SANTA CLARA, CA, Apr 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --Dozens of companies from around the world that are committed to transforming industries or creating new ones will participate in NVIDIA's Emerging Companies Summit (ECS) 2012, to be held May 16 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.

The companies will exhibit technologies that use the massive computing power of GPUs in the areas of cloud computing, gesture- and facial-recognition software, biomedical visualization and digital product placement, among others.

In addition, as part of the popular "CEO on Stage" presentations at ECS, leaders from 16 promising startups will present their companies to a distinguished panel of experienced investors, analysts and technology leaders, who in turn will respond with insightful feedback.

Panelists include: Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research; Neil Sequeira, managing director of General Catalyst Partners; Philip "Flip" Gianos, general partner of InterWest Partners; Rob Enderle, principal analyst of the Enderle Group; Savitha Srinivasan, partner in the Venture Capital Group at IBM; and Tom Furlong, managing director of Granite Ventures LLC.

The participating "CEO on Stage" companies include: BioDigital (U.S.), Cortexica Vision Systems (U.K.), Elemental Technologies (U.S.), eyeSight Mobile Technologies (Israel), Gaikai (U.S.), Immersive Media (U.S.), Mersive (U.S.), MirriAd (U.K.), Numecent (U.S.), Numira Biosciences (U.S.), Playcast (Israel), Raytrix (Germany), RealView Imaging (Israel), Rocketick (Israel), Ubitus (Taiwan) and Unity Technologies (U.S.).

Five top startups will be recognized for their innovation with "One to Watch" awards totaling $120,000 in prize money.

Part of the GPU Technology Conference (GTC), the fourth ECS to be held in Silicon Valley provides an opportunity to see how startups are using GPUs to supercharge existing applications and create new solutions. GPUs are increasingly used in the handheld computing market, so attendees will find a large number of mobile companies participating in this year's summit.

The exhibit halls of ECS will be filled with the innovative work of companies in a diverse array of fields. The event's platinum sponsor is Cooley LLP, a San Francisco-based law firm. Supporting sponsors include Deloitte, Mergermarket, Morgan Stanley, Silicon Valley Bank and Dow Jones Private Equity & Venture Capital.

"There's no more exciting area for startups right now than the wide range of technologies that GPUs are making possible," said Jeff Herbst, vice president of Business Development at NVIDIA. "We've combed the globe to find some of the most promising ones, and they will be on full display at this year's ECS. This will be a must-see event for VCs, angel investors and technology leaders."

GTC is a worldwide gathering of thought leaders from a wide range of fields who discuss the breakthrough work enabled by GPUs. Conference attendees include thousands of industry leaders, researchers, scientists, customers, venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, press and analysts. GTC 2012, to be held May 14-17 in San Jose, will feature more than 200 sessions of technical content targeted at researchers, developers and technologists.

See the GTC 2012 agenda here. Register for ECS and GTC at https://registration.gputechconf.com/.

About NVIDIA NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Today, its processors power a broad range of products from smartphones to supercomputers. NVIDIA's mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. PC gamers rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds. Professionals use them to create 3D graphics and visual effects in movies and to design everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. And researchers utilize GPUs to advance the frontiers of science with high performance computing. The company has more than 4,500 patents issued, allowed or filed, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to statements as to: the benefits and impact of GPUs; the participants in the NVIDIA Emerging Companies Summit; and the effects of the company's patents on modern computing 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: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; 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, or SEC, including its Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended January 29, 2012. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company's 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.

Copyright 2012 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo are trademarks and/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. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

SOURCE: NVIDIA