TED 2012 Sponsor Autodesk Supports TED Prize Winning Idea and Wish

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 1, 2012 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software and a sponsor of the 2012 TED Conference, is supporting the 2012 TED Prize “The City 2.0.” The City 2.0 seeks to nurture the development of a new city concept, dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint created by occupants and easing the environmental pressures on the world’s rural areas.

Autodesk is supporting City 2.0 through content development and by providing free* software and other resources on  thecity2.org website, all of which will help citizens more easily visualize and simulate the environmental transformation of their cities. Autodesk will also create a new exhibit for the Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco, introducing visitors to technology that can help realize the vision of City 2.0.

“The software used by the world’s architects, engineers and urban planners to sustainably design, build and manage cities will play a central role in realizing the vision of City 2.0,” said Carl Bass, Autodesk president and chief executive officer. “Our vision is to help people imagine, design and create a better world, and we are proud to contribute this spirit of innovation to the TED community, which we are sponsoring for the third consecutive year, and by fully supporting the TED Prize.”

The TED Prize is traditionally awarded to an individual, but for the first time in seven years, the winner of the prize is an idea. The City 2.0 was selected because cities promote innovation, education, culture and economic opportunity. Living sustainably is also a critical component of the City 2.0. The wish for the TED Prize was unveiled on February 29, 2012, at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California.

"Autodesk is a company closely aligned with sustainability and innovation – critical components of the City 2.0," said Chris Anderson, curator of the TED conference. "Autodesk continues to be a great supporter of TED and the TED Prize. We are thrilled to have them as a sponsor and welcome their support of the City 2.0"

*Software use is subject to the user’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the accompanying license agreement.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at  TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, Calif., along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include  TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED’s stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/TED.

About The TED Prize

The first TED Prize was awarded in 2005, born out of the TED Conference and a vision by the world's leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and entertainers to change the world – one Wish at a time.

The reward: $100,000, the TED Community's array of talent and expertise, and the leadership of a TED Prize team led by Amy Novogratz. What began as an unparalleled experiment to leverage the resources of the TED Community to spur global change has evolved into one of the most prestigious prizes.

From Bono's the ONE Campaign ('05 recipient) to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution ('10 recipient) and JR's Inside Out Project ('11 recipient), the TED Prize is helping to combat poverty, take on religious intolerance, improve global health, tackle child obesity, advance education, and inspire art around the world.

For more information on the TED Prize, visit www.tedprize.org.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 17 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.