TIME has named He Tingbo, President of HiSilicon, Huawei's semiconductor division, to its 2026 TIME100 AI list, an annual recognition of the most influential people in artificial intelligence. The announcement, made on August 28, 2026, underscores He's pivotal role in shaping the future of AI hardware and computing.
He Tingbo's inclusion stems largely from her introduction of the "Tau (τ) Scaling Law" in May 2026 at the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems in Shanghai. This proposal challenges the traditional Moore's Law, which predicts the doubling of transistors on a chip roughly every two years, by suggesting that time-based scaling should instead guide semiconductor development. The Tau Scaling Law posits that as AI models become more complex, the performance of AI systems improves not just through shrinking transistors but through optimizing the temporal efficiency of computations, potentially leading to more sustainable and powerful AI infrastructure.
Under He's decade-long leadership, HiSilicon has built a competitive edge in AI computing, developing key technologies such as Ascend AI accelerators, Kunpeng server processors, and UnifiedBus-enabled SuperPoD systems. These innovations are integral to Huawei's broader AI strategy, which aims to provide full-stack solutions from chips to cloud services. The recognition by TIME highlights how He's work is driving advancements that could enable more efficient AI training and inference, crucial for everything from autonomous vehicles to large language models.
The TIME100 AI list is compiled by TIME's editors and reporters, who examine key stories in AI over the past year and consult with expert sources and industry leaders. The result is a diverse group of leaders, innovators, shapers, and thinkers who have a stake in the future of AI. He Tingbo joins a distinguished cohort, reflecting her influence on both the technical and strategic directions of AI hardware.
He's recognition comes at a time when the semiconductor industry is facing physical limits to Moore's Law, and alternative scaling models are being explored. Her Tau Scaling Law offers a new paradigm that could extend the lifecycle of chip advancements and enable more powerful AI systems without relying solely on transistor miniaturization. This is particularly relevant as AI models grow exponentially, requiring enormous computational resources.
For more on He Tingbo's story, visit her TIME100 AI profile. The full list is available at TIME100 AI 2026.
