Who will lead Nvidia after Jensen Huang? Colette Kress, Ian Buck and 5 others in focus

Finding a replacement for Jensen Huang will be a major challenge for Nvidia, particularly as the company continues to play a central role in the global artificial intelligence boom. The chipmaker has appointed its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Colette Kress as interim CEO following Huang’s resignation, but the board is yet to name a permanent successor. The search could bring a mix of finance, engineering and semiconductor industry experience into consideration.

While Kress knows Nvidia’s business and financial operations, another name attracting attention is Ian Buck, a senior executive closely associated with the company’s AI computing technology. A report by The New York Times has brought the succession question into focus. Other names have also surfaced in wider media reports and industry discussions, although Nvidia has not announced an official list of candidates.

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Who could become Nvidia’s next CEO?

Colette Kress - Nvidia’s interim CEO and finance chief

Kress is currently leading Nvidia during the leadership transition. She joined the company in September 2013 and has spent more than a decade overseeing its finance organisation. Before joining Nvidia, she held finance positions at Microsoft and Cisco, among other technology companies. Her familiarity with Nvidia’s business, customers and financial operations makes her a potential candidate for the permanent role.

Ian Buck - The Nvidia veteran associated with CUDA

Ian Buck is another prominent internal name. He joined Nvidia in 2004 and has played an important role in the company’s computing platforms, including CUDA, which allows developers to build applications using Nvidia GPUs. Buck currently leads Nvidia’s hyperscale and high-performance computing business. His technical expertise and understanding of the company’s AI operations could make him a potential choice to lead its next phase of growth.

Chris Malachowsky - Nvidia’s co-founder

Chris Malachowsky is one of Nvidia’s co-founders and has been associated with the company since its early years. His engineering background and understanding of Nvidia’s technology make him another name that has surfaced in discussions about the company’s leadership transition. 

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Lisa Su - AMD’s chief executive

Lisa Su leads Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), one of Nvidia’s biggest competitors in the semiconductor industry. An electrical engineer by training, she has led AMD through a major business transformation and strengthened its position in the chip market. Her semiconductor experience and record of running a major technology company make her a name in the wider succession discussion. However, moving from a direct competitor to Nvidia would be a significant decision.

Rene Haas - Arm CEO and former Nvidia executive

Rene Haas, the chief executive of Arm, is another potential external name. He previously spent seven years at Nvidia, where he served as a vice-president and general manager, before joining Arm in 2013. His experience across chip technology, product strategy and corporate leadership could be relevant as Nvidia expands beyond GPUs into a broader AI computing platform.

Johny Srouji - Apple’s hardware technology chief

Johny Srouji is Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware technologies. He oversees the company’s silicon engineering efforts, including the development of its custom chips. His experience in chip design and hardware development could be valuable for Nvidia, whose business is built around advanced computing technology. However, his name remains part of wider succession speculation, with no public confirmation of a formal approach by Nvidia.

Pat Gelsinger - Former Intel CEO

Pat Gelsinger, the former chief executive of Intel, is another name that has surfaced in discussions about Nvidia’s leadership. He has decades of experience in the semiconductor industry and a background in engineering. He previously led Intel, one of Nvidia’s major competitors, and has extensive experience in chip development and manufacturing. 

Nvidia has said its board will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent CEO position. Whoever takes over will face the challenge of maintaining the company’s leadership in AI computing, managing relationships with major customers and navigating growing US-China technology tensions. The board has yet to announce a final shortlist or a timeline for the appointment.