NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Chief Scientist Bill Dally received recognition in the UK this week for their pioneering work in AI and machine learning.
They are among seven recipients of the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, awarded for their contributions to modern machine learning. The prize was presented by His Majesty King Charles III at St James’s Palace, celebrating Huang and Dally for their leadership in developing the GPU architectures that power today’s AI systems and machine learning algorithms.
The award emphasises their role in driving accelerated computing, a breakthrough transforming every layer of technology – from chips and systems to algorithms and applications. This innovation underpins the rapid expansion of AI across industries.
“To be recognised among the pioneers whose work has shaped the world we live in today is an extraordinary honour,” says Huang, acknowledging the visionaries behind technologies such as the Internet and GPS that have reshaped industries and daily life.
“We are living through the most profound transformation in computing since the invention of the microprocessor. AI has become essential infrastructure – as vital to future progress as electricity and the Internet were to previous generations.”
Dally credits decades of progress in parallel computing and stream processing as the foundation for modern AI, noting: “We continue to apply engineering methods to refine AI hardware and software so that AI can empower people to achieve even greater things.”
Huang and Dally have helped pioneer the accelerated computing architecture that enables researchers to train large models, simulate complex systems, and advance science at unprecedented scale and speed. Their work, together with that of the other laureates, lays the groundwork for widespread adoption of AI technologies, continuing the UK’s tradition of recognising innovators who shape human progress.
Earlier in the day, Huang and Dally attended a roundtable at 10 Downing Street with Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Liz Kendall and Minister for Science, Research, Innovation and Nuclear Lord Patrick Vallance. The discussion, held during National Engineering Day, explored how the UK can inspire the next generation of engineers. It builds on NVIDIA’s collaboration with government, universities, and industry to expand AI infrastructure, research, and skills.
Huang also received the Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship at the Cambridge Union, the world’s oldest debating society. The Fellowship, awarded by the Cambridge Union Society and Lucy Hawking, honours individuals advancing science and inspiring future technologists and researchers.
“Professor Hawking’s life showed that intellect has no boundaries,” says Huang. “That curiosity – pursued with humour and grace – can expand the reach of humanity. He taught us that discovery is an act of optimism. And I can think of no higher compliment than to be associated with that spirit.”
