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FEBRUARY 22, 2013
8
Oregon State University
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
2013 Oregon Stater Engineering Awards
FEBRUARY 22, 2013
J
en-Hsun Huang is the co-founder,
president and chief executive officer
of NVIDIA, the world leader in visual,
mobile and parallel computing.
Since its establishment in 1993,
NVIDIA has received numerous awards for
its technology, business and
environmental leadership, among them:
Newsweek’s
Greenest
Companies in
America, (#6 in
2012), Wired 40
(multiple years),
Forbes’ Company
of the Year (2007)
and Fortune’s
Fastest Growing
Company in
America (2002).
Huang’s success has been earned against
significant odds and is an inspirational
example of determination and persistence.
As a young immigrant to the United States
fromhis native Taiwan, he was
inadvertently placedwith his older brother
in a reform school in rural Kentucky and
receivedwhat he has described as a “hard
knocks” introduction to this country.
“I loved going to school there and it’s
where I first learned about America,” he
said. “I didn’t speakmuch English at first,
but I caught up, worked hard and learned
that sometimes, you have to keep your
eyes open and be willing to domore than
act tough.”
Once he and his brother rejoined their
family in Oregon, he became a nationally
ranked junior table tennis champion and
completed high school in Beaverton. As a
freshman at Oregon State University, his
lab partner in electrical engineering
fundamentals was Lori Mills; they were
married five years later. After receiving a
bachelor’s of science fromOSU in 1984, he
earned a master’s degree in electrical
engineering fromStanford in 1992, which
he completedwhile working full time.
“I enjoyed
computers growing
up, but OSU opened
upmy eyes to the
magic behind
them,” he said.
“This is where I
really fell in love
with technology,
thanks to a few great
professors and some
classes that set my
mind on fire.
Everything I have
learned over the past decades is built on
the strong foundation I gained here.”
After initial jobs at LSI Logic and
AdvancedMicro Devices, Huang
co-founded NVIDIAwith Chris
Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.The
company’s best known innovation is the
graphics processing unit or GPU, which
was initially used in computer gaming,
where it enabled the creation of
spectacularly immersive worlds.
NVIDIA’s processors today power a
broad range of products from smartphones
to supercomputers. Its mobile processors
are used in phones, tablets and auto
infotainment systems. Professionals use
GPUs to create 3D graphics and visual
effects inmovies, and to design everything
fromgolf clubs to jumbo jets. And
researchers utilize GPUs to advance the
frontiers of science with high performance
computing.
The company holds more than 5,000
U.S. patents granted or pending, employs
8,000worldwide and has revenue in
excess of $4 billion.
Among NVIDIA’s most recent projects
are Titan, the world’s fastest
supercomputer at the Oak Ridge National
Laboratories, which derives 90 percent of
its processing fromGPUs; andMicrosoft
Surface, one of the first Windows RT-based
tablets, which runs on the NVIDIA Tegra 3
system-on-a-chip that provides an entire
computer on a chip the size of a thumbnail.
The company’s CUDA architecture makes
programming GPUs simple and elegant
and is widely used by scientists engaged in
efforts ranging fromquantum chemistry to
exploring the origins of the universe.
“I’mdeeply proud of howNVIDIA has
transformed the visual, mobile and
supercomputing fields,” he said. “But
what makes me most proud is the culture
of relentless innovationwe’ve created. It
allows us to attract and inspire some of the
world’s greatest engineers. And it keeps us
focused on finding solutions to really
difficult challenges so that we can
contribute to society as a whole.”
In addition to his honorary doctorate
fromOSU, Huang has received the Dr.
Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership
Award from the Global Semiconductor
Association; and the Daniel J. Epstein
engineering Management Award from the
University of South California. He was one
of the first inductees in the U.S. Immigrant
Hall of Fame on its establishment in 2012.
B.S. Electrical Engineering ’84
Honorary Ph.D. Engineering ’09
Co-Founder, President and CEO, NVIDIA
Santa Clara, California
Jen-HsunHuang
HALL OF FAME
“I didn’t speak
much English at
rst, but I
caught up,
worked hard
and learned that
sometimes, you
have to keep
your eyes open
and bewilling to
domore than
act tough.”
security industries worldwide. The
company is the world’s only manufacturer
of grip-integrated laser sights and enjoys a
dominant market position.
“I love this business and everyone who
works in the company with me,” says
Danielson. “ at’s the way business
should be — work needs to be fun. People
who have fun are way more productive.”
Danielson fashions himself as a
“visioning guru” for his companies and
employees. “At its core, success is simple —
synergistic plans and people who team up
to create success,” he says. “Give people a
vision of what the company can do plus a
vision of what they can do for
themselves.”
Throughout his success, Danielson’s
roots have been
grounded in design
and his education in
mechanical
engineering at Oregon
State University.
“Even today, I keep a
CAD system close by
to keep myself close
to the roots of design, which I love so
much,” says Danielson.
> Continued from last page
LewisA. Danielson/
HALL OF FAME
”At its core,
success issimple
—synergistic
plansand
peoplewho
teamup to
createsuccess.”