Dr. Lisa Su - Overview

Current Position and Role

Dr. Lisa Su serves as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a position she has held since October 2014. Under her leadership, AMD has undergone one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in technology history, evolving from a struggling semiconductor company with a market capitalization of approximately $3 billion to a powerhouse valued at over $200 billion. Her dual role as both Chair and CEO gives her significant influence over AMD’s strategic direction and corporate governance.

Company Leadership

AMD, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, designs and manufactures central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and other semiconductor products for computing and graphics markets. The company competes directly with Intel in the CPU market and with NVIDIA in the GPU and data center accelerator markets. Su’s leadership has positioned AMD as a formidable competitor in both arenas, challenging industry incumbents with innovative architectures and aggressive pricing strategies.

Net Worth and Financial Status

As of 2026, Dr. Lisa Su’s net worth is estimated at approximately $1.2 billion, making her one of the wealthiest self-made women in technology. The vast majority of her wealth derives from her substantial equity stake in AMD, including stock options and restricted stock units accumulated during her tenure as CEO. Her compensation packages have consistently ranked among the highest for female executives in corporate America, reflecting both AMD’s performance under her guidance and the competitive market for top semiconductor talent.

Recognition and Awards

Dr. Su has received numerous accolades throughout her career, cementing her status as one of the most respected leaders in technology:

TIME CEO of the Year 2024

In December 2024, TIME magazine named Dr. Lisa Su its CEO of the Year, recognizing her exceptional leadership in transforming AMD and her pivotal role in the artificial intelligence revolution. The award highlighted her ability to execute complex technical strategies while maintaining market focus and operational discipline.

IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal

In 2020, Dr. Su became the first woman to receive the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal, one of the semiconductor industry’s highest honors. The award recognized her contributions to the development of silicon-on-insulator technology and her leadership in semiconductor innovation.

Other Notable Honors

• Fortune Businessperson of the Year (2024)
• Barron’s World’s Best CEOs (multiple years)
• Fortune Most Powerful Women in Business
• Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Robert N. Noyce Award

Industry Impact

Dr. Su’s influence extends beyond AMD to the broader semiconductor industry. Her success has demonstrated the viability of fabless semiconductor business models and proven that focused execution can overcome significant competitive disadvantages. She has been a vocal advocate for semiconductor manufacturing reshoring and has testified before Congress on matters relating to technology policy and national competitiveness.

Personal Characteristics

Known for her technical depth and analytical approach to management, Dr. Su combines engineering expertise with business acumen. She maintains a rigorous schedule that includes deep technical reviews, customer meetings, and strategic planning sessions. Her communication style is direct and data-driven, earning respect from engineers and investors alike. Despite her demanding role, she maintains visibility in the technology community through keynote presentations at industry conferences and appearances at product launches.

Current Strategic Priorities

As of 2026, Dr. Su’s strategic focus areas include: - Expanding AMD’s presence in the artificial intelligence and machine learning accelerator markets - Maintaining technological leadership in data center processors - Growing market share in the PC and gaming sectors - Pursuing strategic acquisitions to augment AMD’s technology portfolio - Advancing chiplet-based architecture designs for next-generation products

Dr. Lisa Su - Background and Early Life

Birth and Family Origins

Dr. Lisa Su was born on November 7, 1969, in Tainan, Taiwan, a city located on the southwestern coast of the island nation. Her parents, both of whom had academic backgrounds, recognized early on that their daughter possessed exceptional intellectual capabilities. The family environment emphasized education, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence, values that would profoundly shape Su’s future trajectory.

Immigration to the United States

At the age of three, Lisa Su immigrated to the United States with her family. The Su family settled in the Bronx, New York, a borough of New York City known for its cultural diversity and working-class character. This early immigration experience exposed Su to the challenges and opportunities of adapting to a new culture while maintaining her family’s educational priorities.

Growing up in the Bronx during the 1970s and 1980s provided Su with a perspective on socioeconomic diversity and urban life that contrasted sharply with the privileged environments many of her future technology industry peers experienced. Her family’s immigrant story exemplifies the traditional American narrative of seeking better educational and economic opportunities.

Early Educational Experiences

Su attended the Bronx High School of Science, one of New York City’s specialized high schools known for its rigorous academic standards and focus on mathematics and science. The school has produced numerous Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize recipients, and leaders in science and technology. During her time at Bronx Science, Su demonstrated particular aptitude for mathematics and physics, subjects that would form the foundation of her future career in electrical engineering.

Her high school years coincided with the early personal computer revolution of the early 1980s. While many students were learning basic programming, Su developed an interest in how computers worked at the hardware level. She spent considerable time exploring electronics and semiconductor concepts, often reading technical manuals and science publications beyond her required coursework.

Undergraduate Education at MIT

In 1986, Su enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), widely regarded as one of the world’s premier institutions for science and engineering. She initially considered pursuing a career in medicine or law but ultimately chose electrical engineering, drawn by the rapid pace of innovation in semiconductor technology and the tangible impact of hardware innovations on society.

Su completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1991. Her undergraduate years at MIT were characterized by intense academic focus and early research experiences. She worked in various laboratories, gaining hands-on experience with semiconductor fabrication processes and device physics. These experiences confirmed her passion for semiconductor technology and influenced her decision to pursue graduate studies.

Graduate Studies and Doctoral Research

Su remained at MIT for her graduate education, earning her Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1993. She then pursued her doctoral studies under the supervision of Professor Dimitri Antoniadis, a prominent researcher in semiconductor device physics. Her PhD research focused on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, an advanced semiconductor manufacturing technique that would later prove crucial to AMD’s competitive positioning.

Su completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1994. Her doctoral thesis, titled “Extreme-Submicrometer Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) MOSFETs,” explored the electrical characteristics and manufacturing challenges of ultra-small transistors built on insulating substrates. This work positioned her as an expert in one of the most promising areas of semiconductor research at the time.

The SOI technology she studied would eventually become a cornerstone of AMD’s processor designs, giving the company significant performance and power efficiency advantages over competitors using traditional bulk silicon approaches. This technical foundation would prove invaluable decades later when Su returned to AMD as CEO and needed to make critical technology decisions.

Formative Professional Influences

During her time at MIT, Su benefited from exposure to leading researchers and industry practitioners who visited the campus. She developed relationships with mentors who encouraged her to pursue both technical excellence and leadership opportunities. The collaborative but competitive environment at MIT shaped her approach to problem-solving and team building.

Su has frequently cited her parents’ emphasis on education and hard work as fundamental influences on her character. She has noted that her mother taught her to approach problems methodically and never to fear asking questions, while her father encouraged intellectual curiosity and persistence in the face of difficulty.

Personal Philosophy Development

The combination of immigrant experience, elite technical education, and exposure to diverse perspectives during her formative years contributed to Su’s development as a leader. She learned to navigate different cultural contexts, to communicate complex technical concepts clearly, and to maintain focus on long-term objectives despite short-term challenges.

These early experiences established the pattern that would define her career: a commitment to technical excellence, a willingness to make bold strategic bets based on deep technical understanding, and an ability to inspire teams to achieve seemingly impossible objectives. The foundation laid during her background and education would prove essential when she faced the challenges of leading AMD’s transformation beginning in 2014.

Dr. Lisa Su - Career Progression and Company Building

Early Career at Texas Instruments (1994-1995)

Following the completion of her PhD at MIT in 1994, Dr. Lisa Su began her professional career at Texas Instruments (TI), one of the pioneering companies in semiconductor technology. She joined TI’s Semiconductor Process and Device Center (SPDC) as a member of the technical staff, where she worked on developing advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes. Her role at TI provided her with valuable industry experience and exposure to the practical challenges of bringing research concepts to commercial production.

During her approximately one-year tenure at Texas Instruments, Su worked on device physics and process integration, applying her doctoral research on silicon-on-insulator technology to real-world manufacturing challenges. This experience taught her the complexities of semiconductor fabrication and the importance of close coordination between research, development, and manufacturing functions.

IBM Research and Technical Leadership (1995-2007)

Initial Joining and Research Focus

In 1995, Su joined IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, one of the world’s most prestigious industrial research laboratories. At IBM Research, she continued her work on semiconductor technology, focusing on device physics and advanced CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technologies. Her technical expertise and leadership potential quickly became apparent to IBM management.

Rising Through Technical Ranks

Su’s career at IBM progressed rapidly through technical and management positions. She held various roles in IBM’s Microelectronics Division, including positions in research and development, strategic alliances, and emerging products. Her work on SOI technology continued, and she became recognized within IBM as an expert in low-power and high-performance semiconductor devices.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Su played key roles in several significant IBM technology initiatives. She contributed to the development of copper interconnect technology, which revolutionized semiconductor performance by replacing aluminum wiring with copper. She also worked on strategies for improving semiconductor device performance while managing power consumption, skills that would prove directly relevant to her later work at AMD.

Vice President of the Semiconductor Research and Development Center

By 2006, Su had risen to the position of Vice President of the Semiconductor Research and Development Center at IBM. In this role, she oversaw research initiatives spanning multiple technology areas and managed relationships with IBM’s technology partners. She was responsible for coordinating research efforts between IBM’s various divisions and external partners, including semiconductor foundries and equipment suppliers.

Her tenure at IBM provided Su with exposure to the full spectrum of semiconductor industry activities, from basic research to product development to manufacturing partnerships. She learned how large technology organizations coordinate complex technical programs and how to build relationships across organizational boundaries.

Freescale Semiconductor and Business Operations (2007-2011)

Transition to Freescale

In 2007, Su made a significant career transition by joining Freescale Semiconductor, a semiconductor company that had recently been spun off from Motorola. At Freescale, she sought to expand her experience beyond research and development into broader business operations and product management.

Freescale was a major supplier of embedded processors and microcontrollers for automotive, networking, and consumer electronics applications. The company faced intense competition and was navigating the challenges of operating as an independent entity after decades as part of Motorola.

Chief Technology Officer Role

Su initially joined Freescale as Chief Technology Officer, responsible for the company’s overall technology strategy and research programs. In this capacity, she oversaw Freescale’s research and development activities across multiple product lines and worked to align technology investments with market opportunities.

Senior Vice President and General Manager

Su’s role at Freescale expanded significantly when she was appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. This business unit generated approximately $1 billion in annual revenue and supplied semiconductor products for telecommunications infrastructure, enterprise networking equipment, and multimedia applications.

In this general management role, Su gained direct P&L responsibility and experience with the full scope of business operations, including sales, marketing, manufacturing, and financial management. She led efforts to improve the business unit’s profitability and competitive position during a challenging period for the semiconductor industry.

Merger and Acquisition Experience

During her time at Freescale, the company underwent significant ownership changes, including a private equity buyout in 2006 and subsequent financial restructuring. Su gained valuable experience navigating complex corporate transactions and managing organizations through periods of significant change.

AMD: Senior Leadership and Transformation (2012-2014)

Initial Joining as Senior Vice President

In January 2012, Dr. Lisa Su joined AMD as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Business Units. This role gave her responsibility for AMD’s product management and marketing functions across all business segments. At the time, AMD was struggling with declining market share, financial losses, and strategic uncertainty following the costly acquisition of ATI Technologies in 2006.

Chief Operating Officer Appointment

Su’s rapid impact at AMD led to her promotion to Chief Operating Officer in 2014. As COO, she assumed responsibility for AMD’s product strategy, sales, and operations. She worked closely with then-CEO Rory Read to stabilize the company’s operations and develop a strategic plan for returning to sustainable growth.

During her time as COO, Su played a central role in developing the strategy that would eventually guide AMD’s turnaround. She championed the development of the Zen microprocessor architecture and worked to rebuild relationships with key customers and technology partners. Her technical credibility and business acumen earned her respect throughout the organization.

CEO Appointment and Early Leadership (2014-2017)

Becoming CEO

On October 8, 2014, AMD’s Board of Directors appointed Dr. Lisa Su as President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Rory Read. She also joined AMD’s Board of Directors at that time. The appointment made her one of the few female CEOs in the semiconductor industry and the first woman to lead a major semiconductor company.

Su took the helm of AMD at a critical juncture. The company had reported losses in 14 of the previous 18 quarters, market share in both CPUs and GPUs was declining, and the company’s very survival as an independent entity was in question. AMD’s stock price had fallen to under $3 per share, and the company carried significant debt from the ATI acquisition.

Initial Strategic Priorities

Upon becoming CEO, Su articulated a clear strategy focused on three key priorities: building great products, deepening customer relationships, and simplifying the company’s operations. She recognized that AMD needed to focus its limited resources on areas where it could achieve genuine technical leadership rather than attempting to compete across all market segments.

Su made the critical decision to bet the company’s future on the Zen architecture, a from-scratch microprocessor design that AMD had been developing since 2012. She committed the company’s engineering resources to completing Zen on an accelerated timeline, recognizing that success with this architecture was essential for AMD’s survival as a competitive CPU vendor.

Building AMD’s Success (2017-2024)

Zen Architecture Launch

The launch of AMD’s Ryzen processors based on the Zen architecture in March 2017 marked the beginning of AMD’s remarkable turnaround. Under Su’s leadership, AMD delivered products that offered competitive or superior performance to Intel’s offerings at significantly lower prices. Ryzen processors quickly gained market share in both consumer and data center segments.

Data Center Expansion

Su recognized that the data center represented AMD’s highest-value opportunity and prioritized the development of EPYC server processors. The first-generation EPYC processors launched in 2017, but it was the subsequent generations that truly established AMD as a major force in the data center market. By 2024, AMD had captured significant share from Intel in the server processor market, a segment Intel had dominated for decades.

Strategic Acquisitions

Under Su’s leadership, AMD completed several transformative acquisitions. The October 2020 acquisition of Xilinx for $49 billion added field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and expanded AMD’s presence in telecommunications, automotive, and embedded markets. The February 2022 acquisition of Pensando for $1.9 billion added data processing unit (DPU) technology to strengthen AMD’s data center portfolio.

Current Role and Continued Leadership (2024-Present)

As Chair and CEO, Dr. Su continues to guide AMD through the rapidly evolving semiconductor landscape. She has positioned the company to compete in artificial intelligence accelerators, expanded its software capabilities, and maintained the technical execution discipline that has characterized her tenure. Under her leadership, AMD has grown from a company with less than $5 billion in annual revenue to one generating over $25 billion annually, with a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion.

Company Building and Ventures

Entrepreneurial Journey

Lisa Su’s approach to building companies and creating value reflects a unique vision and relentless drive. Their entrepreneurial ventures have disrupted industries and created new paradigms for business.

Key Ventures and Investments

The companies and investments associated with Lisa Su span multiple industries and reflect a diverse strategic vision. Each venture carries the hallmarks of Lisa Su’s distinctive approach to business.

Business Philosophy

Lisa Su’s business philosophy combines innovation with practical execution, creating sustainable enterprises that deliver value to customers, employees, and shareholders alike.

Dr. Lisa Su - Financial Performance and Deals

AMD Financial Transformation Overview

Under Dr. Lisa Su’s leadership, AMD has undergone one of the most dramatic financial turnarounds in corporate history. When Su became CEO in October 2014, AMD was struggling with consistent losses, declining market share, and questions about its long-term viability. By 2026, AMD has become a profitable, growing technology powerhouse with a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion.

Stock Performance and Market Capitalization

Stock Price Trajectory

When Dr. Su became CEO on October 8, 2014, AMD’s stock traded at approximately $2.81 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $2.2 billion. The stock had declined more than 60% over the previous five years as AMD lost market share to Intel in CPUs and struggled to compete with NVIDIA in graphics.

The turnaround in AMD’s stock performance under Su’s leadership has been extraordinary:

• 2015-2016: Stock remained relatively flat as Su implemented operational changes and prepared for the Zen architecture launch.
• 2017: Stock began rising significantly following the successful Ryzen launch, ending the year at approximately $10.
• 2018: Continued momentum pushed the stock above $20 by year-end.
• 2019-2020: Growing data center market share drove the stock above $90 by the end of 2020.
• 2021-2022: The stock reached all-time highs above $160 during the semiconductor shortage, though it declined amid broader technology stock weakness.
• 2023-2024: AI enthusiasm and continued market share gains pushed market capitalization above $300 billion at peaks.

Market Capitalization Growth

AMD’s market capitalization has grown from approximately $2 billion when Su became CEO to over $200 billion as of 2026, representing a 100-fold increase. This growth reflects both improved financial performance and expanded market opportunity as AMD successfully entered new segments.

Shareholder Returns

An investment in AMD stock at the time of Su’s appointment would have generated returns exceeding 7,000% by 2026, making AMD one of the best-performing stocks in any sector during this period.

Revenue Growth

Revenue Trajectory

AMD’s annual revenue has grown substantially under Su’s leadership:

Segment Performance

Under Su’s leadership, AMD’s revenue composition has shifted significantly:

• Data Center: Revenue grew from under $500 million in 2014 to over $10 billion in 2024, becoming AMD’s largest and most profitable segment.
• Client (PC): Revenue recovered from sub-$1 billion to over $4 billion annually, with improved average selling prices.
• Gaming: Console chip revenue has been relatively stable, but margins have improved through manufacturing efficiencies.
• Embedded: The Xilinx acquisition added approximately $4-5 billion in annual embedded processing revenue.

Profitability Transformation

Gross Margin Improvement

One of Su’s key objectives was improving AMD’s gross margins, which had been compressed by competitive pressures and manufacturing challenges. AMD’s non-GAAP gross margin has improved from approximately 32% in 2014 to over 50% in 2024.

This margin expansion resulted from: - Shift to higher-margin data center products - Improved manufacturing yields on advanced processes - Reduced reliance on low-margin console chip revenue - Better product mix toward premium segments

Operating Income

AMD has transformed from consistent operating losses to generating billions in annual operating income:

• 2014: Operating loss of $155 million
• 2017: First full year of operating profit ($127 million)
• 2020: Operating income of $1.37 billion
• 2022: Operating income of $3.77 billion
• 2024: Operating income exceeding $5 billion

Net Income and Earnings Per Share

AMD’s bottom-line results have similarly improved dramatically, with net income growing from losses to billions in annual profit and earnings per share expanding from negative territory to several dollars annually.

Major Acquisitions and Deals

Xilinx Acquisition ($49 billion)

The most significant transaction under Su’s leadership was the acquisition of Xilinx, announced in October 2020 and completed in February 2022. This all-stock transaction valued Xilinx at approximately $49 billion and represented the largest semiconductor acquisition in history at the time.

Strategic Rationale: - Added FPGA and adaptive computing technology to AMD’s portfolio - Expanded presence in telecommunications, automotive, and aerospace markets - Created opportunities for combined CPU+FPGA solutions - Added approximately $4 billion in high-margin annual revenue

Integration Status: Under Su’s leadership, AMD has successfully integrated Xilinx’s operations, achieving targeted cost synergies while retaining key engineering talent. The combined company has introduced integrated product lines and cross-selling initiatives.

Pensando Acquisition ($1.9 billion)

In May 2022, AMD announced the acquisition of Pensando for approximately $1.9 billion. Pensando developed data processing units (DPUs) for data center infrastructure offloading.

Strategic Value: - Added DPU technology to complement CPU and GPU offerings - Strengthened position in cloud data center deployments - Acquired talented engineering team with cloud expertise

ATI Technologies (Historical Context)

While predating Su’s tenure as CEO, AMD’s 2006 acquisition of ATI Technologies for $5.4 billion significantly impacted the company she inherited. The debt from this acquisition constrained AMD’s strategic flexibility for years. Su’s successful turnaround ultimately validated the strategic logic of combining CPU and GPU capabilities, though the financial burden required years to overcome.

Strategic Partnerships

Foundry Relationships

Under Su, AMD has maintained a fabless business model while building strong relationships with semiconductor foundries:

• TSMC: Primary manufacturing partner for advanced CPUs and GPUs on 7nm, 5nm, and 3nm processes
• GlobalFoundries: Long-term supply agreement ensuring access to 12nm and larger processes for I/O dies and mature products

Customer Partnerships

Su has personally cultivated relationships with major customers:

• Microsoft and Sony: Multi-year agreements for console processor supply
• Cloud Providers: Strategic partnerships with AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle for EPYC deployments
• Enterprise OEMs: Expanded relationships with Dell, HPE, Lenovo for server and PC products

Capital Allocation and Balance Sheet

Debt Reduction

When Su became CEO, AMD carried significant debt from the ATI acquisition. Under her leadership, AMD has reduced debt levels substantially while maintaining financial flexibility for strategic investments.

Cash Position

AMD’s cash and equivalents have grown from approximately $800 million in 2014 to over $5 billion in 2024, providing resources for organic investment and potential future acquisitions.

Share Repurchases

In 2021, AMD’s Board authorized an $8 billion share repurchase program, signaling confidence in the company’s financial position. Su has implemented disciplined repurchase execution, balancing shareholder returns with investment requirements.

Executive Compensation

Dr. Su’s compensation has reflected AMD’s performance under her leadership. Her total compensation packages have regularly exceeded $50 million annually in recent years, driven primarily by stock awards tied to performance metrics. While controversial in absolute terms, her compensation has been strongly aligned with shareholder returns, as she has personally realized gains only as AMD’s stock price appreciated.

Financial Outlook

As of 2026, AMD maintains strong financial momentum with: - Revenue growth targets of 20%+ annually in the data center segment - Gross margin expansion targets reaching 53-55% - Significant AI accelerator revenue growth projected - Strong free cash flow generation supporting continued R&D investment

The financial transformation of AMD under Dr. Lisa Su represents one of the most successful CEO tenures in modern corporate history, delivering exceptional returns while building sustainable competitive advantages.

Controversies and Challenges

Overview

Lisa Su has faced various controversies and challenges throughout their history. These episodes have tested their resilience and shaped their public perception.

Key Points

The details of this aspect of Lisa Su’s story reveal important dimensions of their character, achievements, and impact. Understanding these elements provides a more complete picture of Lisa Su’s significance.

Significance

This dimension of Lisa Su’s life and work contributes to the larger narrative of their enduring importance and continuing relevance in the modern world.

Legacy and Lasting Impact

Overview

Lisa Su’s legacy endures as a testament to their extraordinary contributions. Their influence continues to shape their field and inspire new generations who follow in their footsteps.

Key Points

The details of this aspect of Lisa Su’s story reveal important dimensions of their character, achievements, and impact. Understanding these elements provides a more complete picture of Lisa Su’s significance.

Significance

This dimension of Lisa Su’s life and work contributes to the larger narrative of their enduring importance and continuing relevance in the modern world.

Dr. Lisa Su - Legacy and Impact

Transforming AMD: One of Corporate History’s Great Turnarounds

Dr. Lisa Su’s primary legacy will be the remarkable transformation of AMD from a struggling semiconductor company on the verge of irrelevance to a technology powerhouse competing at the highest levels of the industry. This turnaround ranks among the most successful corporate transformations in modern business history and demonstrates that focused leadership, technical excellence, and strategic discipline can overcome significant competitive disadvantages.

When Su became CEO in October 2014, AMD had reported losses in 14 of the previous 18 quarters, its market share in CPUs had declined to single digits, and the company’s market capitalization had fallen below $3 billion. Industry observers questioned whether AMD could survive as an independent company. By 2026, AMD has a market capitalization exceeding $200 billion, has captured significant market share from Intel in both client and server processors, and has established itself as a major force in data center AI accelerators.

The AMD turnaround under Su demonstrates several important principles that will influence business education and leadership theory for generations:

1. Technical leadership matters: Su’s deep technical expertise enabled her to make bold strategic bets on the Zen architecture and to maintain organizational focus during the long development cycles required for processor innovation.

2. Focus over diversification: By concentrating resources on CPU and GPU architectures where AMD could achieve leadership rather than competing across fragmented markets, Su maximized the impact of AMD’s limited resources.

3. Execution trumps strategy: While Su developed a clear strategy, her relentless focus on execution discipline transformed plans into successful products that met commitments to customers and investors.

4. Long-term thinking pays: Resisting pressure for short-term financial results to maintain investment in future generations of products created sustainable competitive advantages.

Breaking Barriers for Women in Technology

As one of the most prominent female CEOs in technology and the first woman to lead a major semiconductor company, Dr. Su has shattered glass ceilings and created new possibilities for women in technical fields. Her success demonstrates that women can lead complex technology organizations and achieve exceptional business results in highly competitive industries.

Su’s visibility as a successful female technology CEO has inspired countless women to pursue careers in engineering and semiconductor design. She has been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion, using her platform to highlight the importance of expanding opportunities for underrepresented groups in technology.

Her recognition as the first woman to receive the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal in 2020 and her selection as TIME’s CEO of the Year in 2024 underscore the industry’s acknowledgment of her achievements and her role as a trailblazer.

The impact of her example extends beyond individual inspiration to organizational change. Under her leadership, AMD has implemented programs to increase diversity in its workforce, and her success has pressured other technology companies to examine their own diversity practices and leadership pipelines.

Reshaping the Semiconductor Industry

Dr. Su’s leadership has had profound effects on the competitive dynamics of the semiconductor industry, creating benefits for customers and the broader technology ecosystem:

Restoring Competition in x86 Processors

Prior to AMD’s resurgence under Su, Intel faced limited competition in the x86 processor market, resulting in slower innovation and higher prices. AMD’s return to competitiveness has driven Intel to accelerate its own technology development and pricing practices, benefiting customers across the computing industry.

The data center market, where Intel had maintained dominant market share for decades, has seen particularly significant change. AMD’s EPYC processors have forced Intel to respond with improved products and more aggressive pricing, ultimately benefiting cloud providers, enterprises, and end users who rely on server infrastructure.

Accelerating Data Center Innovation

Su’s focus on the data center as AMD’s highest strategic priority has accelerated innovation in server processors. Features that AMD introduced or popularized, including high core counts, large memory bandwidth, and chiplet architectures, have influenced the entire industry’s product direction.

AMD’s success has demonstrated that alternative architectures can compete effectively with Intel’s integrated approach, encouraging innovation from other competitors including ARM-based server processors and specialized accelerators.

Popularizing Chiplet Architectures

AMD’s successful implementation of chiplet-based processor designs under Su’s leadership has influenced the entire semiconductor industry. The approach of using multiple smaller dies connected by high-speed interfaces rather than large monolithic dies has been adopted by Intel, NVIDIA, and other semiconductor companies.

This architectural shift has improved manufacturing economics, enabled product scalability, and allowed more efficient use of advanced process technologies. The chiplet approach Su championed may be remembered as one of the most significant structural changes in processor design in decades.

Advancing AI and High-Performance Computing

Under Su’s leadership, AMD has become a major player in the artificial intelligence accelerator market, challenging NVIDIA’s dominance in this critical growth segment. The company’s MI series accelerators and the integrated CPU+GPU MI300 series represent significant investments in AI infrastructure that will shape the development of artificial intelligence capabilities.

AMD’s processors power significant supercomputing installations worldwide, including systems ranked among the fastest in the world. Su’s commitment to high-performance computing has enabled scientific research in climate modeling, materials science, medical research, and other fields that rely on computational simulation.

Influence on Business Strategy and Leadership

Su’s approach to corporate transformation has provided a model for other leaders facing turnaround situations:

The Focus Strategy

Her willingness to exit non-core businesses and concentrate resources on areas of potential leadership has been studied in business schools and emulated by other executives. The AMD case demonstrates that focused investment can overcome resource disadvantages.

Technical CEO Effectiveness

Su’s success has challenged assumptions about the ideal CEO background, demonstrating that deep technical expertise can be a significant advantage in technology companies. Her example has influenced board considerations of CEO candidates and career development paths for technical leaders.

Stakeholder Alignment

Her approach to aligning employee incentives, customer relationships, and shareholder returns has created a sustainable model for technology company management. AMD’s culture under Su emphasizes creating value for all stakeholders rather than optimizing for any single constituency.

Academic and Research Contributions

Beyond her corporate achievements, Dr. Su maintains connections to academic research and education that will influence future generations:

Technology Development

Her early work on silicon-on-insulator technology at IBM and MIT contributed to foundational semiconductor knowledge that continues to influence device design. The technical contributions from her research career, while less visible than her corporate achievements, represent genuine additions to engineering knowledge.

Mentorship and Education

Through her engagement with MIT and other educational institutions, Su has influenced curriculum development and research priorities in semiconductor engineering. Her career example shapes how engineering students view career possibilities and leadership pathways.

Lasting Contributions to Technology

Dr. Su’s legacy includes specific technical and business contributions that will persist long after her tenure at AMD:

• Zen Architecture: The processor architecture she championed will influence computing for decades through its derivatives and the competitive response it has driven.
• Chiplet Design: The modular processor approach she implemented has become an industry standard.
• AI Accelerator Competition: Her entry into the AI accelerator market has created competitive dynamics that will drive innovation in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
• Turnaround Methodology: The strategic approach she applied at AMD provides a template for future corporate transformations.

Recognition and Historical Position

Dr. Su’s place in business history is increasingly recognized through various honors:

• Recognition as one of the most effective CEOs of the 21st century by business publications
• Induction into various halls of fame recognizing technology and business leadership
• Academic case studies examining her approach to corporate transformation
• Recognition by peers as a model of technical leadership

As the semiconductor industry continues to grow in strategic importance, Su’s role in shaping one of its most important companies ensures her place in technology history. The transformation she led at AMD will be studied by business students, technology analysts, and leadership scholars for generations.

Ongoing Impact

As Dr. Su continues leading AMD, her legacy continues to evolve. The company’s ongoing competition in AI accelerators, its integration of Xilinx technologies, and its pursuit of new market opportunities will extend her impact on the technology industry.

Her example continues to inspire leaders in technology and beyond, demonstrating that technical excellence, strategic clarity, and execution discipline can achieve remarkable results. The AMD she has built represents a sustainable competitive organization positioned for continued success, ensuring that her contributions will benefit the technology industry for years to come.