Jensen Huang: the man who powers AI

Jensen Huang is co-founder and CEO of Nvidia , a manufacturer of high-end microchips known as GPUs which are vital to AI systems.

Huang is an exceptionally driven individual who can be ferociously unpleasant to employees who displease him, but he does not appear to be as emotionally unbalanced as other billionaire CEOs.

He rarely opines on politics and has not floated any theories about the apocalypse.

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 , aged 30 , with two veteran microchip designers, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.

The three of them drafted the paperwork for it at a Denny 's in San Jose , near Huang ’s home.

Huang was younger than his co-founders but it was quickly agreed he should be CEO.

He was a natural leader, intensely competitive in a way that communicated inner conviction.

Most of the time, Huang has a composed demeanour and self-deprecating charm.

But he can erupt in molten fury when he senses that others are not pushing themselves as hard as he is.

Whether or not Nvidia sustains its dominant position in AI chips over the next ten years is a moot point.