“We are behind you”: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang voices support for Israeli employees amid war
Huang had planned an April visit to Israel, but the trip is now uncertain due to the ongoing war with Iran and Hezbollah.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, delivered a direct message to the company’s employees in Israel at its annual Nvidia GTC in San Jose, as the ongoing war with Iran and Hezbollah continues.
“We have thousands of families in Israel,” Huang said. “I’m very worried about all of you. Keep yourself safe. We are behind you, we are supporting you, and we look forward to seeing you.”
Huang’s comments build on unusually candid remarks he made two months earlier at the CES technology conference, where he offered rare insight into Nvidia’s deep ties to Israel. The company has steadily expanded its presence in the country since acquiring Mellanox in 2019 for $6.9 billion, a deal that transformed the firm’s Yokneam headquarters into Nvidia’s primary Israeli hub.
At CES, Huang said he planned to visit Israel this year, with April initially earmarked for the trip. However, it remains unclear whether or when the visit will take place due to the ongoing war.
At the time, Huang described the Israeli workforce, which numbers more than 5,000 employees, in strikingly personal terms. “Our team in Israel is incredible,” he said, emphasizing not only their technical capabilities but also their dedication to one another and to the country. “The sacrifices they make for each other, for their country, are incredible.”
Israel’s role within Nvidia extends well beyond headcount. Huang noted that several of the company’s key chips, including BlueField-4 and multiple advanced networking components, were developed in Israel, making the country a central node in Nvidia’s hardware innovation pipeline.
That strategic importance has only deepened as the company accelerates its investments. Nvidia recently confirmed plans to build a new campus in Kiryat Tivon, a project expected to employ up to 10,000 workers and rank among the largest private technology investments in Israel.
With the official announcement last December, Huang said: “Israel is home to some of the world’s most brilliant technologists and has become NVIDIA’s second home. Our new campus will be a place where our teams can collaborate, invent, and build the future of AI. This investment reflects our deep and enduring commitment to our families in Israel and their unique contributions to the AI era.”
