HP, Autodesk and NVIDIA today announced they are collaborating to offer computer-aided design (CAD) professionals the compute power they need to migrate from 2-D to 3-D design.

Autodesk is a leader in design innovation technology. NVIDIA is a leader in graphics processing. Together with HP, the three companies are offering a bundle of their most advanced graphics tools, which are designed to handle the extreme demands of 3-D AutoCAD.

The technology package options include an HP xw4600 Workstation, a NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics card and a license of AutoCAD 2009 software, offering powerful all-in-one hardware, graphics and software solutions that start at the list price of a license of AutoCAD 2009 software alone – a savings of up to $1,236.

“HP provides our customers with the best solutions available to meet the increasing demands of 3-D CAD applications,” said Tom Salomone, engineering segment manager, Workstations, HP. “AutoCAD users count on HP to offer the most reliable platform to support their design challenges and need for increased performance.”

The technology bundles are available at www.hp.com/go/cad until Dec. 31 for a starting U.S. list price of $3,995.(1) The bundles provide users with:
* AutoCAD 2009 software – the latest version of the world’s leading 2-D and 3-D CAD application for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets.
* An HP xw4600 Workstation with Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo E7200 processor, offering next-generation performance technologies in a powerful, flexible and reliable workstation.
* NVIDIA Quadro FX 370 entry-level, Quadro FX 570 mid-range or Quadro FX 1700 mid-range professional solutions, which take the leading CAD applications to a new level of interactivity by enabling unprecedented capabilities in performance, programmability and precision.  

“Today’s AutoCAD users demand more functionality and reliability from their desktop computing solutions,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions, NVIDIA. “Tested and certified with Autodesk’s AutoCAD software and HP workstations, the Quadro product line is designed to maximize productivity and deliver the cost-effective, professional-quality graphics solution professional users require.”

Companies use HP workstations to design everything from running shoes to race cars, animated characters to deep-sea submersibles, and to manage everything from billions of dollars of tradable securities to mission-critical IT environments.

AutoCAD 2009 is tested and certified on HP workstations and with NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards. All HP workstations include Performance Tuning Framework for AutoCAD, which provides users a quick and easy way to configure and update their workstations and improve the stability and performance of their systems while increasing productivity.

“Users taking advantage of the 3-D capabilities in AutoCAD 2009 are likely to achieve significant productivity improvements,” said Guri Stark, vice president, AutoCAD and Platform Products, Autodesk. “The NVIDIA Quadro graphics card and HP workstations provide the intense graphics and computing power designers need to fully leverage the cutting-edge features in AutoCAD, the most widely used application for 2-D and 3-D design and documentation in the world.”

Demonstrating HP’s environmental leadership, the HP xw4600 is registered as an Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™) Gold product, the highest rating available. All HP workstations are more than 90 percent recyclable by weight and incorporate a tool-less chassis design for quick and easy upgrades by hand. Each workstation includes an 80 PLUS power supply, which is substantially more efficient than a standard power supply, reducing both overall energy usage and the amount of waste heat released into the environment.

NVIDIA Quadro professional solutions deliver the fastest application performance and the highest-quality workstation graphics, and they are certified on all industry-leading professional applications, taking them to new levels of interactivity. AutoCAD now enables users to leverage the capabilities of NVIDIA Quadro professional-class graphics processing units (GPU) to fully incorporate high-quality 3-D models into their work flow. 

The collaboration between NVIDIA, Autodesk and HP delivers a certified hardware-software solution that enables users to create and interact with complex product designs without sacrificing visual quality. More information about these offerings is available at www.nvidia.com/builtforpros.

About HP
HP, the world’s largest technology company, provides printing and personal computing products and IT services, software and solutions that simplify the technology experience for consumers and businesses. HP completed its acquisition of EDS on Aug. 26, 2008. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.
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About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates breathtaking, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. NVIDIA serves the entertainment and consumer market with its GeForce graphics products, the professional design and visualization market with its Quadro® graphics products, and the high-performance computing market with its Tesla™ computing solutions products. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.nvidia.com.

About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.