Nvidia is the latest company to cancel its in-person event over fears about the spread of coronavirus at large public gatherings.
The company’s GPU Technology Conference will now only be streamed online due to the “growing concern over the coronavirus,” an outbreak that is close to becoming a full-scale pandemic.
On its GTC webpage, Nvidia explained:
“Jensen will still give a keynote. We will still share our announcements. And we’ll work to ensure our speakers can share their talks. But we’ll do this all online.”
GTC would normally have seen over 10,000 people flocking to San Jose to hear all about Nvidia’s latest work and where it’s heading next.
Around 250 companies tend to exhibit at GTC in some form or another. While it’s a shame these companies will not be able to use the event to spread their knowledge and connect with people using their solutions, it’s the right call in the scheme of things.
GTC is just the latest event to be scaled back, cancelled, or delayed. MWC, GDC, F8, Cloud Next, and others have all made similar decisions.
While scientists are still working to understand the new COVID-19 coronavirus and its severity, the fatality rate is expected to be relatively low. The virus does, however, appear to be highly contagious and is particularly dangerous to the elderly and people with underlying conditions or weakened immune systems.
The main concern is that hospitals become overwhelmed with cases that people are unable to access even basic treatment. In Wuhan, China, the centre of the outbreak, several new hospitals had to be built to cope with the demand.
Currently, governments are in the “contain” stage of trying to reduce the spread of the virus and many are advising against large gatherings and recommending working from home where possible.
As of writing, there have been 32,332 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,137 deaths. Many experts believe the number of cases may be much higher and some carriers may not even show any symptoms.
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