Nvidia Shifts GTC To Digital Event Due To Coronavirus

'This decision to move the event online instead of at the San Jose Convention Center reflects our top priority: the health and safety of our employees, our partners and our customers,' an Nvidia spokesperson said on Monday

Nvidia plans to hold a digital version of its GPU Technology Conference later this month in lieu of a physical event due to growing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company informed attendees of the change Monday, saying that the event, which was set to take place March 22-26 in San Jose, will still include a keynote address from Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang, albeit over a livestream, though the exact timing has not been finalized.

This comes after Nvidia said last week that GPU Technology Conference, or GTC, was still happening despite the first reports of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus COVID-19 in the U.S. But the increasing progression of new cases over the last few days in the U.S., particularly in California, prompted the company to shift gears.

"This decision to move the event online instead of at the San Jose Convention Center reflects our top priority: the health and safety of our employees, our partners and our customers," Bob Sherbin, vice president of corporate communications at Nvidia, wrote in a blog post.

Nvidia said it will issue a full refund to those who purchased a GTC pass and that the company will be working with conference speakers to publish their talks online in the weeks ahead. The company also plans to schedule availability with its researchers, engineers and solution architects for those who are part of Nvidia's developer program.

The company said it will share more details on the GTC digital conference soon.

"We’re grateful to the great many individuals and partners who have worked to support this event and thank them for their understanding during these unusual times," Sherbin said.