Nvidia Approaches Arm CEO Rene Haas in Search for Successor to Jensen Huang, FT Reports

Nvidia’s board has approached Arm chief executive Rene Haas about becoming the chipmaker’s next chief executive, the Financial Times reported on Friday, as the search for a successor to Jensen Huang gathers pace.

Haas is among several candidates being considered for the top job, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter. There is no guarantee he will be offered the role or accept it, and no final decision has been announced.

The approach signals that Nvidia is seriously weighing external candidates as well as internal ones. Finance chief Colette Kress is serving as interim chief executive after Huang’s sudden resignation on Thursday, and Ian Buck, who runs Nvidia’s data-centre business, is also seen as a contender.

01. Who is Rene Haas?

Haas has led British chip designer Arm since February 2022 and oversaw its Nasdaq listing in 2023. Before that, he spent seven years at Nvidia, rising to vice president and general manager of its computing products business — experience that makes him a natural fit for the role, according to the reports.

Arm declined to comment on the report. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the FT’s account.

02. Why is Nvidia looking for a new chief?

Huang stepped down on Thursday after more than three decades leading the company he co-founded, following revelations of extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman US officials suspect is a Chinese intelligence asset. The resignation sent shockwaves through the AI industry and left the world’s most valuable chipmaker without a permanent leader.

Arm shares pared early losses after the FT report, while prediction-market odds on Kress becoming the permanent chief executive fell, suggesting investors now see Haas as a serious contender.

Nvidia has set no public timetable for naming a permanent successor. Any confirmation or denial of Haas’s candidacy is likely to move both Nvidia and Arm shares, and the board’s choice will shape the direction of the world’s leading AI chip company.