Who will replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia? 3 Indian-origin tech leaders emerge as possible contenders

Nvidia is looking for a new chief executive after co-founder Jensen Huang resigned with immediate effect on November 12, ending his 33-year leadership of the artificial intelligence chipmaker. Three Indian-origin technology executives Sanjay Mehrotra, Nikesh Arora and Thomas Kurian have emerged among the potential names in the succession debate.

The development has attracted attention because Nvidia is one of the world's most influential technology companies, supplying processors that power artificial intelligence systems globally. The company's board has appointed chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim CEO. It has confirmed that both internal and external candidates will be considered for the permanent position.

Who are the 3 Indian-origin executives?

Sanjay Mehrotra - Micron Technology CEO

Sanjay MehrotraMehrotra has led Micron Technology since 2017. He previously co-founded SanDisk, a major flash-memory company, and served as its CEO. His experience in semiconductors and memory technology is relevant to Nvidia's AI infrastructure business, which relies on high-bandwidth memory.

Nikesh Arora - Palo Alto Networks CEO

Nikesh AroraArora has headed cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks since 2018. Before that, he held senior positions at Google and served as president and chief operating officer of SoftBank. His experience spans technology, global business strategy and corporate leadership.

Thomas KurianKurian - took charge of Google Cloud in 2019 after spending more than two decades at Oracle. He oversees cloud infrastructure, enterprise software and AI services. His experience managing large-scale technology operations could be relevant to Nvidia's expanding AI ecosystem.

Are they officially shortlisted for Nvidia CEO?

Not yet. Nvidia has not publicly announced a shortlist or confirmed that any of these three executives has been approached. Their names have surfaced through media reports and industry discussions. Investor and analyst opinions have also brought other prominent executives into the conversation, including former Apple CEO Tim Cook, AMD CEO Lisa Su and Arm CEO Rene Haas.

Who is leading Nvidia until a permanent CEO is appointed?

For now, Colette Kress will lead Nvidia as interim CEO while retaining her CFO responsibilities. The board has also appointed longtime director Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever chairman. The eventual appointment will be significant. Huang transformed Nvidia from a graphics processor company into a dominant force in AI computing. His successor will have to maintain that technological momentum while managing competition, global supply chains and growing geopolitical pressures.

For the three Indian-origin executives, the succession discussion puts their leadership experience in the spotlight. However, whether any of them will take the top job remains uncertain.