Nvidia's Jensen Huang on why he doesn't wear a watch because of a gardener in Japan

Jensen Huang, CEO of the world's most valuable semiconductor producer talked about what a Japanese temple gardener taught him about time, changed his career.

Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia said he doesn’t wear a watch, at the Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association (CASPA) in 2023.

NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang(AFP)

Huang recollected an anecdote about meeting a gardener at a lovingly cared-for temple in Kyoto, Japan, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Visiting the ancient yet perfectly kept mossy Zen garden on an “insanely hot” summer day, he asked the gardener how he could do his job considering the size of the garden contrasting with the scale of his tools.

The gardener answered in perfect English, saying, “I have plenty of time.”

The Nvidia CEO said that this is the best career advise he can give. “Now is the most important time, just dedicate yourself to now,” he said.

“I’m rarely chasing things… I’m focused on now,” insisted the billionaire founder. “I’m enjoying my job.”

“Of course, while Huang is trying to stay in the moment, the nature of his job means he’s always looking to the future. When it comes to chips, the company expect[s] demand may exceed supply well into the next year,” Colette Kress, CFO, Nvidia, concluded.

Fortune magazine reported that demand for the semiconductor giant’s products remains so high that Nvidia is now set to make new AI chips on a yearly basis.

Nvidia overtook Intel and TSMC to gain the position as the world’s most valuable semiconductors brand in March 2024, according to a report from Brand Finance.

Solidifying itself as a giant to be reckoned with, Nvidia also profited more during the first quarter of 2024 than other big names like Amazon and JPMorgan, noted Axios.

Nvidia’s continued success only fuels the narrative that AI is set to change the future of technology. “The next industrial revolution has begun,” Huang said in a conference call. “AI will bring significant productivity gains to nearly every industry and help companies be more cost- and energy-efficient, while expanding revenue opportunities.”