"Jensen Huang: The Heart of NVIDIA" Reading Notes#
Author: Stephen Witt
Reading Time: 5 hours
These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "Jensen Huang: The Heart of NVIDIA" on WeChat Reading.
Recommendation Preface: From Moore's Law to Huang's Law#
Dare to dream, think deeply, and you can achieve.
Dare to dream, think deeply, and you can achieve.
There is no other way; this step must succeed#
But even if Prim is stubborn, he is not Huang's "opponent." When Huang first articulates his views, he can always clearly unfold from the premise to the argument and then draw a conclusion. However, once the fuse is lit, the interlocutor faces two choices: either follow his line of thought or bear the potentially explosive consequences. Those who disagree with Huang often find themselves stunned when he erupts in anger and harshly reprimands them in front of colleagues. This is Huang's anger.
But even if Prim is stubborn, he is not Huang's "opponent." When Huang first articulates his views, he can always clearly unfold from the premise to the argument and then draw a conclusion. However, once the fuse is lit, the interlocutor faces two choices: either follow his line of thought or bear the potentially explosive consequences. Those who disagree with Huang often find themselves stunned when he erupts in anger and harshly reprimands them in front of colleagues. This is Huang's anger.
Collapse, with Prim at a standoff#
"Those who say victory doesn't matter," Kirk said in a gentle, non-threatening tone, "have never won anything."
Christensen believes that compared to reducing profitability, enhancing profitability is actually easier. A reduction in profitability often means that a company voluntarily cuts profits or even deliberately produces low-quality products, which usually leads to dissatisfaction among investors and makes executives feel that their careers are stagnant. For this reason, Christensen proposed a profound and unexpected viewpoint: "In some cases, it is correct not to listen to customer opinions, it is reasonable to invest in low-performance products for lower profits, and even pursuing a small market rather than a large market is wise." This point is often overlooked in the media discussions about "disruption."
"Those who say victory doesn't matter," Kirk said in a gentle, non-threatening tone, "have never won anything."
Christensen believes that compared to reducing profitability, enhancing profitability is actually easier. A reduction in profitability often means that a company voluntarily cuts profits or even deliberately produces low-quality products, which usually leads to dissatisfaction among investors and makes executives feel that their careers are stagnant. For this reason, Christensen proposed a profound and unexpected viewpoint: "In some cases, it is correct not to listen to customer opinions, it is reasonable to invest in low-performance products for lower profits, and even pursuing a small market rather than a large market is wise." This point is often overlooked in the media discussions about "disruption."
TNT2: The Standard for Every Professional Gamer#
He trains for 8 to 12 hours a day in deathmatch competitions, even breaking up with his girlfriend to free up more practice time.
Vivoli stated, "Since we created this category, we naturally can become the leader in this field."
The microchip industry is more like the fashion industry—if your product today is the same as yesterday's, you've made a serious mistake. In the semiconductor field, every technology needs a complete overhaul every few years.
As Grove later said, "We all must embrace the winds of change."
In tournaments, if you choose to stand still, your chips will gradually deplete. The only way to survive is to find a good hand, bet all your chips, and repeat it over and over again.
For him, not daring to take risks is the biggest risk.
He trains for 8 to 12 hours a day in deathmatch competitions, even breaking up with his girlfriend to free up more practice time.
Vivoli stated, "Since we created this category, we naturally can become the leader in this field."
The microchip industry is more like the fashion industry—if your product today is the same as yesterday's, you've made a serious mistake. In the semiconductor field, every technology needs a complete overhaul every few years.
As Grove later said, "We all must embrace the winds of change."
In tournaments, if you choose to stand still, your chips will gradually deplete. The only way to survive is to find a good hand, bet all your chips, and repeat it over and over again.
For him, not daring to take risks is the biggest risk.
Ian Buck, the Unintentional Creator of a Low-Cost Supercomputer#
From a technical perspective, Dennard scaling law indicates that as transistor sizes shrink, their power density remains constant. This theory was first proposed by Robert Dennard and his colleagues at IBM in 1974. The core idea of Dennard Scaling is that as transistor sizes decrease, their power density remains constant, which makes the power of the chip proportional to its area.
In my view, the genius of CUDA lies in making gamers pay for the enormous chip development costs.
From a technical perspective, Dennard scaling law indicates that as transistor sizes shrink, their power density remains constant. This theory was first proposed by Robert Dennard and his colleagues at IBM in 1974. The core idea of Dennard Scaling is that as transistor sizes decrease, their power density remains constant, which makes the power of the chip proportional to its area.
In my view, the genius of CUDA lies in making gamers pay for the enormous chip development costs.
Bill Dally: Chief Scientist at NVIDIA#
Christensen's work is not a playbook for startups but a manual for executives of large companies that are stuck.
Huang has no clear vision for future technologies. Some tech experts, like Elon Musk, start by imagining themselves standing on the surface of Mars and then work backward to build the necessary technologies to achieve that goal. Huang, on the other hand, starts from the functionality of the circuits in front of him and strives to project their potential forward. Only at the boundaries of rationality does he allow himself to slightly overstep and venture into the hazy unknown.
Christensen's work is not a playbook for startups but a manual for executives of large companies that are stuck.
Huang has no clear vision for future technologies. Some tech experts, like Elon Musk, start by imagining themselves standing on the surface of Mars and then work backward to build the necessary technologies to achieve that goal. Huang, on the other hand, starts from the functionality of the circuits in front of him and strives to project their potential forward. Only at the boundaries of rationality does he allow himself to slightly overstep and venture into the hazy unknown.
Brian Catanzaro, the Only Engineer with a Literature Degree#
I hope you all have the opportunity to experience a lot of pain and suffering. One of my greatest strengths is that my expectations are very low. Those who have very high expectations of themselves often have low resilience, and unfortunately, resilience is crucial for success. So if I could give you advice, I hope you all have the opportunity to experience a lot of pain and suffering.
I hope you all have the opportunity to experience a lot of pain and suffering. One of my greatest strengths is that my expectations are very low. Those who have very high expectations of themselves often have low resilience, and unfortunately, resilience is crucial for success. So if I could give you advice, I hope you all have the opportunity to experience a lot of pain and suffering.
Jacob Usher, Born for Computational Language#
At that time, the paper needed a title, and Jones drew inspiration from a Beatles song, jokingly suggesting "Attention Is All You Need" as the title. He originally meant it as a joke and didn't expect the team to actually adopt the name. However, he later found out that someone had even tattooed the phrase on their arm, showing its influence.
At that time, the paper needed a title, and Jones drew inspiration from a Beatles song, jokingly suggesting "Attention Is All You Need" as the title. He originally meant it as a joke and didn't expect the team to actually adopt the name. However, he later found out that someone had even tattooed the phrase on their arm, showing its influence.
On this day, Wall Street witnessed the highest single-day wealth accumulation record in history#
Horstmann believes that Huang's success is due to his adaptability. "I often ask myself why we started in the same cubicle, had similar IQs, and worked equally hard," Horstmann said, "but why did this person not only found this amazing company but also build a network of people willing to go to great lengths for him?" Horstmann feels that Huang has been constantly changing himself. He recalls Huang at LSI, who always managed to maximize the use of simulation software. Horstmann said, "Now, he is still doing this, but he is 'engineering' himself. He was not born a great CEO, nor was he destined to become one. He transformed himself into such a person through continuous abstract thinking and by solving the input and output problems that a good CEO should possess."
Horstmann believes that Huang's success is due to his adaptability. "I often ask myself why we started in the same cubicle, had similar IQs, and worked equally hard," Horstmann said, "but why did this person not only found this amazing company but also build a network of people willing to go to great lengths for him?" Horstmann feels that Huang has been constantly changing himself. He recalls Huang at LSI, who always managed to maximize the use of simulation software. Horstmann said, "Now, he is still doing this, but he is 'engineering' himself. He was not born a great CEO, nor was he destined to become one. He transformed himself into such a person through continuous abstract thinking and by solving the input and output problems that a good CEO should possess."
This is no absurd science fiction story#
"Perhaps that's true. If you want to achieve greatness, it won't be easy," Huang said.
Compared to worrying about technology exterminating humanity, executives are more afraid of Huang's harsh reprimands.
"Perhaps that's true. If you want to achieve greatness, it won't be easy," Huang said.
Compared to worrying about technology exterminating humanity, executives are more afraid of Huang's harsh reprimands.
Postscript: Everything Will Be Renewed#
This is precisely the insight that NVIDIA and Huang bring us: the brave are fearless and unafraid of failure. Huang embodies many extraordinary qualities. Among a thousand people, there may not be one with his work ethic, and perhaps among ten thousand, there may not be one with his intelligence. However, the most commendable quality of Huang is his courage: he dares to discard traditional notions and act according to his rational judgment. It is his unwavering belief that sets him apart from the crowd.
Entrepreneurs eager to replicate Huang's path to success must follow his blueprint for success: the first priority is to (continuously) master the top expertise in their field. This is a lifelong process that requires initial educational investment and a passion for continuous learning. Once you become such a lifelong learner, you must be willing to try, dare to take risks, and push your field forward.
This is precisely the insight that NVIDIA and Huang bring us: the brave are fearless and unafraid of failure. Huang embodies many extraordinary qualities. Among a thousand people, there may not be one with his work ethic, and perhaps among ten thousand, there may not be one with his intelligence. However, the most commendable quality of Huang is his courage: he dares to discard traditional notions and act according to his rational judgment. It is his unwavering belief that sets him apart from the crowd.
Entrepreneurs eager to replicate Huang's path to success must follow his blueprint for success: the first priority is to (continuously) master the top expertise in their field. This is a lifelong process that requires initial educational investment and a passion for continuous learning. Once you become such a lifelong learner, you must be willing to try, dare to take risks, and push your field forward.
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