Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang steps down after 33 years

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is stepping down after 33 years at the chipmaker he co-founded. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has taken over as interim CEO while the company looks for a permanent successor.

Nvidia also named board member Harvey Jones, a former chief executive of Synopsys, as board chairman. Huang is leaving the board as well as the chief executive role.

Nvidia grew from a company known for graphics chips used by gamers into a business at the centre of the artificial intelligence boom. Its chips can carry out many calculations at once, a capability that has made them important to AI development.

The leadership change follows scrutiny of Huang and an investigation by Nvidia's independent directors, supported by outside legal counsel, into allegations that he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. The board had expressed confidence in Huang when it announced the investigation.