Jensen Huang resigns from Nvidia: Who is Johny Srouji, the Israeli-born Apple chip chief linked to his possible replacement?

Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer, has become a person to watch in the semiconductor industry after reports emerged that he might be a candidate to take on the leadership of Nvidia once Jensen Huang steps down from his position. Srouji is known as the mastermind of Apple’s custom chips and has spent close to two decades working on bringing more control to their processor chips.

His rumoured association with the leadership transition of Nvidia has shed light on a career that has been mostly conducted under the radar.

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Although he has yet to be acknowledged as a candidate by Nvidia, Srouji’s background in chip engineering makes him a fascinating individual who is currently part of Nvidia’s search for the company’s next leader. Nvidia has tapped Colette Kress, its CFO, as interim CEO.

Who is Johny Srouji? What is his educational background?

Srouji Johny is an Israeli-American semiconductor engineer and executive in the technology industry. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Prior to coming on board with Apple, Srouji had been working for IBM and Intel, where he gained experience in processor design and semiconductors. Such experiences enabled him to gain skills in chip design, which are incorporated into the computing devices of today.

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Srouji started working with Apple in 2008, during a time when the company was in the process of building more of its hardware technologies.

One of his first projects at Apple was to design the company’s very own custom system-on-a-chip, called the A4. It was introduced in the iPad and the iPhone 4.

What does Johny Srouji do at Apple?

Srouji has been an integral force behind Apple’s process of developing its own processor technology rather than relying completely on third parties for the process. His department has been responsible for the development of the proprietary silicon that goes into all of the products, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac series.

One of his professional highlights has been the transition from Intel's processors to Apple’s chips used in Mac computers.

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This move has allowed more control over the way hardware and software can be combined, along with implementing a shared silicon strategy in various categories of Apple products.

As of April 2026, Srouji has been appointed the chief hardware officer at Apple. In this new role, he has been managing hardware engineering as well as hardware technologies.

This includes custom silicon, batteries, cameras, displays, storage controllers and cellular modems, according to an Apple press release.

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His significance is heightened by the fact that Apple's custom silicon is the heart and soul of its product lineups. Instead of regarding the processors as components from third parties, the development of silicon is one of Apple’s strategies.

Why is Johny Srouji linked to Nvidia after Jensen Huang's exit?

Srouji's name is linked to speculation regarding potential successors of Jensen Huang, who resigned from his role as CEO of Nvidia on Thursday. Sources include The Straits Times and technology website CTech, which point him out as a candidate in this regard.

Nevertheless, Nvidia has not named him as the new CEO.

The link between them is based on Srouji's experience in semiconductors.

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Nvidia produces GPUs and computing platforms for the training and execution of artificial intelligence. Srouji is responsible for developing processors and creating internal capabilities for silicon production at Apple.

Both firms emphasise the importance of chip innovation within their business models; nonetheless, there is a difference in the model of operations.

Apple creates processors mainly for use within its devices, whereas Nvidia provides computing platforms to various customers that can include cloud computing companies and AI firms.

Srouji's technical skills might help Nvidia in the future. Still, managing Apple's hardware division and being the CEO of Nvidia will mean different tasks.

Could Johny Srouji become Nvidia's next CEO?

Srouji is among a few other names that have been mentioned in press reports covering Nvidia's succession.

The others include Nvidia's lead in AI hardware and software, Ian Buck and Nvidia's CFO, Colette Kress. Some external names mentioned in succession news include Arm's CEO Rene Haas and AMD's CEO Lisa Su.

The possibility of his candidature for the position is interesting due to the need for someone who understands engineering needs and can work well with customers, partners and investors of Nvidia.

The influence of Huang was not limited to product development at Nvidia.

Nonetheless, it is still not clear whether Srouji is planning to resign from Apple or whether Nvidia offered him the job.

For now, Srouji still works as the chief hardware architect at Apple, and Nvidia's leadership duties are handled temporarily by Colette Kress.

Srouji's career path is closely related to the transformation of Apple to become a company capable of producing its advanced silicon.

In any case, the link of Johny Srouji to Nvidia's CEO succession has brought much attention to the engineer behind that transformation strategy.