Jensen Huang: Inventing the campus of the future, starting together with you — CMU Carnegie Mellon University 2026 Graduation Speech Draft

Article: Techub News Compilation

At Carnegie Mellon University’s 2026 graduation ceremony, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang was invited to deliver a keynote speech. Standing on this campus of “Invention of the Future,” he reflected on his immigrant experience, entrepreneurial journey, and thoughts on the AI era, also warmly inviting the young people about to enter society: put your heart into your career, and in the AI age, “run forward, not just walk.”

Starting with his mother’s dream: This is her day

At the beginning of his speech, Jensen Huang first greeted the president, board members, professors, guests, and students’ parents, emphasizing that this day belongs not only to the graduates but also to the family and teachers who have supported them along the way. He specifically asked the graduates to stand up, turned to his mother, and said “Happy Mother’s Day,” reminding everyone: for the graduates, this is just another step in their life journey, but for many parents, it is a moment of fulfillment after years of hard work and anticipation, a day when “dreams come true.”

He then shifted the topic to his parents. “My journey is also their journey; I am their dream come true, and their dream is the American Dream.” This opening, rooted in family and kinship, set a sincere and warm tone for the entire speech.

An immigrant boy’s American Dream

Jensen Huang shared his experience growing up as a first-generation immigrant. His father wanted to create a better future for his children in the U.S., so when he was nine, he sent him and his brother to a Baptist boarding school called Oneida in Kentucky — a small town, coal mining area, with a population of just a few hundred.

Two years later, his parents left everything behind in their homeland and moved to the U.S., starting almost from scratch with almost nothing. His father was a chemical engineer, and his mother worked as a cleaner at a Catholic school, waking him at 4 a.m. to deliver newspapers. His brother helped him find a dishwasher job at the chain restaurant Denny’s, which he thought was “a big step in his career” at the time.

In his memory, America was not easy, but full of opportunities; there were no guarantees, but there was always an “opportunity worth fighting for.” His parents came here because they believed America could give their children a chance. It was this belief in opportunity that supported the family’s struggle abroad and profoundly shaped his later life choices.

Growing from an ordinary college student to an entrepreneur

After sharing his childhood experiences, Jensen Huang mentioned that he later studied at Oregon State University, where he truly embarked on the path of engineering and computing. This educational experience exposed him to cutting-edge technologies such as computer graphics, chips, and parallel computing, laying the groundwork for NVIDIA’s birth.

He did not portray himself as a “genius with a perfect record,” but repeatedly emphasized: opportunities are never pre-written in a script; they are “created” through repeated attempts and choices. This echoes his early work experiences in restaurants, delivering newspapers, and doing odd jobs — many seemingly ordinary or tough jobs ultimately became his starting points for understanding society, responsibility, and teamwork.

AI Era: The Beginning of a New Industrial Revolution

Talking about the present, he shifted the focus to artificial intelligence. He pointed out that today’s graduates are standing at a brand-new starting line: a new industry is emerging, and a new era of science and discovery is opening. AI will greatly accelerate the expansion of human knowledge and help us solve many problems that were previously difficult to reach.

In his view, AI brings not only industrial transformation but also an opportunity to bridge the “technology gap.” With AI’s computing and intelligent capabilities, powerful tools can be brought to billions of people worldwide who are experiencing high-performance computing for the first time. This not only aids re-industrialization and rebuilding manufacturing capacity but also offers a chance to create a world more prosperous, capable, and hopeful than the one inherited by previous generations.

He emphasized that no previous generation has entered the workforce with such powerful tools and such broad opportunities as the 2026 graduates. On the AI track, “we all stand at the same starting line,” and the key is who will truly commit to it.

Four things beyond fear when facing AI

Jensen Huang did not shy away from society’s concerns about AI but posed a simple question: “Do we want our children to be empowered by AI, or to be left behind by those who know how to use AI?” He pointed out that no parent wants their child to be left behind by the times, so we must choose to face challenges: acknowledge risks while actively shaping the future.

He summarized four things that are necessary in the AI era:

Safely advance technology.

Develop comprehensive, cautious policies.

Make AI widely accessible, not just in the hands of a few coders.

Encourage everyone to participate, rather than watch passively.

In his view, “everyone should have AI,” opportunities should not only belong to those who understand technology. This is both a call to policymakers and a reminder to engineers, scientists, and product builders present.

A message to the 2026 graduates: Run, don’t walk

At the end of his speech, Jensen Huang returned to the graduates. He said that every one of those present is at an extraordinary historical juncture:

A new industry is budding.

A new scientific era is opening its doors.

No previous generation has entered the workforce with such powerful tools “supporting” them right out of college.

“This is your moment to help shape ‘what’s next’.” With a short, powerful sentence, he told the graduates: “So — run, don’t walk.”

He especially quoted Carnegie Mellon University’s motto — “My heart is in the work.” He encouraged the graduates:

Put your heart truly into your work and career.

Do things worthy of your education, potential, and talents.

And do so for those who believed in you and supported you silently from the start.

In enthusiastic applause, he congratulated the 2026 graduates and wished them full engagement and brave running in the “hot” and “energetic” AI era.