Nvidia, the world's most valuable chipmaker, is on the hunt for a potential successor to Jensen Huang, amidst reports of multiple extramarital relationships involving him. While internal contenders Colette Kress and Ian Buck are front-runners, eight executives from Nvidia, Arm, AMD, Apple, Amazon, and Google have emerged as external possibilities. The board met recently to discuss Huang's future, but no decision regarding his replacement has been announced yet.
Colette Kress, Nvidia's CFO, is a strong internal candidate due to her extensive experience managing the finances of large technology companies. However, she is often viewed as an interim leader rather than a long-term replacement. Ian Buck, vice-president at Nvidia and inventor of CUDA, is another internal contender known for his technical expertise and familiarity with Nvidia's customers.
Among the external candidates, Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings, stands out due to his experience running a major chip-design business and his familiarity with Nvidia. Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), is another significant name in the race, despite AMD being a competitor to Nvidia. Her leadership has strengthened AMD's position in the semiconductor industry, but its AI chips have yet to match Nvidia's level of adoption.
The search for Huang's successor could prove challenging for Nvidia given the close relationship between the company's strategy, technology direction, and business relationships with its co-founder. The development comes amidst growing uncertainty over Huang's future, with investors weighing the potential consequences of losing a leader who has run the company since co-founding it in 1993.