{"687599":{"#nid":"687599","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Winter Beach Read for Supply Chain Minds: Why \u0022The Thinking Machine\u0022 Is Worth Your Time","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBy Chris Gaffney, Managing Director, Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute | Supply Chain Advisor | Former Executive at Frito-Lay, AJC International, and Coca-Cola\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPeople often ask me a simple question: \u201cYou always recommend a good book to read; what have you read lately?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI usually give them my version of a money-back guarantee. I haven\u2019t had to pay up yet!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Thinking-Machine-Jensen-Coveted-Microchip\/dp\/0593832698\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Thinking Machine\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Stephen Witt\u2019s book on Jensen Huang and NVIDIA, is one of those recommendations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a fast, engaging read that packs a lot of insight into a book you can finish in just a couple of days. It\u2019s also one of the most interesting books I\u2019ve read this past year out of a stack of twenty or thirty. Most importantly for my world, it\u2019s a book from which supply chain students, young professionals, and senior leaders can all take something different.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat many supply chain readers may not realize is that NVIDIA\u2019s story is, at its core, a case study in supply chain design, constraint management, and long-horizon system building played out on a global stage.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis book matters to me because it pulls back the curtain on the largest technology shift impacting supply chains this century. It shows it not just as a technology story, but as a supply chain, leadership, and ethics story hiding in plain sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMore Than a Tech Book\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the surface, this is a story about GPUs, artificial intelligence, and one of the most important technology companies in the world. But underneath, it\u2019s really a story about context: how ideas evolve, how industries form, and how long-term decisions compound over decades.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou don\u2019t need to be an engineer to enjoy it. By the time you\u2019re done, you\u2019ll have a much better grasp of:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ewhy chips matter,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ewhy AI depends on physical infrastructure,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Eand why supply chains quietly shape what\u2019s possible.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat combination makes the book especially relevant for anyone building a career in supply chain, operations, or industrial leadership.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe Immigrant Story \u2014 Still Worth Protecting\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most powerful threads running through the book is Jensen Huang\u2019s immigrant story.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis family worked hard to come to the United States. He grew up in modest circumstances, and through persistence, opportunity, and relentless effort, he helped build a company with global impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor many of our ancestors, this story feels familiar. For many who come to the U.S. today, it still represents hope. The book serves as a quiet reminder that this pathway from modest beginnings to meaningful contribution is not accidental; it is something that needs to be protected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe United States is far from perfect, but it remains a remarkable place to innovate and to start businesses. Supply chains are both a driver of that innovation and a beneficiary of the new ideas that emerge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA Startup Story With Real Twists and Turns\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe founding of NVIDIA is not a clean, linear success story.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe original big idea wasn\u2019t necessarily the one that ultimately \u201cwon,\u201d and the initial target market wasn\u2019t always the right one. The company faced near-death moments, pivots, resets, and more than a few reasons to walk away.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor students and young professionals considering startups, whether founding one or joining one, this book offers a realistic picture of what that path looks like. It reinforces a few hard truths:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe probability of failure is high,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe work ethic required is enormous,\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Eand the rewards, if they come, often come much later.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI often describe this as a \u201cone scoop now, two scoops later\u201d dynamic. Early effort is rarely rewarded proportionally; patience matters more than hype.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EInnovation Is a Team Sport\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile Jensen Huang is clearly the centerpiece of the book, one of its strengths is that it avoids treating innovation as a solo act.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany other players, sometimes knowingly and sometimes unwittingly, contributed research, ideas, and decisions that ultimately shaped where we sit today. The book does a good job showing how progress builds through layers of contribution, often across institutions and generations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis matters, especially for students and early-career professionals. Breakthroughs rarely come from a single moment or a single person; they come from systems that allow ideas to accumulate and translate into real-world application.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFrom Basic Engineering to Neural Networks\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESeveral chapters walk through the literal evolution of the technology, and this is where the book is both accessible and impressive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven if you can only \u201cjust barely hang on\u201d technically, the narrative is clear: today\u2019s AI capabilities are the result of layered progress. Hardware advances built on earlier hardware, software abstractions built on earlier software, and research findings translated into application over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany of the contributors moved fluidly between academia and industry, reinforcing a core lesson: foundational science and engineering still matter. For those of us who remember an analog world, it\u2019s fascinating to see how decades of incremental progress led to the current state and potential of AI.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA Supply Chain Story Hiding in Plain Sight\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom a supply chain perspective, The \u003Cem\u003EThinking Machine\u003C\/em\u003E reads like a case study hiding in plain sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENVIDIA is an American innovation success story that is, at the same time, deeply dependent on global supply chains. Its relationship with TSMC in Taiwan, the scarcity of advanced manufacturing capacity, the national security implications of certain chips, and the need to serve global markets all create a complex and fragile operating reality.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the quieter but most powerful lessons in the book is how much supply chain design matters. Product success here isn\u2019t just about better ideas; it\u2019s about how effectively those ideas are translated into scalable, resilient, global systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAI may feel digital, but its limits are profoundly physical.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELeadership Results \u2014 and a Real Paradox\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe book also forces an uncomfortable but important leadership conversation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJensen Huang is demanding, intense, and uncompromising. While the results are undeniable, I don\u2019t advocate for many aspects of his leadership style. I believe similar outcomes could be achieved without subjecting employees to public humiliation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResults matter, but how we get them matters too.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReading this book reminded me that some of the most valuable leadership lessons I\u2019ve learned came from watching both how to lead and how not to lead. I\u2019ve had bosses who modeled the kind of leader I wanted to become, and a few who taught me just as much by showing me what I wanted to avoid. Both experiences have been valuable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat tension is worth sitting with, especially for those mentoring the next generation of leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EComputer Vision, GPUs, and Adaptability\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComputer vision plays a supporting role in the story: not the headline act, but an important early driver. Graphics and vision workloads helped shape GPU architectures long before today\u2019s generative AI boom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver time, those architectures generalized to support a wide range of parallel computation, including neural networks. It\u2019s a reminder that technologies often succeed not because of a single application, but because they are flexible enough to evolve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EEthics, Uncertainty, and Responsibility\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFinally, the book leaves us with unresolved questions, and that may be its most honest contribution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAI is resource-intensive, it will reshape work and livelihoods, and it raises real ethical concerns. Opinions vary widely on whether this moment resembles past industrial revolutions or represents something fundamentally different.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI teach and advocate for the application of AI, but I personally struggle with these ethical dilemmas. Rather than avoid them, I try to address them head-on by highlighting the risks and encouraging students to stay informed so they can be voices for responsible, positive use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn today\u2019s global and regulatory environment, it\u2019s unrealistic to expect a pause in research or application. Education, not avoidance, may be the most practical form of governance we have.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe can\u2019t guarantee how this plays out over the next decade, but we can prepare.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy I Keep Recommending This Book\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re a supply chain student looking for context, a young professional navigating career choices, or a senior leader trying to understand how AI, supply chains, leadership, and ethics intersect, this is a book worth your time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s engaging, timely, and surprisingly human.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd when someone asks me, \u201cWhat are you reading?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is the book I\u2019ll keep recommending.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EThinking Machine\u003C\/em\u003E succeeds because it reminds us that behind AI are people, supply chains, and long-term decisions, all operating under real constraints. That\u2019s a lesson worth revisiting as we set the pace for the months ahead.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA Closing Question\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis book highlights traditional supply chain constraints that NVIDIA faced in its growth journey, such as single source supply, perceived lead times, capacity at key suppliers, demand volatility, and talent gaps. Where have you seen or faced these, and how have you and your company navigated them?\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERecommended for supply chain professionals and leaders seeking insight into the real-world impact of technology and strategic decision-making, the book examines how NVIDIA\u2019s ascent under Jensen Huang revolutionized both technology and supply chain management through a focus on parallel computing and robust global networks. It delves into the convergence of AI, supply chain strategy, leadership, and ethics, illustrating how long-term vision and adaptability positioned NVIDIA at the forefront of artificial intelligence and industry transformation.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Recommended for supply chain professionals and leaders seeking insight into the real-world impact of technology and strategic decision-making."}],"uid":"27233","created_gmt":"2026-01-22 17:11:15","changed_gmt":"2026-01-24 13:34:01","author":"Andy Haleblian","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-01-23T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-01-23T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679064":{"id":"679064","type":"image","title":"Why \u0022The Thinking Machine\u0022 Is Worth Your Time","body":null,"created":"1769109710","gmt_created":"2026-01-22 19:21:50","changed":"1769109710","gmt_changed":"2026-01-22 19:21:50","alt":"Why \u0022The Thinking Machine\u0022 Is Worth Your Time","file":{"fid":"263180","name":"TheThinkingMachineWinterRead_1024px.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/01\/22\/TheThinkingMachineWinterRead_1024px.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/01\/22\/TheThinkingMachineWinterRead_1024px.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":170407,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/01\/22\/TheThinkingMachineWinterRead_1024px.jpg?itok=7OdKoHNw"}},"674087":{"id":"674087","type":"image","title":"Chris Gaffney","body":"\u003Cp\u003EChris Gaffney\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1717067903","gmt_created":"2024-05-30 11:18:23","changed":"1771883375","gmt_changed":"2026-02-23 21:49:35","alt":"Chris Gaffney, Managing Director, Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute","file":{"fid":"257557","name":"chris-gaffney_scl.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/30\/chris-gaffney_scl.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/30\/chris-gaffney_scl.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":129544,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/30\/chris-gaffney_scl.jpg?itok=_M0fOBTF"}}},"media_ids":["679064","674087"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/news-events\/newsletters","title":"View past SCL newsletters and join our mailing list"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1250","name":"Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems (CHHS)"},{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"},{"id":"1243","name":"The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL)"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2556","name":"artificial intelligence"},{"id":"194489","name":"scl-spot"},{"id":"167074","name":"Supply Chain"},{"id":"187190","name":"-go-gtmi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["info@scl.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}