Who might succeed Jensen Huang at Nvidia?

The speculation follows reports about Huang’s extramarital relationships. He has acknowledged an affair, but as of Wednesday afternoon it was unclear whether he meant Alice Huang, a Chinese executive suspected by U.S. intelligence of spying for China, or Kimberly Powell, an Nvidia executive who reports to him. Five sources told The New York Times that Powell was also a paramour.

Possible successors range from rival executives to Nvidia insiders. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD and a distant cousin of Huang, was floated by The Information, though her company could benefit while Nvidia is distracted by an investigation and congressional briefings. Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive from 2001 to 2011 and former chair of the National Security Commission on AI, was suggested by Yale’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Schmidt now runs Relativity Space, but his own history of extramarital relationships could complicate his prospects.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan might see the job as an escape from a difficult stretch. Intel reported third-quarter revenue of $16.5 billion, up 21%, but warned that fourth-quarter results would miss Wall Street forecasts. Its stock fell 20% in after-hours trading after the warning and had already dropped more than 30% since September. Bret Taylor, who leads AI startup Sierra, has held senior roles at Google, Facebook, Twitter and OpenAI. Sonnenfeld said Schmidt could “parachute in tomorrow and do a very good job.”

Inside Nvidia, vice president Ian Buck helped develop CUDA, the software central to the company’s AI dominance; analysts and former employees have named him as a possibility. Hardware engineering chief Andrew Bell, at Nvidia for 25 years, is another potential insider. CFO Colette Kress is often mentioned, though analysts question whether she is a natural fit as an innovator and visionary. A less conventional possibility is Huang’s wife, Lori Huang, a former microchip engineer who now co-leads the family trusts. The board could seek continuity, particularly if Huang remains chairman.