MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai, ex-TSMC chief, shared his 30-year history with Nvidia's Jensen Huang at GTC 2025, spotlighting their evolving partnership from gaming to AI.
At the "Live at Nvidia GTC with Acquired" event held during Nvidia's annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC), Rick Tsai shared a rare insider's perspective on his nearly 30-year relationship with Nvidia and its visionary founder, Jensen Huang. With a blend of nostalgia and forward-looking optimism, Tsai traced Nvidia's evolution from a small gaming-focused startup to a global AI powerhouse, while highlighting the recent collaboration between MediaTek and Nvidia in the AI era.
A bet on a young visionary
Tsai's story began in 1997, when Huang, then leading a nascent Nvidia, visited TSMC's headquarters in Taipei to meet with Morris Chang, the company's iconic founder. "Nvidia was tiny back then," Tsai recalled. "But Morris saw something in Jensen—a future customer worth betting on." That "big bet" paid off as TSMC became a key supplier, supporting Nvidia through its tumultuous early years in the gaming market.
Those days were marked by volatility, Tsai noted. Huang was a demanding partner, often calling to expedite delayed shipments or pause production when sales lagged. "It was a fun time, despite the challenges," Tsai said, reflecting on the semiconductor industry's cyclical nature—driven by massive capital investments and the relentless push of Moore's Law.
From graphics to supercomputing
Tsai pinpointed 2007-2008 as the moment he realized Nvidia was transcending its graphics card roots. Huang shared ambitious plans to deploy GPUs in national laboratories and weather bureaus for supercomputing tasks, unveiling CUDA—a parallel computing platform that left Tsai puzzled but intrigued. "I didn't understand a damn thing about CUDA," he admitted with a laugh. "But the GPU's parallel architecture made sense for supercomputers."
Nvidia's persistence with CUDA, despite likely losing money for a decade, impressed Tsai. "Jensen's stamina and tenacity kept them going," he said, crediting Huang's long-term vision for Nvidia's eventual dominance in accelerated computing.
A new chapter with MediaTek
Fast forward to 2025, and Tsai, now at the helm of MediaTek, is partnering directly with Nvidia in the AI era. Recent announcements of collaboration between the two companies have sparked industry buzz, and Tsai described the relationship as "great" and "complementary." With minimal overlap in their strengths, the partnership thrives on trust forged over decades. "Jensen and I have worked together for almost 30 years," Tsai said. "That trust is what makes this work."
The collaboration isn't without its surprises. Tsai recounted Huang pitching new ideas—like "digits"—mid-project, a move he called "brilliant." Responsibilities are divvied up via informal "handshake agreements after dinner," guided by a philosophy of "rough justice." Over time, Tsai explained, wins balance out—roughly 50/50 or 48/52—prioritizing long-term synergy over short-term gains. "With Jensen, you don't focus on 'what's in it for me today,'" he said. "That's not how he operates."
A legacy of resilience
Tsai's admiration for Huang shone throughout the discussion. "Jensen's brilliance, his refusal to take 'no' for an answer—that's why Nvidia survived and thrived," he told the GTC audience. From early struggles to AI leadership, Tsai sees Huang's resilience as the thread tying it all together. "If anyone can recover from a setback, it's Jensen," he added.
The MediaTek-Nvidia partnership, built on the foundation of TSMC's historic support, exemplifies what Tsai called "the best kind of partnership." As both companies push deeper into AI, their collaboration promises to shape the next chapter of the semiconductor saga—one where trust, tenacity, and complementary innovation reign supreme.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
