During a visit to Beijing on July 18, 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discussed his educational preferences if he were a student today.

He said that he would choose to study physical sciences over software sciences, referencing his early graduation at age 20.

Huang, who earned a degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 1984 and a master’s degree from Stanford University in 1992, co-founded Nvidia in 1993.

Under his leadership, the company has become a global leader in chipmaking and recently reached a market capitalization of US$4 trillion.

Although Huang did not provide specific reasons for his preference for physical sciences, he has frequently addressed the future of AI.

He identified “Physical AI” as a critical next step in AI development, following advancements such as Perception AI and Generative AI.

This new phase focuses on understanding physical principles including friction, inertia, and cause-and-effect relationships.

🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ AI’s evolution mirrors the increasing integration with physical reality

Huang’s focus on physical sciences reflects the natural progression of AI development through distinct waves over decades.

The AI field has historically evolved from purely computational systems to increasingly physical interactions, with the Stanford AI report documenting how early AI systems like Logic Theorist (1955) focused exclusively on abstract reasoning rather than physical world interaction 1.

This progression aligns with Huang’s characterization of AI waves: from Perception AI (starting with the AlexNet breakthrough in 2012) to today’s Reasoning AI, which can solve novel problems but still lacks physical understanding.

The investment landscape confirms this direction, with companies like Apptronik raising substantial funding to develop humanoid robots that combine AI with physical capabilities 2.

The integration of AI with physical systems is already showing practical impact in sectors like healthcare, where surgical robots have seen procedures increase from 570,000 in 2014 to over 2.6 million in 2024, demonstrating the tangible value of combining AI with physical world interaction 3.

2️⃣ Physical AI represents a trillion-dollar economic frontier addressing global challenges