Among the most exciting features in Microsoft Corp.’s recently announced Windows 7 operating system is the ability it provides software developers to create powerful new digital media applications by harnessing the massive parallel processing power of NVIDIA’ GeForce’ graphics processing units (GPUs). Windows 7 gives developers this freedom through Microsoft’s new DirectCompute application programming interface (API), which is being introduced as part of the Microsoft DirectX 11 API.

“DirectCompute takes GPU computing from a niche to the mainstream by making this potentially life-changing technology available to the millions of users of the Windows 7 operating system,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. “Using the GPU and the CPU as co-processors has already yielded amazing results in fields such as medical, geological and scientific research and will have a transforming effect on consumer applications as well.”

“NVIDIA has demonstrated its commitment to GPU computing with the announcement of the Fermi architecture,” said Mike Ybarra, general manager of Windows Product Management at Microsoft. “Windows 7 and DirectCompute will make it even easier for developers to create innovative applications that take advantage of the GPU’s massively parallel processing power.”

NVIDIA has worked closely with Microsoft on the development, testing and validation of Microsoft DirectCompute. DirectCompute will be distributed as part of the DirectX 11 API and is supported by NVIDIA’s current lineup of DirectX 10 GPUs and upcoming DirectX 11 GPUs based on NVIDIA’s recently announced NVIDIA Fermi Architecture.

Windows developers who are interested in learning more about developing with DirectCompute and NVIDIA GPUs can get more information atwww.nvidia.com/directcompute.

Consumers already running a GeForce GPU with Windows 7 can download the new WHQL-certified drivers supporting DirectCompute directly fromwww.nvidia.com/drivers.