Nvidia's succession dilemma just got real. Here's who could take over if Jensen Huang steps down.

Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, is facing a succession dilemma following reports of an affair and an investigation into potential foreign intelligence targeting. While Huang remains committed to leading the company, questions are arising about who could take over should he step down. Analysts and former employees have pointed to Colette Kress, Nvidia's chief financial officer, and Ian Buck, the vice president of accelerated computing, as potential successors.

Huang's children, Madison and Spencer, also work at the company, raising the possibility of leadership remaining within the family. Huang's lack of a designated number two and his flat leadership structure could make the transition challenging, as no one has been groomed or publicly positioned as his successor. While internal candidates and potential outsiders like Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman are being considered, losing Huang under these circumstances could severely impact Nvidia's innovation and execution pace.