Reviewed by the editorial team · Updated 13 Nov 2026 · Last verified 13 Nov 2026 · 1 min read
Quick answer
Jensen Huang was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1963, moved to the United States at nine and studied engineering at Oregon State and Stanford. In 1993 he co-founded Nvidia, which he ran for 33 years until he resigned as CEO on 12 November 2026 28.
Full nameJen-Hsun Huang
Born17 Feb 1963, Tainan, Taiwan
Age63
NationalityUnited States
EducationBS electrical engineering, Oregon State University
Known forNvidia, AI chips
SpouseLori Huang
ResidenceCalifornia, United States
Jensen Huang's early life
Jen-Hsun Huang was born on 17 February 1963 in Tainan, Taiwan. His family moved to Thailand when he was young, and as unrest grew there his parents sent him and his older brother to the United States, aged nine and ten, to live with relatives 12.
A Kentucky school and Oregon
The brothers were enrolled at the Oneida Baptist Institute in Kentucky, which turned out to be a school for troubled boys. Huang later joined his parents in Oregon, graduated from high school at 16, was a nationally ranked table-tennis player and worked as a dishwasher and waiter at Denny's 2.
Education and early career
He earned a degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 1984, where he met his future wife, Lori. He designed microprocessors at AMD and then worked at LSI Logic, while studying part-time for a master's degree from Stanford, completed in 1992 2.
Founding and running Nvidia
In April 1993, at 30, he co-founded Nvidia with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, reportedly after planning it at a Denny's in San Jose. Nvidia nearly failed in its early years before the RIVA 128 and GeForce chips succeeded. Huang was chief executive throughout, known for his black leather jacket and marathon keynote speeches 2.
Resignation in November 2026
Huang resigned as Nvidia's president, CEO and board member on 12 November 2026, effective immediately, after 33 years in the job. The board named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO, and Nvidia gave no reason for his departure 8. See our report on the Jensen Huang resignation.
Frequently asked questions
Jensen Huang was born in Tainan, Taiwan, on 17 February 1963. He lived in Thailand as a child before moving to the US at nine.
He has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University (1984) and a master's in electrical engineering from Stanford (1992).
Yes. As a teenager in Oregon he worked as a dishwasher and waiter at Denny's, and Nvidia's founders are said to have planned the company in a Denny's booth.
