Who will replace Jensen Huang? 3 Indian-origin names emerge in Nvidia CEO race

The next CEO will have to manage Nvidia's rapid growth while dealing with competition, geopolitical tensions, export restrictions and rising scrutiny of the AI industry's massive investments.The next chief executive will inherit a company at the centre of the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom. New Delhi,Nov 13, 2026 14:12 ISTNvidia is looking for a permanent successor to its long-time CEO Jensen Huang, and three Indian-origin executives have reportedly emerged as possible candidates for the top job. Sanjay Mehrotra, Nikesh Arora and Thomas Kurian are among the names doing the rounds, alongside other prominent technology leaders such as Colette Kress, Ian Buck, Rene Haas, Lisa Su, Pat Gelsinger and Tim Cook, reported Reuters.Nvidia's board is considering both internal and external candidates as it prepares for a major leadership transition. The company has appointed its Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO following Huang's departure.The next chief executive will inherit a company at the centre of the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Nvidia's chips power AI systems used by technology companies across the world, making the leadership decision important for the wider technology industry as well.WHO ARE THE THREE INDIAN-ORIGIN CANDIDATES?Sanjay Mehrotra, the chief executive of US-based memory chipmaker Micron Technology, is one of the names reportedly being considered. He has led Micron since 2017 and has played a key role in expanding its presence in the AI chip market. Before joining Micron, Mehrotra co-founded SanDisk in 1988 and later served as its CEO. His experience in the semiconductor industry and Micron's close business ties with Nvidia could work in his favour.Nikesh Arora, who heads cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, is another possible candidate. According to a report by The Economic Times, investors have floated his name for the role. Arora has led Palo Alto Networks since 2018. Before that, he held senior positions at SoftBank and Google. His experience in managing large technology businesses could be relevant, although his background is more closely linked to cybersecurity than chipmaking.Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, is also reportedly in the running, according to Axios. He oversees Google's cloud infrastructure, enterprise software and AI services.Kurian's experience in managing large-scale technology operations and working with enterprise customers could be useful in leading Nvidia. However, like Arora, he does not have a direct background in chip design.WHO ARE THE OTHER NAMES IN THE RACE?Several other prominent technology executives have also been mentioned in reports about Nvidia's succession plans.Colette Kress, Nvidia's current interim CEO and CFO, is among the possible contenders. She has been with the company since 2013 and has extensive experience in finance and investor relations. Her familiarity with Nvidia's business could make her a strong internal candidate.Ian Buck, Nvidia's vice-president of hyperscale and high-performance computing, is another name to watch. He has been with the company since 2004 and played an important role in developing CUDA, Nvidia's software platform that helped expand the use of its graphics processors beyond gaming.Rene Haas, CEO of British chip designer Arm, has also reportedly emerged as a possible candidate. He previously spent several years at Nvidia, where he held senior positions in its computing products business.Other names mentioned in reports include Pat Gelsinger, former Intel CEO, Lisa Su, who heads Nvidia rival AMD, and Matt Murphy, CEO of Marvell Technology. All three have experience in the semiconductor industry.Johny Srouji, Apple's chief hardware officer, has also been mentioned. He played a key role in developing Apple's in-house processors, which power its iPhones, Macs and other devices.Former Apple CEO Tim Cook is another name that has surfaced in reports, with US President Donald Trump reportedly favouring him for the role.In other words, finding a successor to Huang will not be easy. The next CEO will have to manage Nvidia's rapid growth while dealing with competition, geopolitical tensions, export restrictions and rising scrutiny of the AI industry's massive investments.The company will also need a leader who can maintain relationships with major customers and technology partners while keeping its chip and software businesses ahead of competitors.For now, Nvidia's board has not announced a permanent successor. The names doing the rounds reflect the range of experience being discussed, but the final decision will determine who leads one of the most influential companies in the global AI industry.- Ends