NVIDIA Backs Out Of MWC 2020 Citing Concerns About Coronavirus

Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire and the number of deaths is also on the rise. The reported number of coronavirus infections in China alone has increased to 34,000 and numerous cases outside the country borders have also been reported. In this scenario, NVIDIA is backing out of MWC 2020 citing concerns over the deadly virus.

NVIDIA Skips MWC

NVIDIA announced that it wouldn't send its employees to the Barcelona event. "Given public health risks around the coronavirus, ensuring the safety of our colleagues, partners, and customers is our highest concern," the company said in a blog post.

NVIDIA was going to pitch in new developments in artificial intelligence and AI. But we won't be seeing that now. " We've been looking forward to sharing our work in AI, 5G, and vRAN with the industry. We regret not attending, but believe this is the right decision," the company added.

The list of companies quitting the biggest mobile event now includes LG, Ericsson, and now NVIDIA. The MWC event, which is scheduled to take place from 24 to 27 February, will be held in Barcelona, Spain. Incidentally, Spain has reported the first case of the virus a week ago.

Nvidia says won’t send any employees to #MWC2020 #MWC20 in Barcelona due to #corononavirus https://t.co/ewwT0OhpjR

— Varun Krishnan (@varunkrish) February 8, 2020

With the scare of the virus spreading without a vaccine to curb it, many companies are deciding to keep their employees safe by staying home rather than traveling. Moreover, coronavirus has already claimed 720 people.

GSMA Responds

GSMA, the organizing committee for the Mobile World Congress understands the risk of the virus but also values the importance of keeping the show running. "It is of great importance to the GSMA to continue to convene the industry at this critical time where connectivity is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution," GSMA said in a statement.

Advocating across the industry through government and ministers, policymakers, operators, and industry leaders has never been more critical, GSMA added. At the same time, the company said it would continue to monitor and assess the severity and impact of the coronavirus on the upcoming MWC event. "The health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, and staff are of paramount importance," the company noted.