NVIDIA AND AMD PARTNER TO CREATE POWERFUL COMMERCIAL AND
PERSONAL COMPUTING PLATFORMS
NVIDIA nForce and GeForce Processors Ready To Harness
The Power of Upcoming AMD Opteron(tm) and Next-Generation Athlon(tm)
Processor-Based Platforms
COMPUTEX 2002 - TAIPEI, TAIWAN - JUNE 3, 2002 - NVIDIA®
Corporation (Nasdaq:
NVDA) today announced that the Company's core
products-including the NVIDIA
nForce(tm) Platform Processors and GeForce(tm) Graphics
Processing Units (GPUs)-will take full advantage of the unique technologies
integrated into AMD's next-generation Opteron(tm) processor and
eighth-generation Athlon architectures. The AMD Opteron processor architecture
will deliver a world-class computing experience for commercial and consumer
users with a host of new innovations including an integrated memory controller
and
HyperTransport(tm) data bus technology. NVIDIA has both
32-bit and 64-bit software drivers in development that will leverage the power
of the 64-bit AMD Opteron and Athlon processors upon their release in the
market, and will introduce a new line of nForce-based core-logic chipsets for
the AMD Opteron processor architecture later this year.
"As the leader in graphics and platform processing
solutions, we are excited about new high performance 64-bit and 32-bit X86
architectures that excel in professional and consumer applications," stated Dan
Vivoli, vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "By combining AMD's forthcoming
processors with NVDIA's graphics, audio, networking and streaming technologies,
NVIDIA can deliver the fastest, most feature-rich, multimedia and networking
experiences for both the consumer and commercial desktop PC markets."
"Pairing NVIDIA's high-powered GPUs and the
industry-leading nForce Platform Processors with the eighth-generation AMD
processors can provide the bandwidth necessary to feed the power-hungry
enterprise-class applications," said Richard Heye, vice president platform
engineering infrastructure at AMD. "Together, AMD and NVIDIA are changing the PC
landscape, while providing both corporate customers and consumers with a
high-performance and innovative PC platform."
About NVIDIA nForce Platform Processors
Designed and optimised to take advantage of AMD's latest
CPUs, the nForce platform processors-the nForce Integrated Graphics Processor
(IGP), the nForce System Platform Processor (SPP) and nForce Media and
Communications Processor (MCP)-integrate a myriad of innovative features, all of
which reaffirm NVIDIA's technology leadership in the integrated core-logic
market. In addition to the award-winning GeForce-based Graphics Processing Unit,
dual 64-bit memory controllers, and uniquely flexible architecture, the nForce
platform processors also feature the industry's only integrated Audio Processing
Unit (APU), the same audio technology found in the Microsoft® Xbox® game
console. Through its use of a multi-DSP engine, the NVIDIA-designed APU provides
hardware processing for up to 256 simultaneous voices and special effects;
encodes Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio streams in real-time; and consumes the smallest
amount of CPU overhead-when measured against all other add-in card PC audio
solutions available today. And, by using the high-speed HyperTransport bus
technology as the digital connection between the two platform processors,
NVIDIA's nForce architecture provides substantially more bandwidth to allow for
a truly media-rich, multi-tasking environment, perfect for digital video
editing, Internet audio streaming, 3D gaming and photo manipulation. About the
AMD Opteron Processor The AMD Opteron processor is based on AMD's
eighth-generation processor core, which is planned to mark the introduction of
the industry's first x86-64 technology implementation. This technology is
planned to preserve companies' investments in 32-bit applications while allowing
a seamless transition to 64-bit computing as those companies require. The AMD
Opteron processor is designed to deliver high-performance server and workstation
solutions for today's most demanding enterprise applications. The processor is
designed to be scalable, reliable and compatible, which can result in lower
total cost of ownership. Key AMD Opteron processor innovations include an
integrated memory controller, which reduces memory bottlenecks, and
HyperTransport technology, which increases overall performance by removing or
reducing I/O bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and reducing latency.
About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the
personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing
facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and
Standard & Poor's 500 company, produces microprocessors, flash memory devices,
and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Founded in
1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $4.6 billion in
2000. (NYSE: AMD).
About NVIDIAâ
NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq - NVDA), located in Santa
Clara, CA, is the global leader in advanced graphics and multimedia processing
technology for the consumer and professional computing markets. Its 2D, 3D,
video and multimedia capabilities make NVIDIA one of the premier semiconductor
companies in the world. NVIDIA offers a wide range of products and services,
delivering superior performance and crisp visual quality for PC-based
applications such as manufacturing, science, e-business, entertainment and
education.
Certain statements in this press release, including the
statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's
family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are
forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays
relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence
of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including
cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of
competitive products and pricing alternatives , market acceptance of the
Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers
and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Certain Business
Risks," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
