On November 12, 2026, NVIDIA, a leading player in the global artificial intelligence (AI) chip market, made a significant announcement regarding its leadership. The company’s founder, Jensen Huang, who has been at the helm for over three decades, is stepping down from his roles as President and CEO, as well as from the board of directors. In the interim, Colette Kress, the CFO, will take over the responsibilities of the CEO.
This leadership change raises questions about the implications for Taiwanese manufacturers that produce chips and assemble servers for NVIDIA. Experts believe that short-term orders remain stable, but the real challenge lies ahead in how the new management team will allocate these orders, as well as the potential tightening of U.S. export controls.
According to documents submitted by NVIDIA to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the board accepted Huang’s resignation, effective immediately on November 11. This decision follows Huang’s admission of an extramarital affair through an internal memo, which led to concerns regarding espionage and national security implications. The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the first-ever chair of the board and began the process of identifying a successor both internally and externally.
Prior to Huang’s resignation, on November 8, the board initiated an independent investigation, reiterating that there was no reason to believe that the company’s confidential information or U.S. national security had been compromised.
Insights from four senior executives within the Taiwanese semiconductor supply chain, interviewed on November 13, indicate that orders extending to 2027 have not changed, and NVIDIA’s technological development roadmap remains intact. One industry insider mentioned that some mass production orders have even been projected as far out as 2028.
This seasoned professional explained that the technical threshold for NVIDIA’s AI chips is continually rising, which means that suppliers must undergo rigorous validation processes. Thus, alterations in supply arrangements are not easily made, creating a protective “moat” for established Taiwanese manufacturers.
Professor Sun Guoxiang, from the Department of International Affairs and Business at Nanhua University, noted in an interview that the short-term impact of NVIDIA’s leadership change is likely to manifest primarily in market confidence and the uncertainty surrounding corporate decisions and order expectations, rather than an immediate disruption to the supply chain.
He emphasized that collaborations between Taiwanese companies such as TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), Foxconn (a leading AI server system integrator), and Quanta (a comprehensive supplier of AI server cabinets) with NVIDIA are based on technology, capacity, and business interests, meaning that these relationships won’t be rapidly dismantled due to a change in CEO.
Yang Yikui, an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Research, also stated that this personnel change would not affect Taiwan’s technological leadership within the global AI supply chain. However, he highlighted that it remains to be seen whether coordination between NVIDIA and its suppliers can continue smoothly in the short to medium term.
In a column published on November 12, senior financial journalist Lin Hongwen analyzed the potential impacts on Taiwanese manufacturers, categorizing them into three layers. The first layer, which faces minimal impact, includes companies like TSMC, ASE (Advanced Semiconductor Engineering), and MediaTek (a chip designer).
Lin explained that whether orders go to NVIDIA, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), or cloud providers designing custom chips (ASICs), all of them must ultimately go through TSMC for manufacturing and advanced packaging.
The second layer, which faces higher risks, consists of server assembly factories heavily reliant on NVIDIA, as well as component suppliers dealing with cooling, power supplies, and chassis. Lin noted that the capacity once allocated to these providers was often the result of longstanding relationships between Huang and Taiwanese manufacturers.
If NVIDIA were to be managed by American professional executives, Lin speculated that the new leadership might take three significant actions: relocating more assembly to the United States or Mexico, incorporating North American contract manufacturers such as Jabil and Celestica into the supply chain, and negotiating prices with Taiwanese suppliers without the previous personal considerations.
Lin assessed that while short-term orders for Taiwanese manufacturers are unlikely to change, the importance of personal connections may decrease after 2027. However, he pointed out that companies like Foxconn and Wistron have already established factories in Texas, meaning that moving assembly to the U.S. does not necessarily equate to Taiwanese manufacturers losing orders.
The third layer comprises structural risks. Lin anticipates that the scrutiny from the United States regarding “trusted supply chains” will tighten, and Taiwanese factories and personnel in China may be required to provide explanations.
NVIDIA is pushing for production in the U.S.; in October 2025, the Blackwell wafer began production at TSMC’s facility in Arizona. Nonetheless, once the wafers are completed, they still require packaging. This year, Kate Koren from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) pointed out that chips produced in Arizona must be sent to Taiwan for packaging, indicating that U.S. companies will still depend on Taiwan at least until 2028.
Yang Yikui looked further into the future, stating, “Even if the United States completes many advanced processes and packaging facilities between 2028 and 2029 as planned, it will still require at least three more years of training and accumulation time for personnel to reach a level of proficiency and stable commercial mass production capability.” He estimated that the U.S. would remain heavily reliant on Taiwan’s AI supply chain well before 2032.
Professor Sun Guoxiang cautioned that while the allegations against Huang have yet to be conclusively validated, this incident could elevate corporate governance issues to national security and export control concerns.
In his view, the most significant risk for Taiwan lies not merely in losing access to the Chinese market but in simultaneously facing a trifecta of challenges: U.S. technology security policies, global supply chain restructuring, and geopolitical pressures.
NVIDIA is scheduled to release its financial report on November 17, 2026. The timing of product shipments for its next-generation products and any adjustments to commitments made to suppliers will be crucial for Taiwanese companies in assessing the impact of the leadership transition.