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Jensen Huang, The NVIDIA Visionary: Influence In AI And Business

16 Mar 2025, 10:44 am GMT

Jensen Huang, The NVIDIA Visionary: Influence in AI and Business
Jensen Huang, The NVIDIA Visionary: Influence in AI and Business
  • “I appreciate people who are authentic. They are just who they are.”
  • “The most powerful technologies are the ones that empower others.”
  • “Success is a work in progress. It’s not about achieving a goal; it’s about constantly improving and pushing boundaries.” Jensen Huang

Jensen Huang, the visionary founder and CEO of NVIDIA, has undeniably reshaped the landscape of the 21st century and technology. He profoundly influenced how we deal with research and development, technology and innovation and has single handedly been part of the artificial intelligence, computing boom we have seen in the second decade of the 21st century. Jensen’s work, research and super curiosity has influenced numerous other industries. His journey from a humble start-up to building one of the most influential technology giants of the modern era is extensively documented by Tae Kim in his seminal book, ‘The NVIDIA Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant’. This book explores Huang’s indelible mark on the tech industry, NVIDIA’s revolutionary contributions, and his unique leadership approach.

In 1993, Jensen Huang, alongside Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky, embarked on an ambitious mission to tackle computationally intensive graphics problems, laying the foundation for NVIDIA. Initially, the trio focused on creating specialised graphics processing units (GPUs) tailored for gaming and multimedia applications. According to Kim, their persistence, unwavering focus, and technological prowess rapidly distinguished NVIDIA from its competitors, making it an indispensable entity within the burgeoning video game market.

As of 2023 NVIDIA had more than 2,300 patents worldwide, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing. One of the most complex processors ever created, the GPU is the engine of computer graphics: the science and art of using technology to create and enjoy beautiful, interactive experiences.

Under Huang’s leadership, NVIDIA’s GPUs transcended their initial purpose, evolving from mere graphics accelerators into essential tools for advanced computing. Huang foresaw the explosive growth of data-intensive computing, pivoting NVIDIA’s resources towards artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC). Kim highlights this visionary pivot as a crucial moment that set NVIDIA on a trajectory to dominance within the AI industry.

Today, NVIDIA’s GPUs are the backbone powering machine learning models, autonomous vehicles, and sophisticated computational simulations. Their hardware and software innovations enable vast data processing capacities necessary for AI factories—complex ecosystems designed to build and deploy advanced AI models rapidly. NVIDIA provides these factories with unmatched chip architecture, extensive system integration, and software platforms tailored specifically to AI applications. This technological foresight has cemented NVIDIA’s role as an indispensable partner for global tech leaders like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, who utilise NVIDIA's chips in their expansive data centers.

Huang’s profound influence extends beyond NVIDIA’s technological achievements. His strategic acumen and capacity to predict and shape industry trends have earned him worldwide acclaim. Publications such as Fortune, The Economist, and Brand Finance have hailed him as the world’s best CEO, recognising his transformative influence in the tech sector. Moreover, TIME magazine’s designation of Huang as one of the world's 100 most influential people underscores his global impact.

Before founding NVIDIA, Huang honed his skills at LSI Logic and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), gaining invaluable experience in semiconductor technology and leadership that significantly shaped his future endeavors. These experiences provided Huang with a deep understanding of technological development cycles and strategic innovation, critical elements in NVIDIA’s early success.

NVIDIA’s compute and networking segment, encompassing AI-related technology, stands as the company's most significant revenue source. The versatility of their GPUs, which efficiently handle complex calculations, positions them as essential components within the infrastructure of modern AI. These GPUs, metaphorically described as "supercharged neurons," power the expansive data centers that form the brain of the AI industry. Without NVIDIA's robust computational tools, contemporary AI advancements would be severely limited.

Jensen Huang’s leadership philosophy emphasises relentless execution, innovation, calculated risk-taking, and an openness to learning from failures. Kim highlights numerous instances where Huang’s encouragement of experimentation and bold decision-making propelled NVIDIA to breakthroughs that competitors were hesitant or unable to achieve. This corporate culture fosters continuous innovation, allowing NVIDIA to remain at the forefront of technological progress.

NVIDIA’s mission further underscores Huang’s broader vision of leveraging AI to drive significant positive societal impacts. The company's advancements in healthcare diagnostics, autonomous driving systems, robotics, and more demonstrate NVIDIA’s commitment to harnessing AI’s potential to solve real-world problems. This transformative vision illustrates Huang’s holistic view of technology as a force for global good.

GeForce 256.png
NVIDIA GeForce 256, the first GPU

Jensen Huang on AI’s Capabilities and Potential

  • "We need artificial intelligence to help us explore the universe in places that we could’ve never done ourselves.”
  • “It does quadrillions of calculations a second, it's just insane numbers.”
  • “Once AI learns how to calculate weather, it can predict weather 3,000 times faster than a supercomputer and with 1,000 times less energy.”
  • “We’re hoping that AI does things that surprise us. That’s the whole point.”
  • “AI is creating new proteins to fight diseases like cancer and asthma, even designing molecules that have never existed in nature.”
  • “The whole world is racing to adopt AI. The frontier models, the companies building the next generation of AI, they’re racing to get to the next level.”
  • “AI as a technology is complex, of course, but the capabilities and benefits of AI aren't hard to understand.”
  • “AI will make it possible for the Internet to directly engage people in the real world, through robotics and drones and little machines that will do smart things by themselves.”

AI extends human capabilities beyond natural limitations. Space exploration is one of the most promising applications of AI. For example, NASA’s Perseverance rover, equipped with AI-powered navigation, is exploring Mars independently, making real-time decisions without waiting for instructions from Earth. AI-driven robotic probes could one day explore distant planets, moons, or even interstellar space, analysing environments and searching for signs of life where humans cannot go.


Graphic: Major Achievements of Jensen Huang & NVIDIA
 

Year

Achievement/Innovation

Impact on Technology Sector and AI Industry

1993Founded NVIDIA with Curtis Priem and Chris MalachowskyPioneered GPU technology revolutionising gaming and multimedia.
1999Released GeForce 256, the first GPURedefined graphics technology, setting a standard for visual computing.
2006Introduced CUDA parallel computing platformEnabled GPUs to accelerate general-purpose computing, foundational for AI and HPC.
2012NVIDIA GPUs enabled AlexNet deep learning breakthroughAccelerated AI research, catalysing global AI boom.
2016NVIDIA's DRIVE platform launched for autonomous vehiclesPositioned NVIDIA as a leader in autonomous driving technology.
2017Named Best CEO by FortuneRecognised Huang’s transformative leadership in the tech sector.
2018Launched NVIDIA Turing GPU architectureEnhanced realism in graphics and significantly boosted AI computing capabilities.
2020Acquisition of Mellanox TechnologiesExpanded capabilities in networking crucial for data center and AI workloads.
2021Release of NVIDIA Omniverse platformAccelerated collaborative creation and simulation, advancing virtual worlds and digital twins.
2023Market valuation surpasses $1 trillionCemented NVIDIA's position as a central pillar of the global tech ecosystem.
2024Market valuation surpasses $3 trillionNvidia reached a $3 trillion market capitalisation on June 5, 2024, and briefly became the world's most valuable company, surpassing Apple and Microsoft. 

 

 

Jensen Huang’s NVIDIA's achievements and valuation are primarily driven by its future growth prospects, particularly in the data center and AI sectors, and its ability to capitalize on the demand for AI GPUs. 

Here's a detailed top area of valuation and achievement breakdown:

  • AI and Data Center Growth:
    NVIDIA's valuation is heavily tied to its position as a leader in GPUs used for AI model training and inference workloads. 
  • Exponential Growth:
    The company's data center business has experienced significant growth, and analysts anticipate continued expansion, driven by strong demand for AI infrastructure. 
  • Supply-Demand Dynamics:
    The demand for NVIDIA's AI GPUs currently outstrips supply, which contributes to the high valuation. 
  • Intrinsic Value:
    NVIDIA's intrinsic value is based on the present value of its future cash flows, which is calculated using various methods such as discounted cash flow analysis. 
  • Market Sentiment:
    Investor sentiment, market trends, and news events also play a role in determining the market price of NVIDIA stock, which may differ from its intrinsic value. 
  • Financial Strength:
    NVIDIA has a strong financial position, with a large cash balance and a history of profitability. 

Market Cap:
As of March 2025, NVIDIA has a market cap of $2.968 Trillion USD.

NVIDIA valuation history.jpg
Graphic source https://www.alphaspread.com/security/nasdaq/nvda/summary March 2025

Jensen Huang on Supercomputing enables with GPUs

It does quadrillions of calculations a second, it’s just insane numbers.”

The computational power of AI is beyond human capacity. NVIDIA’s AI chips, such as the H100 Tensor Core GPU, are capable of performing tens of quadrillions of floating-point operations per second (FLOPS). This processing power is what enables AI to train large models like GPT-4 or AlphaFold, which predict protein structures with remarkable accuracy, revolutionising biomedical research.

Once AI learns how to calculate weather, it can predict weather 3,000 times faster than a supercomputer and with 1,000 times less energy.”

AI is making weather forecasting more accurate and efficient. Traditional models require immense computational power and time, but AI-based models, such as Google’s DeepMind’s GraphCast, can predict extreme weather events with greater precision. In regions prone to hurricanes, floods, or heatwaves, AI-driven forecasts can save lives by providing earlier warnings and better disaster preparedness strategies.

We’re hoping that AI does things that surprise us. That’s the whole point.

The true power of AI lies in its ability to generate unexpected insights. AI is already assisting in scientific discoveries, such as IBM’s Project Debater, which engages in human-like debates, generating arguments and counterarguments. AI also contributes to creative fields, helping artists compose music or generate digital paintings in novel styles that humans might not conceive on their own.

AI is creating new proteins to fight diseases like cancer and asthma, even designing molecules that have never existed in nature.”

AI’s impact on healthcare is profound. Companies like DeepMind have used AI to solve complex protein structures, accelerating drug discovery. AI models predict how proteins fold, leading to the design of new medicines and treatments. AI-driven molecule design is paving the way for the development of next-generation antibiotics, cancer therapies, and personalised medicine.

The whole world is racing to adopt AI. The frontier models, the companies building the next generation of AI, they’re racing to get to the next level.”

Nations and businesses are investing heavily in AI to maintain a competitive edge. In 2023 alone, global AI investments reached over $90 billion. Leading tech firms, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, are in constant competition to develop more advanced AI systems. The push for AI adoption is also seen in manufacturing, finance, and customer service, where AI is driving efficiency and cost savings.

Jensen Huang on AI’s Role in the Workforce and Society: Use cases

I believe that you still want humans in the loop because we have good judgment, because there are circumstances that machines are just not going to understand.”

While AI is powerful, human oversight remains essential. AI can process vast amounts of data, but it lacks human intuition and ethical reasoning. For instance, in medical diagnosis, AI can identify patterns in scans, but doctors are still needed to interpret results and make critical treatment decisions. Similarly, AI-powered autonomous vehicles require human intervention in unpredictable driving conditions.

There are some jobs that are going to become obsolete, but companies, when they become more productive, their earnings increase. I’ve never seen a company that had earnings increase and not hire more people.”

AI-driven automation will replace some repetitive tasks, but it will also create new job opportunities. Historically, industrial revolutions led to the displacement of certain roles but generated new ones in emerging industries. AI is driving demand for data scientists, AI ethicists, and prompt engineers, among others. A 2023 report by the World Economic Forum estimates that AI will create 97 million new jobs by 2025, offsetting the losses in traditional roles.

AI and robotics will start doing more and more of what humans can do—and better.”

Robots and AI systems are already outperforming humans in specific tasks. In logistics, AI-powered robots manage warehouse inventories with high precision. In finance, AI analyses stock market trends faster than any human trader. The challenge is to ensure that AI enhances human work rather than fully replacing human roles without alternatives.

Jensen Huang on Learning with AI

  • I have [an AI] personal tutor with me all the time. That AI tutor can just teach you things—anything you like—help you program, help you write, help you analyze, help you think, help you reason.”
  • I feel more empowered today, more confident to learn something today. The barriers to understanding almost any field have been reduced.
  • If I were a student today, I would focus on learning how to interact with AI. You can’t just randomly ask AI a bunch of questions. Asking AI to be an assistant to you requires some expertise and artistry in how to prompt it.”
NVIDIA_Stages of AI.jpg
Stages of AI from 2012  Alexnet into Physical AI Jensen Huang, NVIDIA

Jensen Huang’s NVIDIA on business achievements and AI’s Evolution and the Future

As we speak Jensen’s vision is pushing NVIDIA innovation, designs, research and innovation, from GPUs for gaming, cryptocurrency mining, and professional applications and special to AI computing. Jensen’s NVIDIA sells chip systems for use in vehicles, robotics, and more. 

The biggest acquisition in NVIDIA's history was its $6.9 billion purchase of Mellanox, a company known for its high-performance networking technology. At the time of the 2019 acquisition, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang argued that Mellanox would fill out the company's end-to-end technologies, from AI computing to networking.

Microsoft [MSFT] has bought 485,000 Hopper GPUs in 2025 — doubling the orders of Meta [META], making it NVIDIA's [NVDA] next-biggest client.

NVIDIA's Compute and Networking business segment, which includes artificial intelligence (AI), is the company's biggest revenue generator.

AI is moving at an unstoppable pace.”

AI advancements are accelerating at an exponential rate. The pace of improvement in models such as GPT-4 and Gemini has outstripped predictions, and AI applications are expanding into every industry. Nations are drafting regulations to keep up with rapid AI adoption, ensuring ethical and responsible development.

We are now entering the age of agentic AI—AI that understands cause and effect, physics, and real-world interactions.”

AI is moving beyond simple pattern recognition to understanding real-world phenomena. This shift is critical for the development of autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, and AI-powered decision-making systems. Self-driving technology, for example, relies on AI understanding physics and traffic laws in real-time to ensure safety.

  • “AI is moving at an unstoppable pace.”
  • “We are now entering the age of agentic AI—AI that understands cause and effect, physics, and real-world interactions.”
  • “This is AI that understands the laws of the physical world. It understands things like inertia and gravity and cause and effect, and we’ll use that for self-driving cars, robotics systems, and things of that nature.”
  • “Every day that goes by, AI technology is moving forward at an exponential rate. It's very clear that AI is going to impact every industry. I think that every nation needs to make sure that AI is a part of their national strategy. Every country will be impacted.”
  • “True innovation requires taking risks and being willing to fail.”
  • “Open collaboration and partnership are the keys to driving progress and innovation.”

Conclusion

It is well known that Jensen cleaned toilets and washed dishes before leading NVIDIA to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. He has a humble practical ways of looking at things and his genuine curiosity has pushed forward the success of his work and company:

  • “Smart people focus on the right things.”
  • “Never stop asking questions and seeking answers. Curiosity fuels progress.”

Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's CEO, envisions a present and future where technology and AI becomes pervasive and empowers individuals and industries, focusing on generative AI, agentic systems, and the development of "AI factories" to revolutionise various sectors. 

Here's a detailed look at Huang's vision based on his keynotes and interviews I synthesised:

  1. AI as a Transformative Force:
    Huang views AI as a catalyst for industry transformation, enabling businesses to achieve unprecedented efficiencies and gain a competitive edge. 
  2. Generative AI and AI Factories:
    He highlights the potential of generative AI and AI factories to revolutionise product development and manufacturing, enabling the creation of new products and processes. 
  3. Agentic AI:
    Huang envisions a future where AI systems can not only generate content but also perceive, reason, plan, and act, essentially becoming "AI workers". 
  4. Empowering Nations with Sovereign AI:
    Huang's recent efforts focus on empowering nations to leverage AI technology on their own terms, creating opportunities for growth and innovation. 
  5. Bridging Human-AI Interactions:
    Huang emphasises the importance of bridging human-AI interactions, potentially through digital humans, to create more intuitive and seamless experiences. 
  6. Open Innovation and Collaboration:
    Huang is an advocate for open innovation, encouraging the use of NVIDIA's software platforms by developers and researchers worldwide. 
  7. Addressing Industry Challenges:
    Huang is proactive in addressing industry challenges, such as the AI energy crisis, by developing more energy-efficient processors and systems. 
  8. The Age of Human Robotics and the "Application Science of AI":
    Huang believes that the age of human robotics and the "application science of AI" is coming, emphasising the importance of learning AI. 
  9. Quantum Computing:
    Huang believes that quantum computing is still 15 to 30 years away from being truly useful. 

Jensen Huang’s is a powerful mind and transformative industry leader that with a people’s and technology research based transformative leadership has been pushing NVIDIA’s groundbreaking innovations and reshaping the entire world and technology landscape. Jensen's vision and unstoppable work positioned him and NVIDIA at the epicenter of the AI technology revolution. Through relentless research, execution, strategic foresight, and a culture of cutting edge scientific innovation, Huang’s influence has pushed technology and human transformative views forward, delivering immense societal and technological advancements. And it seems he just started!

  • “Software is eating the world, but AI is going to eat software.”
  • “Innovation is not about inventing something new, it’s about improving what already exists.”
  • “Embrace the unknown and embrace change. That’s where true breakthroughs happen.”
  • “The world needs more dreamers and doers, not just talkers.”

 

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Dinis Guarda

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Dinis Guarda is an author, entrepreneur, founder CEO of ztudium, Businessabc, citiesabc.com and Wisdomia.ai. Dinis is an AI leader, researcher and creator who has been building proprietary solutions based on technologies like digital twins, 3D, spatial computing, AR/VR/MR. Dinis is also an author of multiple books, including "4IR AI Blockchain Fintech IoT Reinventing a Nation" and others. Dinis has been collaborating with the likes of  UN / UNITAR, UNESCO, European Space Agency, IBM, Siemens, Mastercard, and governments like USAID, and Malaysia Government to mention a few. He has been a guest lecturer at business schools such as Copenhagen Business School. Dinis is ranked as one of the most influential people and thought leaders in Thinkers360 / Rise Global’s The Artificial Intelligence Power 100, Top 10 Thought leaders in AI, smart cities, metaverse, blockchain, fintech.