Jensen Huang has resigned as NVIDIA’s president and chief executive officer with immediate effect, ending more than three decades at the helm of the artificial intelligence chip giant he helped build.
NVIDIA’s Board of Directors announced on Thursday, November 12, that Huang had also stepped down as a member of the board. The company did not give a reason for his resignation in its announcement.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has been named interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor.
Kress will continue in her role as CFO during the transition, with NVIDIA saying both internal and external candidates will be considered for the top job.
Kress takes charge during leadership transition
Kress joined NVIDIA in September 2013 and has overseen its finance organisation throughout a period in which the company became one of the central players in the global boom in artificial intelligence computing.
Before NVIDIA, she spent nearly 25 years in finance positions at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.
Newly appointed board chair Harvey C. Jones said the company expects its operations and technology plans to continue without disruption.
“Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position,” Jones said.
He added that the board had “full confidence” in Kress and NVIDIA’s wider leadership team.
Kress said her immediate focus would be on maintaining the company’s position in accelerated computing and AI while serving customers, developers, partners and shareholders.
NVIDIA names first board chair
The board has also appointed Jones as NVIDIA’s first chair.
Jones has more than 30 years of experience as a technology executive, entrepreneur and venture investor, including serving as chief executive and executive chairman of Synopsys.
Huang’s departure represents the most significant leadership change in NVIDIA’s history.
He co-founded the company in 1993 and spent 33 years building it from a graphics chip manufacturer into a dominant supplier of processors used to train and run artificial intelligence systems.
“NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people,” Kress said. “I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years.”
The company said its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results will still be released on November 17 as previously scheduled.
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