Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang is auctioning his trademark black leather jacket at Sotheby's, with bidding opening July 7. The Tom Ford piece, signed by Huang, carries an estimated value of $40,000 to $60,000 and will benefit the Edge Institute, a non-profit running pop-up residencies for researchers and builders in technology, science, and culture, through Long Journey Ventures. The jacket has become a signature element of Huang's public image over more than a decade, appearing at product launches, developer conferences, and major AI announcements.
Jensen Huang's Jacket Authenticated to October 2023 Event
Huang, who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in 1973, has built Nvidia into a chipmaking giant central to both the AI boom and crypto's hardware history. The jacket has been present for some of the most consequential moments in modern technology, according to Sotheby's. The garment's authenticity has been verified through photo-matching to Huang's appearance at Hon Hai Tech Day in Taipei in October 2023, with the signature confirmed by James Spence Authentication. Bootleg versions of the look have circulated online for years, with retailers listing jackets under names referencing Huang directly.
Nvidia Released Cryptocurrency Mining Processors in 2021
Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs), originally built for gaming and later reengineered for artificial intelligence workloads, were widely used for years to mine Bitcoin (BTC) and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies before mining shifted heavily toward specialized ASIC hardware. Nvidia released dedicated Cryptocurrency Mining Processors (CMPs) during the 2021 mining boom, while simultaneously limiting the mining performance of its consumer gaming GPUs to deter miners from buying cards intended for gamers.
Sotheby's First NFT Auction Raised $16.8 Million in April 2021
Sotheby's, one of the world's oldest auction houses, announced its entry into the NFT space on March 16, 2021, through a collaboration with anonymous digital artist Pak. The actual sale, titled 'The Fungible', ran from April 12 to 14, 2021, conducted through NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, and raised $16.8 million across 23 NFTs in three days. That made it Sotheby's first-ever NFT auction and one of the largest digital art sales at a major auction house at the time. The auction house followed that up in June 2021 with its 'Natively Digital' curated NFT sale, which raised $17.1 million and included the sale of CryptoPunk #7523, known as the 'COVID Alien', for $11.8 million, a world record for a single CryptoPunk at the time. Sotheby's has since built a dedicated digital art division running live and online auctions, generative art drops, and buy-now offerings. It also launched its own virtual gallery in Decentraland in June 2021, becoming the first major auction house to build a dedicated virtual gallery. By the end of 2021, Sotheby's had generated nearly $100 million in NFT sales, with 78% of NFT bidders being new to the auction house.
FAQ
What is Jensen Huang auctioning at Sotheby's?
Jensen Huang is auctioning his trademark black leather jacket, a signed Tom Ford piece, at Sotheby's with bidding opening July 7. The jacket carries an estimated value of $40,000 to $60,000.
Why did Nvidia release Cryptocurrency Mining Processors in 2021?
Nvidia released dedicated Cryptocurrency Mining Processors (CMPs) during the 2021 mining boom while limiting the mining performance of consumer gaming GPUs to deter miners from buying cards intended for gamers.
How much did Sotheby's first NFT auction raise?
Sotheby's first NFT auction, titled 'The Fungible', ran from April 12 to 14, 2021, and raised $16.8 million across 23 NFTs in three days.
