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

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.

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. Eleven names are reportedly being considered as potential candidates for Nvidia’s next CEO, including three Indian-origin executives who could be in the running for the top job.

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.

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.

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. 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 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 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.

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.