NVIDIA Primed for Microsoft DirectX 9.0

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NVIDIA Primed for Microsoft DirectX 9.0

Highly Anticipated GeForce FX GPU and New API Combine to Deliver Cinematic Computing

For further information, contact:

Brian Burke

NVIDIA Corporation

(512) 401-4385

bburke@nvidia.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SANTA CLARA, CA?DECEMBER 19, 2002?NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today announced that the new NVIDIA? GeForce? FX and NVIDIA Quadro? graphics processing units (GPUs) are compatible and compliant with the Microsoft? DirectX? 9.0 application programming interface (API). DirectX 9.0, the latest version of Microsoft?s suite of multimedia application programming interfaces, offers advances in graphic technology that will make it significantly easier for game developers to create 3D immersive titles. When that content is played back on NVIDIA GeForce FX GPUs, the result will be visually stunning 3D worlds and life-like characters.

?NVIDIA and Microsoft are striving for the common goal of enabling game developers to create theater-quality, Hollywood-style cinematic effects for desktop PC games and applications,? said Dan Vivoli, vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. ?DirectX 9.0 API and the GeForce FX GPU combine to create the most significant advancement in achieving that goal in almost a decade.?

?DirectX 9.0, the standard in development platforms, combined with hardware technology of the GeForce FX reduces the workload for developers and ultimately helps deliver cinematic-quality Windows-based games,? said Dean Lester, general manager of Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies at Microsoft Corporation. ?Developers now have the ability to render stunning visual effects within software applications by using DirectX 9.0 vertex shader and pixel shaders in the GeForce FX.?

Microsoft DirectX 9.0 is an advanced suite of multimedia APIs built directly into Microsoft Windows operating systems. DirectX provides a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs by enabling software developers to create their newest, most innovative titles. NVIDIA?s Detonator? software driver, the industry?s only true Unified Driver Architecture (UDA), will enable DirectX 9.0 compatibility for all NVIDIA GPUs.

Introduced at Fall Comdex 2002, the NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU is the industry?s first GPU to deliver real-time, cinematic quality graphics and special effects on the desktop PC. Featuring the NVIDIA CineFX? engine and support for high-level programming languages, the GeForce FX GPU delivers visual effects on par with the hottest motion pictures. Packing nearly twice the number of transistors as previous NVIDIA GPUs, the GeForce FX GPU also utilizes the industry?s most advanced 0.13 micron manufacturing process and incorporates support for the latest high-speed DDR2 memories, AGP 8X, and NVIDIA Intellisample? technology, enabling developers to create compelling content of unrivaled beauty, running at unmatched speeds.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA Corporation is a market leader in visual computing technology dedicated to creating products that enhance the interactive experience on consumer and professional computing platforms. Its graphics and communications processors have broad market reach and are incorporated into a wide variety of computing platforms, including consumer digital-media PCs, enterprise PCs, professional workstations, digital content creation systems, notebook PCs, military navigation systems and video games consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and employs more than 1,400 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company?s Web site at www.nvidia.com.

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.

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Copyright ? 2002 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

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