2008

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with “Item 1A. Risk Factors”, “Item 6. Selected Financial Data”, our Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes thereto, as well as other cautionary statements and risks described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before deciding to purchase, hold or sell shares of our common stock.



Overview

Our Company

    NVIDIA Corporation is the worldwide leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the graphic processing unit, or the GPU, a high-performance processor which generates realistic, interactive graphics on workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. Our products are designed to generate realistic, interactive graphics on consumer and professional computing devices. We serve the entertainment and consumer market with our GeForce graphics products, the professional design and visualization market with our Quadro graphics products, the high-performance computing market with our Tesla computing solutions products, and the handheld computing market with our Tegra computer-on-a-chip products. We have four major product-line operating segments: the GPU business, the professional solutions business, or PSB, the media and communications processor, or MCP, business, and the consumer products business, or CPB.

 

    Our GPU business is comprised primarily of our GeForce products that support desktop and notebook personal computers, or PCs, plus memory products. Our PSB is comprised of our NVIDIA Quadro professional workstation products and other professional graphics products, including our NVIDIA Tesla high-performance computing products. Our MCP business is comprised of NVIDIA nForce core logic and motherboard GPU, or mGPU products. Our CPB is comprised of our Tegra and GoForce mobile brands and products that support netbooks, personal navigation devices, or PNDs, handheld personal media players, or PMPs, personal digital assistants, or PDAs, cellular phones and other handheld devices. CPB also includes license, royalty, other revenue and associated costs related to video game consoles and other digital consumer electronics devices.  Original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, add-in-card manufacturers, system builders and consumer electronics companies worldwide utilize our processors as a core component of their entertainment, business and professional solutions.

 

    We were incorporated in California in April 1993 and reincorporated in Delaware in April 1998. Our headquarter facilities are in Santa Clara, California. Our Internet address is www.nvidia.com. The contents of our website are not a part of this Form 10-K.



Recent Developments, Future Objectives and Challenges

 

    GPU Business

 

    Our GPU business is comprised primarily of our GeForce products that support desktop and notebook PCs, plus memory products. During fiscal year 2009, we launched several new GPUs in the GeForce family, including the GeForce 9600 GT, the GeForce 9800