Jensen Huang, an electrical engineer, a businessman and the eighth richest man in the world, will be Carnegie Mellon University’s keynote speaker during commencement in May.
Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, also will receive an honorary doctorate of science and technology during the graduation, the university said.
“Honorary degrees — which are among our university’s highest recognitions — reflect the ideals that we hold for Carnegie Mellon and the kind of impact that we hope our graduates will pursue in the world,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said in an announcement to university faculty and students.
Huang co-founded graphics-chip maker Nvidia in 1993. In October, Nvidia became the first company worth $5 trillion.
“The technologies Nvidia has helped bring to the world are now fueling breakthroughs across disciplines, from scientific discovery and engineering design to medicine, creativity and the future of work,” Jahanian said. “In honoring Jensen at commencement and featuring his remarks as our keynote address, we celebrate his role as a societal changemaker, and we aim to inspire our graduates to lead with the same combination of technical excellence, imagination and purpose.”
Time magazine included Huang as one of eight “architects of AI” for its Person of the Year designation in 2025. His net worth, according to Forbes, is $154 billion.
Also receiving an honorary degree will be Samuel Hazo, the McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University, where he taught for over 40 years. Hazo, 97, founded the International Poetry Forum in 1966, bringing some of the world’s best poets to Pittsburgh for readings and events. He has also served as the poet laureate of Pennsylvania.
Jamie deRoy, a Broadway producer, and Thomas J. Sargent, a Nobel laureate in economic sciences, will also receive honorary degrees.
CMU’s commencement is May 10 at Gesling Stadium.