Who will be Nvidia’s next CEO?:Trump suggests ex-Apple chief Tim Cook; 7 people who could be considered for the top job

The world’s biggest AI chipmaker, Nvidia, is looking for a new CEO. Huang has transformed Nvidia into the world’s biggest AI chip company. His successor will face the challenge of maintaining the company’s technological lead while managing its business, industry partnerships and government relations. Seven names are being discussed as potential successors, including Nvidia CFO Colette Kress, Apple’s hardware chief Johny Srouji and AMD executive Forrest Norrod. US President Donald Trump has suggested former Apple CEO Tim Cook as a possible replacement for Jensen Huang. Here are seven people who could be considered for the top job at Nvidia. 1. Colette Kress: Company’s CFO takes interim charge Nvidia CFO Colette Kress was appointed acting CEO on Thursday while the company searches for a permanent successor. Kress understands the company’s operations and has strong ties to Wall Street. She also leads every conference call after Nvidia announces its quarterly results. However, the 59-year-old lacks the deep technical expertise required to lead a company driving the evolution of AI. 2. Ian Buck: Engineer behind CUDA software foundation Nvidia Vice President Ian Buck is credited with developing the technology that helped the company’s chips move from video game graphics to AI. He invented the CUDA software foundation, which supports many AI applications. He currently handles relations with major companies running thousands of Nvidia chips in their data centres. Although Buck lacks broad management experience, he has testified before Congress and developed contacts in Washington. 3. Tim Cook: Trump suggests former Apple CEO’s name Former Apple CEO Tim Cook has been suggested by US President Donald Trump as a possible successor to Jensen Huang. Cook recently stepped down from Apple’s top executive position. However, Cook has not been deeply involved in the AI revolution. At 66, he is also older than most executives appointed to lead major publicly listed companies. Craig Stevens, managing partner at executive search firm Boyden, suggested that Cook could serve in a longer-term interim role after Colette Kress if selected. 4. Johny Srouji: Apple executive with chip design expertise Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies Johny Srouji has extensive experience in semiconductors. The Israeli engineer has helped Apple remain at the forefront of chip design, incorporating AI features into the company’s custom-built silicon. However, Srouji has limited public visibility beyond his appearances at Apple events. Apple’s chips have mainly been designed for personal computers, tablets and smartphones, rather than data centres, where most AI transactions take place. 5. Rene Haas: Has previously worked at Nvidia Rene Haas, CEO of chip technology licensing company Arm Holdings, has a strong understanding of Nvidia. He worked at the company from 2006 to 2013. Haas also had several interactions with Jensen Huang and other Nvidia executives when the company was preparing to acquire Arm in 2020. However, the deal collapsed in 2022 due to government opposition. 6. Forrest Norrod: Senior executive at Nvidia rival AMD Forrest Norrod is an executive vice president at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), one of Nvidia’s biggest rivals. He is highly regarded in the industry and has many of the leadership qualities Nvidia needs, according to Jeff Christian, CEO of executive recruiting firm Christian Timbers. Norrod oversees AMD’s AI data centre chip business. AMD has emerged as a strong second player after Nvidia in this market. 7. Charlie Kawwas: Experience in AI chip business Charlie Kawwas, president of Broadcom’s semiconductor business, is another well-regarded executive in Silicon Valley with deep experience in AI. Broadcom has emerged as a key player in helping companies such as Google develop their own chips. These companies are developing custom chips alongside purchasing processors from Nvidia. Finding a replacement for Huang will be extremely difficult According to a report by The New York Times, choosing a new CEO for Nvidia could be even more difficult than selecting Steve Jobs’ successor at Apple. This is because of Huang’s technical expertise, his strong influence in the industry and the work culture he has built within the company. Experts believe the new CEO will need both technical knowledge and outstanding leadership skills. The person will also need to be capable of retaining top engineers and developing new products rapidly. The new CEO will face major challenges Experts say that technical knowledge alone will not be enough for Nvidia’s new CEO. The person will have to preserve the company’s fast-paced work culture and maintain good relationships with its major customers, suppliers and the US government. Under Huang’s leadership, Nvidia has established a strong position in the AI chip market. The new CEO will therefore bear the major responsibility of maintaining the company’s momentum and further advancing its technological edge.