Influential Women in AI: What is Chip Huyen Known For?
- Angela Novelli
- Jan 23
- 4 min read
AI is one of the biggest talking points in business nowadays, with organizations and individuals seeking to learn and explore the different capabilities of advanced technology. There are various ways to learn and gain inspiration for new projects and integrations, whether it be from a mentor, books on AI, or by navigating the stories and journeys from the top minds in the industry.
Some of these top, influential minds are the women that have soared above and beyond to break down barriers and build representation in the field of AI. Only about 25%-30% of the AI workforce is made up of women—numbers which display the underrepresentation that women currently have when it comes to AI.
Our blog series on influential women in technology seeks to spread knowledge and awareness of the women that have reached great achievements in their work, now with a focus on those who have delved into the potential of AI. This article highlights the journey of Chip Huyen, who is known for her work in NVIDIA, SnorkelAI, and in her own startup, Claypot AI.
Chip Huyen’s Background
Chip Huyen was born in Vietnam in a small rice-farming village where she began to explore her passions for writing and technology. Growing up, she dreamed of attending Stanford University, but when it finally came for her to apply, she had received a rejection letter. This experience, while a setback in Huyen’s career plans, did not cause her to give up. She accepted a job from a speaker that she had connected with at a conference she attended, and went to visit the country of Brunei for a few days. Little did she know, that short trip would turn into one of three years through Asia, Africa, and South America.
During her trip across several different continents, Huyen developed her writing skills further and even hosted a newspaper column and published two books. Later, she would apply to Stanford once more, with improved writing and English skills thanks to her travels, and she officially received an acceptance letter. She went on to receive Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science.
“For people who are getting started in their careers, I think they shouldn’t go on the standard path which everyone is on. When you do what everyone else is doing, you’ll have to compete with everyone. When you do your own things, you’ll only have to become better than your past self. So pick a path that best suits you.”
A Career in Technology
Chip Huyen has accumulated experience in technology over the years, building a career with a focus on machine learning and AI. During one of her internships while studying at Stanford, she began teaching a student-led class on TensorFlow, a machine learning platform. The class, CS20: TensorFlow for Deep Learning Research, became popular enough that it was noticed by NVIDIA, who then reached out to Huyen with an internship offer. This position eventually turned into a full-time role, kickstarting a career in technology.
Huyen spent a year and a half at NVIDIA before moving onto SnorkelAI, where she continued her work in machine learning. After learning the ins and outs of running a tech startup, she co-founded her own called Claypot AI, a platform for real-time machine learning, which later was acquired by Voltron Data. Today, she focuses on machine learning and AI in production, supporting founders of tech startups with her experience and knowledge.
“For me, I like fundamental ideas. I like best practices. There’s a saying I like: “Innovate where you can. Where you can’t, use the industry standards.” For SMEs, instead of chasing fancy new things, I think they should choose less fancy but more stable solutions.”
Becoming a Bestselling Author
In addition to being an expert in AI and machine learning, Chip Huyen’s writing skills have led her to publish two popular books within the industry. Her experience with teaching at Stanford led her to writing Designing Machine Learning Systems, which has become an Amazon bestseller and has been translated into more than 10 different languages.
Her new book, AI Engineering, launched in 2025 and has been the most read book on the O’Reilly platform since then. It has also become an Amazon bestseller, providing many readers with guidance in their journey navigating the AI landscape.
Huyen does not only write books on technology. In fact, she is also the bestselling author of four Vietnamese books, including the series Xách ba-lô lên và Đi (Pick up your backpack and go).
“Writing helps me learn. Writing helps me organize my thoughts. Whenever I publish something, I get incredible feedback from my audience. Sometimes, this feedback is from people outside of my bubble who have different perspectives—this is very valuable.”
Chip Huyen has had an inspiring journey throughout her life that has led her to gathering all of the knowledge and expertise that she possesses today. LinkedIn included her among Top Voices in Software Development in 2019, and Top Voices in Data Science & AI in 2020. Her work has and will continue to contribute to the vast AI landscape, bringing forth innovative ideas and support for herself and the organizations that she connects with.
Sources:
Comments