Geode low-power chip, creating uncertainty about its use in products like future XO laptops.