Nvidia is doubling down on its effort to help those affected by the Israel-Hamas war.
In an internal email on Monday, obtained by Insider, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company will add a bonus in the upcoming paycheck for its Israel-based employees “to help in a small way.” Nvidia is already providing care packages and temporary housing for those in need.
He also said Nvidia is pushing to raise at least $10 million by the end of this month by matching donations from employees supporting humanitarian efforts in the region, the email said.
“Some want to donate to Israel’s relief efforts, while others want to help innocent Palestinians. You decide to support humanitarian efforts in Israel, Gaza, or both,” the email said. The company has raised $4.5 million in the past two weeks, as it is double-matching every dollar of donations received. Huang added his own donation will come separately.
“The devastating war has caused unimaginable suffering and turned the lives of our families in Israel upside down,” Huang wrote in the email. “We are all worried for their safety.”
Nvidia’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Nvidia is one of the US tech companies more directly affected by the war in Israel. The chipmaker has a large presence in the region, after having acquired Israel-based Mellanox for $6.9 billion in 2019, and now has roughly 3,300 employees based in the country. Nearly 400 of those Nvidia employees have returned to military duty, Huang said in a separate email, viewed by Insider.
Earlier this month, one of Nvidia’s employees was kidnapped by Hamas, as Insider previously reported. Mellanox’s founder Eyal Waldman lost his daughter in an attack at a peace festival, and a brother of two Nvidia employees died in the line of duty, Huang said in a separate email from earlier this month, viewed by Insider.
“I extend my deepest condolences to our families who have suffered immense loss,” Huang wrote earlier this month. “NVIDIANs worldwide will rise to cover for our colleagues in Israel and pick up and offload whatever work you need. We are here for you.”
Nvidia also canceled its AI conference in Tel Aviv that was scheduled to take place this month in the wake of the intensifying conflict in the region.
More than 5,000 have been killed and over 15,000 injured since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas started on October 7, and Hamas still holds over 200 hostages, CNBC reports.
Do you work at Nvidia? Got a tip?
Contact the reporter Eugene Kim via the encrypted-messaging apps Signal or Telegram (+1-650-942-3061) or email (ekim@insider.com). Reach out using a nonwork device. Check out Insider’s source guide for other tips on sharing information securely.
Read the full article here
