NVIDIA 2005 Annual Report Download - page 22

In December 2004, we announced NVIDIA PureVideo technology, which brings consumer electronics quality video to PCs.
PureVideo technology eliminates the need for separate hardware or chipsets and takes the load off the PC's multi−purpose CPU. New
notebooks and media centers powered by GeForce 6 with PureVideo technology are expected to be introduced to the market soon.
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, or PCI Express
The transition to PCI Express was central to our GPU and MCP objectives during fiscal 2005. Industry adoption of PCI Express was
slower than expected during our fiscal 2005.
In February 2004, we announced a top−to−bottom family of PCI Express GPUs. By using a PCI Express high−speed interconnect, or
HSI, which is a complex piece of networking technology that performs high−speed bi−directional interconnect protocol conversion,
we were able to transform our GeForce family of GPUs into PCI Express compatible GPUs. In June 2004, we executed on our
strategy to deliver a full line of GPUs ready to support PCI Express chipsets. Our first PCI Express graphics solutions, the GeForce
PCX series, were released for retail sale during the second quarter of fiscal 2005. In September 2004, we announced the GeForce 6600
GT and the GeForce 6600. In October 2004, we announced the GeForce 6200, our first native PCI Express GPUs. In November 2004,
we announced the launch of GeForce Go 6800 GPU, our first native PCI Express GPU for notebook PCs.
In May 2004, we announced the Mobile PCI Express Module Specification, or MXM. MXM was jointly developed by NVIDIA and
leading notebook PC manufacturers in an effort to accelerate the adoption of PCI Express−based notebooks in all market segments.
MXM is an open design specification that supports a wide range of graphics solutions from any GPU manufacturer, allowing system
integrators maximum flexibility for build−to−order with various graphics solutions. MXM also serves as the primary delivery vehicle
for our GeForce Go 6 series of GPUs.
In August 2004, we announced that PCI−SIG, the Special Interest Group responsible for Conventional PCI, PCI−X and PCI Express
industry−standard I/O technologies, had added our PCI Express technology−based products to the PCI−SIG Integrators List, including
GPUs designed for workstations, desktop PCs and notebook PCs.
In February 2005, we announced the NVIDIA Quadro FX Go 1400 mobile GPU for PCI Express, which provides the performance,
programmability, precision and quality that CAD, DCC and scientific applications require.
WMP Business
During the first quarter of fiscal 2005, Motorola, Inc. announced their decision to incorporate our GoForce 4000 in their upcoming
new line of 3G multimedia phones. In July 2004, we announced that Samsung Electronics Co., or Samsung, had selected our GoForce
2100 media processor for the SCH−M500 Mobile Intelligent Terminal by Samsung, or MITS, phone. We now have design wins with
three of the world's top five cellular phone OEMs − Motorola, Samsung and LG Electronics, Inc. In September 2004, we unveiled the
GoForce 3D 4500, the world's first 3D WMP. In February 2005, we announced the GoForce 3D 4800. Over the next several years, we
expect digital media processing technology to play a critical role in the cellular phone industry.
Scalable Link Interface Technology
In June 2004, we unveiled a new scalable link interface, or SLI, technology that takes advantage of the increased bandwidth of the PCI
Express bus architecture to allow two NVIDIA−based graphics cards to operate in a single PC or workstation. PCI Express−based PCs
and workstations based on NVIDIA SLI technology became available in the second half of fiscal 2005 from PC and workstation
manufacturers.
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