SANTA CLARA, California, 12 November 2026 – Nvidia has entered a new chapter in its corporate history following the immediate resignation of co-founder and chief executive Jensen Huang, triggering a search for a permanent leader capable of steering the artificial intelligence chipmaker through mounting market uncertainty, geopolitical pressure and a rapidly evolving technology industry.
The company confirmed on Thursday that Huang had resigned as president, chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors.
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s executive vice-president and chief financial officer, has been appointed interim CEO while the board evaluates internal and external candidates.
The announcement ends more than three decades of leadership under Huang, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and transformed it from a graphics chip manufacturer into one of the world’s most influential technology companies.
His departure follows intense scrutiny over reported personal relationships, including allegations involving a former executive of Singapore-based Megaspeed International who has been accused in media reports of links to Chinese intelligence.
Those intelligence allegations remain unproven in publicly available evidence. Nvidia previously stated that it had no reason to believe its confidential information or US national security had been compromised.
For investors, however, the immediate question has shifted from whether Huang would leave to who can replace a founder whose technological vision, commercial relationships and public identity became inseparable from Nvidia’s success.
Colette Kress Takes Temporary Control
Nvidia’s board has moved to establish continuity by appointing Colette Kress as interim chief executive.
Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 and has overseen its financial operations during a period of extraordinary expansion.
Before joining Nvidia, she held senior finance positions at major technology companies, including Microsoft and Cisco.
Her familiarity with Nvidia’s financial performance, capital allocation and investor communications makes her a natural stabilising figure during the transition.
As chief financial officer, Kress has regularly appeared alongside Huang during quarterly earnings calls and has developed an established relationship with institutional investors and Wall Street analysts.
Her immediate responsibility will be to reassure customers, shareholders and employees that Nvidia can continue executing its product roadmap despite the sudden leadership change.
The board has said it expects operations, customer commitments and technology development to continue without interruption.
However, the permanent appointment presents a different challenge.
Nvidia’s competitive position depends heavily on technological innovation, software development and its ability to anticipate major changes in computing.
While Kress offers financial and organisational continuity, the board must decide whether she should remain in the role permanently or eventually hand leadership to an executive with a more extensive engineering background.
Ian Buck: The Engineer Behind Nvidia’s AI Software Advantage
Among Nvidia’s internal executives, Ian Buck has emerged as one of the most widely discussed candidates for the permanent CEO position.
Buck joined Nvidia in 2004 and played a significant role in developing CUDA, the computing platform that allows developers to use Nvidia graphics processors for complex computational workloads.
CUDA subsequently became an important foundation of Nvidia’s expansion into artificial intelligence, scientific computing and high-performance data processing.
The platform has also helped establish a software ecosystem that makes Nvidia’s technology more difficult for competitors to displace.
Buck currently oversees products serving hyperscale AI customers, including the hardware and software used by major data centre operators.
His responsibilities place him close to the company’s most strategically important business.
For analysts who believe Nvidia’s next chief executive must possess deep technical expertise, Buck represents a potential continuation of the engineering-led culture established by Huang.
However, the chief executive role requires more than technological knowledge.
It also involves managing investors, governments, large customers, regulatory challenges and an increasingly complex international supply chain.
Buck’s ability to assume those broader responsibilities would be an important consideration for the board.
René Haas: An External Candidate With Nvidia Experience
René Haas, chief executive of Arm Holdings, is another name attracting attention.
Haas previously worked at Nvidia before joining Arm, giving him direct experience with the company’s operations and the broader semiconductor industry.
At Arm, he oversees a business whose chip designs are used across smartphones, computing devices, data centres and other electronic products.
His position requires managing relationships with major semiconductor manufacturers, technology companies and international customers.
That experience could be valuable for Nvidia, which increasingly operates as a central technology partner across the global AI industry.
Haas also understands the commercial challenges associated with intellectual property licensing, chip design and long-term technology development.
However, recruiting an external chief executive would introduce its own complications.
Nvidia’s business model, software ecosystem and organisational culture differ significantly from Arm’s.
An external appointment would therefore require a careful transition to preserve technical continuity and relationships with Nvidia’s engineering teams.
Haas has not been announced as a candidate by Nvidia.
Jeff Fisher: A Long-Serving Nvidia Executive
Jeff Fisher, a veteran Nvidia executive associated with the company’s gaming and graphics businesses, has also been mentioned in succession discussions.
His long tenure provides familiarity with Nvidia’s product development, customers and corporate culture.
Gaming was the foundation on which Nvidia built its business before expanding aggressively into data centres and AI computing.
Experience in that segment could offer continuity with the company’s historical strengths.
However, Nvidia’s revenue mix has changed dramatically as demand for AI accelerators has expanded.
A permanent chief executive would need to demonstrate the ability to manage the much larger data centre business alongside gaming, networking, software and emerging AI applications.
Fisher’s name illustrates the board’s option of selecting an experienced internal executive rather than recruiting from another company.
Lisa Su: An Experienced Semiconductor CEO, but a Complicated Possibility
Lisa Su, chief executive of Advanced Micro Devices, has also appeared in industry discussions about potential external successors.
Su has led AMD through a substantial transformation, strengthening its position in processors, data centre computing and advanced semiconductor technology.
Her experience managing a publicly listed semiconductor company gives her credentials in product strategy, manufacturing partnerships and investor relations.
However, AMD competes directly with Nvidia in important markets, including AI accelerators and data centre hardware.
Any potential move would therefore involve substantial commercial, confidentiality and competitive considerations.
There is no public indication that Su is seeking the Nvidia position or that Nvidia has approached her.
Her inclusion in succession discussions is best understood as recognition of her industry experience rather than evidence of an active recruitment process.
Johny Srouji: Apple’s Semiconductor Architect
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware technologies, represents another possible external choice.
He has played a central role in developing Apple’s custom silicon strategy, including the processors used in its iPhone, iPad and Mac product families.
His work demonstrates expertise in chip architecture, product integration and long-term semiconductor planning.
These capabilities are relevant to Nvidia as it develops increasingly complex systems combining processors, networking technologies and software.
However, Apple’s integrated hardware business differs from Nvidia’s model of supplying computing technology to a broad international customer base.
Srouji would need to demonstrate that his technical leadership could translate into managing Nvidia’s extensive commercial relationships and public-market responsibilities.
He has not been identified by Nvidia as an official candidate.
Matt Garman: A Cloud Computing Leader Close to Nvidia’s Customers
Matt Garman, chief executive of Amazon Web Services, offers a different profile.
Rather than coming primarily from semiconductor design, Garman leads one of the world’s largest cloud infrastructure businesses.
AWS operates extensive data centre networks and provides computing services to enterprises, developers and government organisations.
Its business is closely connected to demand for advanced AI processors, including Nvidia technology.
Garman’s experience could be valuable as Nvidia expands from selling individual chips towards supplying integrated AI computing systems.
He also understands the requirements of hyperscale customers, including deployment costs, energy efficiency, software compatibility and long-term infrastructure planning.
However, leading a cloud services business is not the same as managing a semiconductor company.
Nvidia’s future chief executive must balance customer relationships with competition from those same customers, many of which are developing their own AI processors.
There is no confirmation that Garman is participating in Nvidia’s search.
Sanjay Mehrotra: Experience Managing Semiconductor Cycles
Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive of Micron Technology, is another experienced semiconductor leader mentioned in industry reporting.
Mehrotra has extensive experience in memory technology, manufacturing operations and capital-intensive semiconductor investment.
Micron’s products play an important role in modern computing systems, including AI infrastructure.
His background could provide Nvidia with leadership experienced in navigating supply constraints, technology investment and cyclical demand.
However, Micron’s business is concentrated in memory and storage technologies, while Nvidia’s competitive position depends on graphics processing architectures, networking and its software ecosystem.
The differences would present an integration challenge for any external leader.
Mehrotra remains a speculative possibility rather than a confirmed candidate.
Other Names Could Enter the Discussion
Industry reporting has also mentioned additional technology executives, including Google Cloud and AI infrastructure leaders, as possible candidates.
Nvidia’s board has confirmed that its permanent search will consider both internal and external executives.
That leaves open the possibility that the eventual appointment could come from outside the group of individuals currently attracting public attention.
A permanent successor may also be selected from Nvidia’s existing leadership team without having been widely discussed by analysts.
The company has not published a formal shortlist.
The Ledger Asia Insights: Replacing Huang Means Replacing More Than a CEO
Nvidia’s succession challenge is unusual because Jensen Huang was more than the company’s longest-serving executive.
He was its co-founder, principal technology advocate, commercial strategist and one of the most recognisable figures in the global AI industry.
His leadership helped Nvidia anticipate major developments in computing, from programmable graphics processors to accelerated computing and modern AI infrastructure.
The company now faces the difficult task of separating that legacy from the responsibilities of future management.
The choice between an internal and external successor will reveal how the board intends to address that challenge.
An internal candidate such as Ian Buck could provide continuity in technology development and organisational culture.
An external leader such as René Haas could bring broader semiconductor management experience and a different approach to corporate oversight.
Colette Kress, meanwhile, provides financial continuity during the immediate transition.
The board may also consider a leadership structure that separates operational, financial and technology responsibilities more explicitly.
Such an arrangement could reduce dependence on any single executive.
However, dividing leadership responsibilities can introduce uncertainty over accountability and decision-making authority.
For Nvidia, the priority will be ensuring that strategic decisions remain coordinated across hardware development, software, manufacturing partnerships and customer relationships.
The transition also occurs at a sensitive moment for the wider AI industry.
Technology companies are committing substantial capital to data centres and computing infrastructure, while investors increasingly question how quickly those investments will generate sustainable returns.
Nvidia’s customers include some of the world’s largest cloud computing businesses, many of which are simultaneously developing competing processors.
Maintaining Nvidia’s technological lead will therefore require more than strong product performance.
It will require effective relationships with customers, software developers, suppliers and governments.
For Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the succession has implications because Nvidia technology supports a growing network of data centres, AI infrastructure projects and enterprise computing services.
Malaysia’s ambitions to become a regional AI infrastructure hub depend partly on access to advanced computing hardware and reliable international technology partnerships.
A prolonged leadership transition could create uncertainty for investors and customers, although Nvidia has stated that its operations and product roadmap are expected to continue without interruption.
There is no confirmed evidence that Huang’s resignation has disrupted Malaysian data centre projects.
The broader issue is whether Nvidia can demonstrate that its competitive advantages are institutional rather than dependent on its founder.
Its software ecosystem, engineering capabilities, intellectual property and customer relationships remain significant assets.
The next chief executive will be judged on the ability to preserve those strengths while establishing an independent strategic direction.
Outlook: Permanent CEO Search Becomes a Critical Test
Nvidia’s board has begun the process of identifying a permanent successor, with Colette Kress serving as interim chief executive.
Ian Buck is attracting particular attention because of his technical background and leadership within Nvidia’s AI infrastructure business.
René Haas and several other external executives have also been discussed as possible alternatives.
However, none has been confirmed as a permanent successor.
Nvidia’s next quarterly earnings announcement, scheduled for 17 November, will provide an early opportunity for investors to assess how the company intends to manage the transition.
The board’s eventual decision will carry consequences for corporate governance, technology strategy and investor confidence.
For a company that helped define the modern AI industry, the challenge is no longer simply finding someone to occupy Jensen Huang’s position.
It is finding a leader capable of sustaining Nvidia’s technological influence without relying on the individual who built it.
