Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is celebrating a significant milestone in the chipmaker’s history—after it became the first company in the world to reach a valuation of $5 trillion.
The jaw-dropping display of wealth marks a dominant turning point for the tech industry, which has seen unprecedented growth in recent months amid an artificial intelligence boom, a movement led in large part by Nvidia and its influential leader.
According to the New York Times, Nvidia is responsible for making “the most essential and expensive component in almost every A.I. scheme,” a collection of hardware designed specifically to bolster artificial intelligence.
Its ascent to the pinnacle of tech success began as something of a slow burn in 1993, when Huang, 62, launched the company alongside Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.
At the time, Nvidia was viewed very much as a niche—and fledgling—tech startup. However, it has since grown into an industry giant, inking deals with all manner of brands and agencies, from the U.S. Department of Energy to Nokia, Samsung, and Sam Altman‘s company, OpenAI, the parent to ChatGPT.
Huang’s own net worth has skyrocketed with that accelerated growth. He is currently one of the 10 richest men in the world with an estimated fortune of $174 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The number of men who can claim to top him in personal fortune can be counted on two hands—and include the likes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison.
Like others in the exclusive “super billionaires” club—men and women with net worths exceeding $50 billion—Huang has invested his fortune across diverse ventures and companies, while managing to remain in this elite group.
However, he has also followed in the footsteps of his fellow tech titans by pouring a sizable chunk of his fortune into real estate—amassing an incredibly impressive portfolio of homes from Hawaii to California.
Huang, who was born in Taiwan in 1963, spent his early childhood in Thailand. He moved to the U.S. after his father visited America and vowed to bring his sons, he previously told CNBC.
Ahead of his move, his mom would teach him 10 words from the dictionary each day to help him learn English, despite not knowing the language herself.
At age 9, Huang and his brother headed to America to live with their relatives. His early life in the States was starkly different from the current lavish life he lives.
When he was a child, his aunt and uncle accidentally enrolled him in a Baptist boarding school in Kentucky, thinking it was a prestigious prep school.
While there, he became a target for bullies and teasing due to his long hair and accent.
However, the days of bullying and shame are long behind him, as the businessman now has plenty of wealth—much of it having been spent on his properties.
As Nvidia’s stock soars, Realtor.com® has lifted the lid on the tech tycoon’s luxe property portfolio.
Nvidia CEO’s Gold Coast sanctuary
In 2017, the tech tycoon splashed over $38 million for a sprawling mansion in San Francisco’s Gold Coast neighborhood.
Property records seen by Realtor.com reveal that the dwelling is tied to Riva LLC, which is managed by Michael A. Chojnacki, a tax lawyer who looks after the finances of Huang and his wife, Lori.
The luxe abode in the Pacific Heights neighborhood spans 11,400 square feet and boasts a curved roof, panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, and many bedrooms and bathrooms.
The limestone mansion has a large terrace, a three-car garage, two wine rooms, an outdoor kitchen, an elevator, a theater, and a gym.
Developer Bill Campbell, of Marble Management, previously told the Wall Street Journal that construction on the dwelling took nearly four years.
Of course, Huang is also neighbors with Ellison and David Sachs.
Huang previously owned two starter homes in San Jose, CA. The first one, which measured 1,500 square feet and had three bedrooms, was sold for $185,000 in 1988—just five years before he founded Nvidia.
Huang’s sprawling Los Altos Hills home
Elsewhere in California, the tech mogul owns a lavish dwelling in Los Altos, just 15 miles west of Nvidia’s headquarters, which is in Santa Clara County.
He purchased the property in 2003 for $6.9 million. It measures over 7,000 square feet and has six bedrooms.
The elegant two-story estate features lush landscaping and a resort-style pool.
Living the high life in Hawaii
To top off his lavish property portfolio, the businessman also snapped up a home on the south side of Maui in 2004.
The dwelling is situated in the Wailea Resort, which houses 14 other properties behind a gate, and spans 10.5 acres on the ocean.
The home features seven bedrooms and was built in 2008. He paid $7.8 million for the abode.
The property spans 8,000 square feet and is surrounded by lush greenery.
In 2023, Maui experienced deadly wildfires, and the Huangs “donated significantly to local relief efforts,” an Nvidia spokesperson said at the time.