SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple's new Snow Leopard operating system (OS) is the first OS to integrate OpenCL, a cross-platform open standard that makes it possible for developers to tap into the vast gigaflops of computing power currently in the graphics processing unit (GPU) and use them for any application.

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OpenCL on the NVIDIA(R) CUDA(TM) architecture enables applications to use the CPU and the GPU together as co-processors. NVIDIA's integration of the CUDA architecture across its brands and segments enables it to offer Apple users a broad selection of 10 GPU models officially supported by Snow Leopard. These are: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9400M, GeForce 9600M GT, GeForce 8600M GT, GeForce GT 120, GeForce GT 130, GeForce GTX 285, GeForce 8800 GT, GeForce 8800 GS, NVIDIA(R) Quadro(R) FX 4800, and Quadro FX 5600.

"NVIDIA chairs the OpenCL working group and is the only company to have OpenCL drivers for the GPU in the hands of thousands of Snow Leopard, Windows and Linux developers today," said Sanford Russell, general manager of CUDA at NVIDIA. "We're excited to see Snow Leopard ship, signaling the arrival GPU Computing for all Apple users."

NVIDIA has a range of documentation and tools available for OpenCL including a detailed programming guide, a Best Practices guide with tips and tricks for tuning performance, SDK code samples and a soon-to-be-released Visual Profiler for performance optimization. In addition to working closely with Apple to integrate support for OpenCL into Snow Leopard, NVIDIA has also released OpenCL conformant drivers for Windows and Linux.

For more information, visit www.nvidia.com/opencl and for more information on Apple's Snow Leopard OS, go to www.apple.com/macosx

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, features, impact, performance and capabilities of OpenCL on the NVIDIA CUDA architecture; are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: development of more efficient or faster technology; design, manufacturing or software defects; the impact of technological development and competition; changes in consumer preferences and demands; customer adoption of different standards or our competitor's products; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-Q for the fiscal period ended July 26, 2009. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on our website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

(C) 2009 NVIDIA Corporation. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, CUDA, GeForce, and Quadro are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. OpenCL is a trademark of Apple Inc. used under license to the Khronos Group Inc." Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

SOURCE NVIDIA Corporation

Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/