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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su have joined the advisory board of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management (SEM), a platform that brings together global business leaders and Chinese officials.
The school announced the appointments on Sept. 29. Alongside Huang and Su, Mark Pictet, managing partner of Switzerland’s Pictet Group, was named a new board member. Chinese media reported the appointments, citing the school’s official WeChat account.
Five more executives join the board
Five new members have also joined the board, replacing previous representatives following leadership changes at their companies. They are BMW Chairman Milan Nedeljković, Walmart President and CEO John Furner, Coca-Cola CEO Enrique Braun, General Atlantic Co-Chairman Martin Escobari, and bp CEO Meg O’Neill.
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 and has served as the company’s president and CEO since then. Su has led AMD since 2014 and also became the company’s chair in 2022. Under her leadership, AMD has expanded its operations in high-performance computing and artificial intelligence, becoming one of Nvidia’s main rivals in the advanced AI chip market.
Board meeting scheduled for October
Apple CEO Tim Cook has chaired SEM’s advisory board since 2019. Wang Qishan, a former vice president of China, is its honorary chair.
The board’s 27th annual meeting is scheduled to take place in Beijing on Oct. 13-14. The new appointments were announced ahead of the meeting.
Companies seek balance between Chinese market and restrictions
Huang and Su are joining the board at a sensitive time for the chip industry. Nvidia and AMD are seeking to maintain their presence in China, one of the world’s largest semiconductor markets, while navigating increasingly complex restrictions imposed by the United States and China.
Despite tensions between the two countries over technology and investment, the board continues to serve as a channel between multinational companies and China. Statements on the recent summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump did not place significant emphasis on semiconductor export controls, while most restrictions remain in force.
Huang had accepted an invitation to join the board earlier this year. The move was reported after his visit to China in mid-May as part of a delegation led by Trump. Huang was seen on Sept. 17 at Dumfries House in Cumnock, Scotland.
Both companies are seeking to maintain their commercial operations in China, but U.S. export rules limit the advanced chips they can sell there. Measures by Chinese authorities also affect their business. It remains unclear whether the new board memberships will change that situation, but Huang and Su now have a permanent presence on a platform where Chinese policymakers meet global business leaders.
