From developing graphics chips for video games to powering the global artificial intelligence revolution, Nvidia’s transformation over three decades has been closely tied to the vision and leadership of co-founder Jensen Huang. The 63-year-old’s resignation as CEO on Thursday following a controversy over extramarital affairs and alleged links to Chinese intelligence, has brought renewed attention to the man who turned a relatively unknown chipmaker into a technology powerhouse.Nvidia's journey to the top began in 1993, when Huang and two other engineers set out to improve computer graphics for video games and multimedia applications. (REUTERS)Nvidia is today one of the world’s most valuable companies, supplying the advanced processors that power artificial intelligence models, data centres and high-performance computing systems.
But its journey to the top began in 1993, when Huang and two other engineers set out to improve computer graphics for video games and multimedia applications.ALSO READ | Nvidia shares plunge nearly 10% after Jensen Huang’s exit as CEOOver the next 33 years, Huang steered the company through several major technological shifts. He took Nvidia from the competitive PC graphics market into parallel computing, artificial intelligence and, eventually, the infrastructure powering the generative AI boom.The company’s evolution was not simply about developing faster graphics cards.
It involved anticipating how computing would change and positioning Nvidia’s technology to meet those emerging needs.Here’s how Huang shaped Nvidia’s journey from a graphics card maker into a global semiconductor leader.The beginning: Building a company around computer graphicsNvidia was founded on April 5, 1993, by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. The three engineers shared a vision of bringing advanced 3D graphics to the gaming and multimedia markets.According to Nvidia’s corporate history, the founders believed that specialised graphics processors could make computers significantly better at handling complex visual tasks.Huang, who had previously worked at semiconductor companies Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and LSI Logic, brought experience in chip design and the semiconductor industry.The early years were challenging.
Nvidia’s first major product, the NV1, failed to establish the company as a dominant player. It also faced financial difficulties after its subsequent NV2 project was cancelled.A crucial turning point came when Nvidia secured an investment from Sega following the failure of its NV2 development programme.
Huang later recalled that the funding helped keep the company alive.Rather than continuing with its original approach, Nvidia shifted towards developing graphics technology based on Microsoft’s DirectX standards.The decision helped the company stay in the race and laid the groundwork for its eventual success in the PC graphics market.GeForce: The breakthrough that put Nvidia on the mapA defining moment in Nvidia’s history came in 1999, when it introduced the GeForce 256, which the company described as the world’s first GPU.The graphics processing unit was designed to handle complex graphics calculations, freeing the computer’s central processing unit (CPU) to perform other tasks.The launch helped establish Nvidia as a serious contender in the PC gaming market. Its GeForce range subsequently became one of the best-known graphics card brands among gamers and computer enthusiasts.ALSO READ | Meet Colette Kress, the finance chief stepping in to steer Nvidia after Jensen Huang's exitUnder Huang’s leadership, Nvidia continued investing in GPU development, improving graphics performance and introducing technologies that changed how video games were rendered.The company’s influence expanded beyond gaming to professional graphics, visual effects, scientific computing and other applications requiring substantial processing power.According to Nvidia website, the invention of the GPU helped redefine computer graphics and set the stage for the company’s expansion into accelerated computing.The big bet: Taking GPUs beyond gamingPerhaps Jensen Huang’s most consequential strategic decision was to recognise that GPUs could be used for much more than rendering graphics.In 2006, Nvidia introduced CUDA, a parallel computing platform that allowed developers to use its GPUs for general-purpose computing applications.Traditionally, GPUs were associated with processing images and graphics.
However, their ability to perform thousands of calculations simultaneously made them particularly useful for scientific research, simulations and complex mathematical workloads.CUDA opened up this capability to developers, researchers and businesses.It also gave Nvidia an advantage that went beyond hardware. Developers could build applications and computing systems around its software ecosystem, creating long-term demand for its processors.The move required Nvidia to invest in a market that was not yet a major source of revenue.
But it would eventually become central to the company’s transformation.The AI breakthrough: Nvidia chips become central to machine learningHuang’s decision to invest in GPU-powered computing proved particularly significant as artificial intelligence research advanced.A major breakthrough came in 2012, when researchers used Nvidia GPUs to train AlexNet, a neural network that achieved a landmark result in image recognition at the ImageNet competition.The development demonstrated how GPUs could dramatically accelerate the training of artificial intelligence systems.Nvidia identifies the AlexNet breakthrough as one of the defining moments in its history and a catalyst for the modern AI era.Huang subsequently made AI a central focus of the company’s strategy, investing in chips, software and computing infrastructure designed specifically for machine learning.This positioned Nvidia to benefit when generative AI gained mainstream attention following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.ALSO READ | Jensen Huang’s journey: From Taiwan to washing dishes at Denny's to founding AI chip giant NvidiaAs technology companies raced to develop increasingly sophisticated AI models, demand for Nvidia’s processors surged.From selling chips to building entire AI infrastructureUnder Jensen Huang, Nvidia gradually moved beyond being a supplier of individual graphics processors to becoming a provider of complete computing platforms.Its business expanded to include AI chips, networking equipment, software and integrated data centre systems.One of the company’s most important offerings is its data centre GPU portfolio, which includes the Hopper and Blackwell architectures.These processors are designed to handle the enormous computing requirements involved in training and running large AI models.Nvidia also developed high-speed networking technologies that allow thousands of processors to work together as part of large computing systems.Its CUDA software ecosystem has further strengthened its position by giving developers tools to build applications optimised for Nvidia hardware.The company’s strategy has been to sell an integrated computing platform rather than simply compete on the performance of individual chips.This has helped Nvidia become a critical supplier to major technology companies, cloud service providers and artificial intelligence developers.The numbers: How Nvidia transformed under HuangAccording to the company’s fiscal year 2026 annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Nvidia recorded revenue of $215.9 billion, a 65% increase from the previous financial year.Its Data Center business generated $193.7 billion in revenue, while gaming contributed $16 billion.Data Center now accounts for nearly 90% of its total revenue, making AI infrastructure its biggest business.Nvidia’s growth has also made it one of the world’s most valuable companies, with its market capitalisation reaching around $4 trillion.The company has also expanded into several other industries, including healthcare, robotics, autonomous vehicles, scientific research and professional visualisation.Jensen Huang’s exit: The end of a 33-year chapterHuang’s resignation marks the end of his 33-year association with Nvidia’s leadership. The departure followed news of two extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman whom US authorities reportedly suspect of having links to Chinese intelligence.
Nvidia’s board had initiated an independent investigation into the national security concerns.Amid the controversy, Jensen Huang stepped down as CEO and left the company’s board, with chief financial officer Colette Kress taking over as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent successor.The company now faces the task of maintaining that technological momentum under a new leadership structure.