NVIDIA Graphics Empower SGI Workstations; SGI Visual Workstations Based on Intel Integrate NVIDIA Quadro2 Solutions

Business Wire, Dec 13, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2000

NVIDIA(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:NVDA) today announced that SGI (NYSE:SGI) now offers the NVIDIA Quadro2 MXR(TM) and Quadro2 Pro(TM) graphics processors -- as part of the SGI(TM) VPro(TM) graphics family of solutions -- on its Silicon Graphics(R) 230, Silicon Graphics(R) 330, and Silicon Graphics(R) 550 visual workstations. The Quadro2 solutions, with full support for the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and Linux(R) operating environments, give visual computing professionals access to revolutionary graphics features including NVIDIA's TwinView(TM) architecture for dual-display support, Digital Vibrance Control for fine-tuned workspace color adjustment, and the NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer that enables single-pass advanced per-pixel shading. Marketed and sold by SGI as the Silicon Graphics(R) workstations with V7 (NVIDIA Quadro2 MXR) and VR7 (NVIDIA Quadro2 Pro) graphics solutions, the new graphics offerings are immediately available through SGI's direct sales channels and from the company's well-established distributors and resellers.

"By utilizing NVIDIA's ground-breaking Quadro2 processors, SGI can dramatically lower the cost barrier that has typically been associated with professional graphics solutions in the past," states Dan Vivoli, senior vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "By applying this strategy to the workstation market, NVIDIA has created a discontinuity, thus starting its climb to the top of the market."

The Silicon Graphics visual workstations incorporate a state-of-the-art Intel(R) architecture with SGI(TM) visualization subsystems. The entry-level Silicon Graphics 230 comes with the NVIDIA Quadro2 MXR solution that gives customers 400M pixels per second rendering power, 25M triangles per second geometry processing power, and 2.93GB per second memory bandwidth. For its midrange system, the scalable Silicon Graphics 330 workstation, SGI gives customers a choice of the NVIDIA Quadro2 MXR or Quadro2 Pro graphics solution. With unprecedented 3D and 2D performance for the engineering professional, Quadro2 Pro solutions deliver an unmatched 1.0G pixels per second rendering power and 31M triangles per second geometry processing power making it the optimal choice for the most demanding design environments. The Pentium(R) III Xeon(TM) processor-based Silicon Graphics 550 visual workstations include the NVIDIA Quadro2 Pro to accommodate power users in the CAD, digital content creation, and scientific visualization markets.

"The combination of SGI and NVIDIA technology allows us to deliver power and flexibility in an extremely affordable package," said Greg Goelz, vice president of volume products at SGI. "SGI's VPro graphics workstations give the customer outstanding performance on demanding real-world applications, because we combine SGI's expertise in system architecture and graphics optimization with the best technology available."

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq:NVDA), based in Santa Clara, CA., is the global leader in advanced graphics and multimedia processing technology for the consumer and professional computing markets. It's 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. 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 Certain statements in this press release, including the statements relating to the Company's 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 "Factors Affecting Operating Results," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.

Note to Editors: NVIDIA is a registered trademark, and Quadro2 MXR, Quadro2 Pro and Twin View are trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. Silicon Graphics is a registered trademark, and SGI and VPro are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and Xeon is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice. Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on NVIDIA, please visit the NVIDIA Web page at http://www.nvidia.com/News.nsf on NVIDIA's corporate information pages.