Nvidia’s boss is popular but vulnerable | The Economist

You went to. Taiwan to. interview Jensen Huang, Yeah, I think we’ve. described him. as the Taylor Swift [of AI]. And I think it's really. apt and... Not quite as well dressed. And I'd heard about it, I'd read about it, but there's nothing. that prepared me. when I saw the. adulation he gets. And this is not just in. tech conferences, where he's really revered. It's when I followed him. in the night markets. There were just. people and media. circus, everything. So there are a. couple of reasons, first and foremost, of course, he was born in Taiwan. before he emigrated to the US. as a young child.

So a lot of Taiwanese. view him as a local boy. who's done well. But I think there's. a deeper reason. that a lot of Taiwanese view. that he's brought. a lot of attention. back to Taiwan's. hardware industry, in a way that, even with TSMC, it was never really. that exposed. And he's really. shining a light. on the industry. and how important it is. to the AI ecosystem. I think they take. great pride in that. and they view Jensen Huang. as [a] symbol. And it’s worth saying. it’s because Nvidia. doesn't make any chips. it gets TSMC. to make its chips for it. And that is a huge part.

of business for Taiwan. Absolutely. and I think that also gets. into the geopolitics. angle of it, which makes it really tricky, which is TSMC. is the only company. that can make the chips. at the scale that it needs. 80 or 90% of their capacity. for advanced. chips is right now. in Taiwan, though. they're trying to. make it in the US. and so that adds. another layer of complication. He's also made. a lot of Taiwanese. a lot richer, right? So the TAIEX is up. about 90% this year. And so that would. also make you. pretty chuffed on the guy.

This man is obviously a. hard-charging entrepreneur, but he's also a diplomat. I mean he has to. work very, very closely. with a number of people. in order to. get his chips made. Absolutely and his. diplomacy includes. taking them out. for fried chicken and beer. and in very public ways. And so he does. push on all the levers. And what about the geopolitical. risk of Taiwan. supposing something blows up? I think the geopolitical. risk is more alive. actually on two fronts. So first of all there is. the question of Taiwan's status. and China’s approach.

to it, claiming it as its own. In some ways that has provided. Taiwan a bit of a. silicon shield right? It's made Taiwan indispensable. to the global economy. and means that certainly. a lot of developed countries. would like very much for it. to remain peaceful and stable. I think the other big risk is that. Nvidia and Jensen Huang have. become diplomats and. political actors, right? They have inserted themselves. into the relationship. between the US and China. Now, many CEOs would run.

from the political spotlight, but I think this is. probably unavoidable for them. since they are the gatekeepers. of this incredibly. powerful technology.