PISCATAWAY, N.J., Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization of more than 500,000 worldwide, dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, proudly announces that Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, has been named the recipient of the 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor, the organization's highest accolade, and its accompanying $2 million prize.
Huang is being recognized for a lifetime of visionary leadership and pioneering work in accelerated computing, which has propelled NVIDIA to the forefront of technological innovation. This joins Huang's other recent honors including the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Person of the Year from Financial Times and TIME Magazine, and the Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship. Under his guidance, NVIDIA - which became the first company to top $5 trillion in market cap in October 2025 - invented the first graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999-a breakthrough that revolutionized computing and enabled advancements across medicine, engineering, robotics, autonomous vehicles, manufacturing, and more. Huang's foresight in accelerated computing laid the foundation for today's AI technologies and industrial revolution.
"The IEEE Medal of Honor represents the pinnacle of career achievement," said Mary Ellen Randall, IEEE President. "Jensen Huang's contributions have advanced the frontiers of technology and enabled innovations whose impact is yet to be imagined. IEEE is proud to honor work that not only defines excellence in our field, but inspires the next generation of engineers and technologists."
Established in 1917, the IEEE Medal of Honor is awarded to individuals whose contributions have profoundly shaped technology and engineering. Its recipients boldly envision the new and revolutionary and expand the limits of what's possible. Their accomplishments inspire today's technologists to make the world a more innovative and better place. These pioneers transform radical ideas into world-changing realities that reshape how we live, work, and connect. Huang joins a distinguished lineage of Medal of Honor laureates whose work has transformed modern life, including Vinton G. Cerf and Robert Kahn (Internet architecture), Bradford W. Parkinson (GPS), and Morris Chang (semiconductors).
NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform powers every industry, from enabling generative AI models like ChatGPT to building up the world's leading AI factories and data centers. Huang's commitment to innovation and his ability to operate decades ahead of industry trends have created an infrastructure that empowers technologists globally and impacts millions of lives daily.
"Receiving the IEEE Medal of Honor is deeply humbling. This recognition reflects the life's work of thousands of engineers and researchers at NVIDIA," said Huang. "From the invention of the GPU to the engines of modern AI factories, we've helped ignite a new industrial revolution. This award belongs to the entire community that built the CUDA ecosystem, advanced computing beyond Moore's Law, and continues to push the frontier of artificial intelligence. Together, we're building an incredible future for our planet."
For the second consecutive year, the IEEE Medal of Honor includes a $2 million prize, underscoring both the award's stature as one of the most significant recognitions in technology worldwide, as well as the integral nature of engineering and science in addressing global challenges and advancing the world forward.
About IEEE
IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization and is a public charity dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at https://www.ieee.org.
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