3 Indian-origin CEOs likely in race as Jensen Huang quits top Nvidia post

The board of the chip company said it is open to insider and outsider candidates as it continues to look for a permanent chief to replace Jensen Huang.

Nvidia has begun its search for a new chief executive officer (CEO) after Jensen Huang resigned on Thursday amid controversy around his alleged extramarital affairs, one including with a woman suspected of spying for China.

Sanjay Mehrotra (L), Nikesh Arora (M), Thomas Kurian (R) (File Photos)

The board has appointed Colette Kress, its current executive vice president and chief financial officer, as the interim CEO. Kress will continue to serve as executive vice president and CFO alongside her interim role until a permanent successor is appointed.

The board of the chip company said it is open to insider and outsider candidates as it continues to look for a permanent chief to replace Huang.

Analysts and investors are looking for someone with strong technical knowledge, a clear vision and financial expertise, given Nvidia’s role as both a major investor in the AI boom and a chipmaker. Experience running a large company is also likely to be essential.

Who are the likely successors

The first Indian-origin in the mix for the top job is Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive of memory chip maker Micron. He brings over four decades of experience and has worked closely with Nvidia, which uses Micron products, according to Reuters.

Mehrotra has been leading Micron, the largest US memory chipmaker, since 2017, helping turn it into a key supplier for AI systems. Before joining Micron, he co-founded flash-memory maker SanDisk in 1988 and served as its CEO from 2011 until its sale in 2016, building it into a Fortune 500 semiconductor company.

Under his leadership, Micron has strengthened its ties with Nvidia and shifted its focus towards high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI servers. The move helped push the company’s valuation to around $1 trillion amid growing demand for AI infrastructure.

Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks CEO, Nikesh Arora, is also being considered as a potential successor to Huang, according to The Economic Times. HT couldn't independently confirm the report.

Arora has led Palo Alto Networks since 2018 and overseen the company's expansion into AI-powered cybersecurity. He previously served as president and chief operating officer of SoftBank and worked for a decade at Google, per his official biography, according to Axios.

Arora recently spoke about how hard it is to find compute in today's world and the central role Nvidia plays in supplying chips. "You can make any plans you want, but those plans are, you know, you talk to Jensen, he can't give you chips till 2028," he said last month on the "All-in" podcast hosted by venture capitalists, including David Sacks, a key adviser to President Trump on technology, CBS reported.

Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian is also a possible contender to replace Huang. Kurian oversees cloud infrastructure, enterprise software and AI services, giving him experience with major customers and technology essential to Nvidia's business, according to Axios.

A longtime Nvidia shareholder and hedge fund manager told Economic Times that Arora and Kurian would be his top two choices if the company decides to appoint someone from outside the organisation.

Other likely successors

Colette Kress, Nvidia CFO

Kress, who was appointed as the interim CEO of the company on Thursday, could also switch to a permanent role. Her experience, authority and deep relationship with Wall Street make her a good choice to steer the company through a crisis, analysts and investors have said, Reuters reported.

Kress has served as Nvidia’s CFO since 2013. Before that, she held senior roles at major technology companies, including Microsoft, Cisco and Texas Instruments. However, a key question is who would take on the role of tech visionary if she becomes CEO.

Ian Buck, Nvidia vice president of hyperscale

Ian Buck, Nvidia vice president of hyperscale and high-performance computing, is among the list of possible replacements for Huang. Buck, who joined in 2004, was a leader in developing the technology that turned Nvidia from a company focused on video game chips into the biggest force in AI hardware.

Rene Haas, CEO of Arm

Rene Haas spent seven years at Nvidia, rising to vice president and general manager of its computing products business before leaving for Arm in 2013. He became CEO of the British chipmaker in 2022, where he oversees its business and growth strategy.

Other names reportedly in the mix include Pat Gelsinger, former Intel CEO; Lisa Su, AMD CEO; Matt Murphy, Marvell Technology CEO; Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer; and Tim Cook, former Apple CEO.

Huang’s resignation

The resignation of Nvidia’s co-founder came on Thursday after The New York Times on November 7 reported of his alleged affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman who US authorities suspect of spying for Beijing.

Huang admitted to the affair in an email to Nvidia employees on Sunday, after the company launched an internal probe.

Jensen Huang was also accused of having an affair with a company executive who reported directly to him. The New York Times on Wednesday identified the executive as Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, citing five people who had worked at the company.

Huang has also been accused of reportedly having an intimate relationship with a second, unnamed employee, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, taking the total count of affair allegations to three.

He has been summoned to testify next month before a Senate committee about his alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.