California: Nvidia interim CEO Colette Kress has taken charge of the US semiconductor company after Jensen Huang resigned. Huang had led Nvidia since its founding in 1993.
Kress is the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Nvidia announced the leadership change on Thursday, November 12, only days before it is due to report quarterly financial results.
A filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed that Nvidia’s board accepted Huang’s resignation as President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and director on November 11. The resignation took effect immediately.
Nvidia later said Kress would run the company on a temporary basis while the board looks for a permanent successor. She will also keep her post as CFO during the transition.
The company also named Harvey C. Jones chairman of its board of directors. Jones, a board member since 1993, is the first chairman under the new leadership arrangement.
Nvidia interim CEO to lead as board seeks permanent head
Nvidia confirmed that the board would look at candidates from both inside and outside the company for the CEO post.
Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 and has managed its financial operations for more than 13 years. Before that, she held senior finance roles at several major technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.
She takes over at an important point for the company. Nvidia has become a leading supplier of advanced computing processors used in artificial intelligence applications, data centres and high-performance computing.
Demand for specialised processors has grown sharply as technology companies spend more on building and running artificial intelligence systems.
Huang played a central role in turning Nvidia from a graphics-chip maker into one of the world’s best-known semiconductor companies. His resignation has raised questions about how the transition could affect Nvidia’s long-term strategy and its ties with major technology customers.
So far, Nvidia has not announced any change to its business strategy or product development plans. In its official statement, the company said its leadership team would keep executing its technology roadmap and honour existing customer commitments.
Jones voiced the board’s confidence in Kress and the company’s senior management. Kress said Nvidia would stay focused on its customers, partners and ongoing technology development.
Third-quarter results due on November 17
The change at the top comes ahead of Nvidia’s third-quarter fiscal 2027 results, which are due on Tuesday, November 17.
According to the company, the results will come out at about 1.20 pm Pacific Time. An earnings conference call will follow at 2 pm. The results will give fresh figures on Nvidia’s revenue and business performance. They will also cover the demand outlook across its major product segments. They will be among the first major public communications to investors since the leadership change.
Nvidia remains a major supplier of the computing infrastructure that developers of advanced artificial intelligence systems use. Its future performance will depend on several factors. These include continued demand for its processors, delivery on its product development plans and competition in the global semiconductor industry.
For now, Nvidia has said its operations and existing commitments will continue under the interim leadership arrangement.
