Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). This is one of the highest academic distinctions that can be awarded to engineers. The Nvidia CEO’s specific “outstanding contributions” to the world of engineering were in the fields of GPUs and AI, a fact which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Every year a new intake of members is elected to the NAE after a several months-long selection process. Specific qualities, achievements, and contributions made by any potential members are judged. The academy aims to honor only those who have made outstanding contributions to the following fields:
- engineering research, practice, or education
- engineering literature
- pioneering of new and developing fields of technology
- making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering
- developing and / or implementing innovative approaches to engineering education
The NAE publishes a brief description of each of the newly elected members, providing their name, current or most recent vocation, as well as a sentence outlining the achievements that meant they were elected. It credits the Nvidia CEO “[f]or high-powered graphics processing units, fueling the artificial intelligence revolution.”
We can’t argue about the NAE’s description. Nvidia’s GPUs are indeed high-powered and highly desirable for data scientists, enterprises, and researchers. Of course, Nvidia is also behind some of the best graphics cards available to consumers, too. It is also easy to credit Nvidia will fueling, and even inspiring, many AI-based developments and trends. Other big tech businesses might commonly announce that they will be eschewing GPUs in favor of custom AI accelerators. Still, the demand for Nvidia’s adaptable products continues to outpace any hope of fulfilling supply.
As mentioned in the intro, being elected to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. This February’s intake results from a yearlong selection process, culminating in a ballot in December. Huang was one of 114 new members and 21 international members announced on Tuesday.
The new NAE members list is packed full of engineering luminaries, but there was no other new admission for contributions to computer graphics, and we only spotted one more member who was recognized for AI. The SVP and director of research at IBM Research, Dario Gil, is also set to be inducted into the NAE. Gil is credited with accomplishments in the “advancement and practical use of artificial intelligence and quantum computing in industry and society.”
It won’t be until September 29 when the newly elected class, including Huang, will be formally inducted to the NAE. In total, there will be 2,310 U.S. members and 332 international members once the induction ceremony is complete.
