Lisa Su

Lisa Su
Lisa Su
Born	Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su; Template:Birth year and age; Tainan, Taiwan
Occupation(s)	Electrical engineer, computer scientist, business executive
Years active	1994–present
Known for	President, CEO and Chairperson of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)

Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su (; pinyin: Sū Zīfēng; born 1969) is a prominent American billionaire executive, electrical engineer, and computer scientist who holds the positions of president, chief executive officer (CEO), and chairperson at the semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Originally from Taiwan, Su relocated to the United States during her childhood. She completed three degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and gained extensive experience in engineering and leadership roles at companies including Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor. During her tenure as vice president at IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center, she contributed significantly to advancing silicon-on-insulator semiconductor manufacturing methods and enhancing chip performance. Additionally, Su is affiliated with The Business Council.

Su became part of AMD in 2012, initially serving as senior vice president of global business units and chief operating officer before being promoted to president and CEO in October 2014. Her previous board memberships include Cisco Systems, and she currently serves on the board of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association. She holds the distinction of being an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) fellow.

Throughout her career, Su has received numerous accolades, including being named Executive of the Year by EE Times in 2014, listed among Fortune’s World's Greatest Leaders in 2017, and earning the distinction of being the first woman twice honored as Time Magazine CEO of the Year—in 2014 and again in 2024. In 2021, she became the inaugural female recipient of the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal. Under her leadership, AMD’s market value soared from approximately $3 billion to beyond $200 billion, overtaking Intel for the first time. In 2024, Su was inducted as a Fellow of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Early life and education

Born in November 1969 in Tainan, Taiwan, Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su grew up in a Taiwanese Hokkien-speaking household. At age three, she emigrated with her parents, Su Chun-hwai and Sandy Lo, to the United States. Her father, a retired statistician, encouraged her mathematical skills through multiplication quizzes, while her mother, an accountant turned entrepreneur, introduced her to business principles.

Su’s fascination with engineering began early; she often pondered how devices functioned. By ten years old, she was fixing remote-controlled cars and had acquired her first computer—a Apple II—during junior high school. She completed her secondary education at the Bronx High School of Science in 1986.

In 1986, Su entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), selecting electrical engineering for its challenging curriculum. As a first-year student, she worked as a research assistant producing test silicon wafers, an experience that solidified her interest in semiconductors. By 1991, she had earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from MIT.

Between 1990 and 1994, Su pursued doctoral studies under Dimitri A. Antoniadis and James E. Chung. Her Ph.D. research focused on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology aimed at enhancing transistor performance. She completed her dissertation entitled "Extreme-submicrometer silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs" and was awarded a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT in 1994.

Career

Su has held board positions at Analog Devices, Cisco Systems, Inc., the Global Semiconductor Alliance, and the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association. By 2016, she had authored more than forty technical papers and contributed to a book chapter addressing advancements in next-generation consumer electronics.

1994–1999: Texas Instruments and IBM R&D

In June 1994, Su began working at Texas Instruments within their Semiconductor Process and Device Center, remaining there until February 1995. That same month, she joined IBM as a research staff member focused on device physics, eventually rising to become vice president of IBM's semiconductor research and development division.

During her tenure at IBM, Su was instrumental in pioneering copper interconnect technology for semiconductor chips. This innovation replaced aluminum with copper while preventing contamination during manufacturing. Introduced in 1998, the technology established new industry benchmarks and improved chip speeds by up to 20% compared to earlier designs.

2000–2007: IBM Emerging Products division

In 2000, Su took on the role of technical assistant to IBM CEO Lou Gerstner before founding IBM’s Emerging Products division. Functioning like a startup with a team of ten, her group concentrated on biochips and energy-efficient broadband semiconductors. Their initial product was a microprocessor that greatly extended battery life in portable devices. This achievement earned her recognition as one of the "Top Innovators Under 35" by MIT Technology Review in 2001.

Su also spearheaded IBM’s partnership with Sony and Toshiba to create advanced chips designed to enhance game console processor performance by a factor of 1,000. Her team developed the nine-core architecture that evolved into the Cell microprocessor, which powered products such as the Sony PlayStation 3. She continued serving as vice president of IBM’s semiconductor R&D unit until May 2007.

2007–2011: Freescale Semiconductor

Su joined Freescale Semiconductor in June 2007 as chief technology officer (CTO), overseeing research and development until August 2009. From September 2008 through December 2011, she held the position of senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s networking and multimedia segment, directing worldwide strategy, marketing, and engineering for embedded communications and application processors. As leader of the networking-chip division, Su played a key role in restructuring Freescale, culminating in its public offering in 2011.

2012–2014: AMD appointments

In January 2012, Su was appointed senior vice president and general manager at AMD, responsible for managing global business units and overseeing full product execution. She was instrumental in broadening AMD’s market beyond personal computers by collaborating with Microsoft and Sony to incorporate AMD processors into the Xbox One and PS4 consoles.

On 8 October 2014, AMD named Su as president and CEO, succeeding Rory Read. She presented a strategic vision emphasizing focused technology investments, streamlining product lines, diversification efforts, and accelerating innovation. Industry analysts welcomed her leadership, highlighting her deep expertise as well aligned with AMD’s growth ambitions.

2015–2016: Broadening AMD's Portfolio

At the time Lisa Su joined AMD in 2012, non-PC product sales accounted for approximately 10% of the company's revenue. By early 2015, this proportion had expanded to nearly 40%, driven by markets including video game consoles and embedded devices. In May 2015, Su alongside AMD leadership unveiled a strategic vision centered on advancing high-performance computing and graphics technologies, with a focus on gaming, datacenter solutions, and emerging "immersive platforms."

In January 2016, Su revealed plans to develop new microprocessors, accelerated processing units (APUs), graphics processors, and semi-custom chips for future video game consoles utilizing FinFET technology. The company’s stock price experienced a notable rise in July 2016, attributed by Fortune to strong revenue growth fueled by gains in graphics technology, gaming console components, and a strategic licensing agreement for server chips in China.

2017–present: The Ryzen Era

Following the release of the Zen processor line in the second quarter of 2017, AMD's share of the CPU market climbed to nearly 11%. Ryzen processors garnered acclaim for delivering high core counts at substantially lower prices compared to Intel, particularly within the high-performance computing segment through products like the Ryzen Threadripper workstation CPUs. In 2019, Su became the first woman to rank highest in the Associated Press annual CEO compensation survey with a total remuneration package valued at $58.5 million.

In February 2022, after overseeing the $49 billion acquisition of FPGA and programmable systems on chip manufacturer Xilinx, Su assumed the role of Chair at AMD. By 2023, her total earnings reached $30.3 million, representing a CEO-to-median employee pay ratio of 238-to-1.

Awards and honors

Throughout her career, Su has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards. In 2002, she was listed among the "Top 100 Young Innovators" by MIT Technology Review, followed by a 2003 honor from the YWCA for exceptional business accomplishments. She earned IEEE fellowship status in 2009 and has authored over 40 technical publications. In 2014, she was named "Executive of the Year" by both EE Times and EDN.

In 2015, SFGate nominated her as Visionary of the Year for her leadership in fostering social and economic transformation through innovative business models. The National Diversity Council included her among the "50 Most Powerful Women in Technology" in 2016; that same year she received the Pinnacle Award from the Asia American Business Development Center.

By 2017, HPCWire identified her as one of "People to Watch," Institutional Investor Magazine ranked her as "Top Semiconductor CEO," and Fortune featured her among the "World's Greatest Leaders." She continued to appear on the National Diversity Council’s list of influential women in technology.

In 2018, Su was honored with UPWARD's "Women of the Year Award," a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, election to the National Academy of Engineering, and ranked #6 on Fortune's "Businessperson of the Year." Additionally, she received the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award from the Global Semiconductor Alliance, was named one of Forbes America’s Top 50 Women In Tech, and took on the role of Chair for the Global Semiconductor Alliance Board.

During 2019, Su was recognized as one of “The World's Best CEOs” by Barron's, placed #44 on Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business," ranked #26 on Harvard Business Review's list of "Best-Performing CEOs," and featured in Bloomberg Businessweek’s "The Bloomberg 50." She also emerged as the highest-paid CEO within the S&P 500, earning $58.5 million primarily through stock awards.

In 2020, Su received the Semiconductor Industry Association’s Robert N. Noyce Award and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. That year also saw her win the Technical Leadership Abie Award, Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award, achieve #2 ranking on Fortune’s Business Person of The Year list, and be honored by Carnegie Corporation’s Great Immigrants Award.

In 2021, she joined the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame. She became the first female recipient of the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal and ranked #49 on Forbes' list of 100 Most Powerful Women—credited for AMD’s stock appreciating twenty-fivefold since her appointment as CEO.

The year 2022 brought Su recognition through International Peace Honors for her contributions to high-performance computing and STEM inspiration. MIT dedicated its Building 12 for nanotechnology research in her name.

In 2023, she secured #49 on Forbes list of "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" and ranked #12 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women roster.

Su appeared on Time's 2024 list spotlighting "100 Most Influential People in AI" as well as Financial Times' inclusion among its top 25 most influential women. Furthermore, she earned recognition as CEO of the Year by Time magazine in 2024.

Personal life

Lisa Su and her spouse, Daniel Lin (Chinese: 丹尼爾‧林), reside in Austin, Texas. She is related to Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang as a first cousin once removed; specifically, Su's maternal grandfather was the eldest sibling of Huang's mother.

By 2024, Su's net worth is estimated to surpass $1 billion, underscoring her significant influence within the semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors.

External links

Lisa Su at AMD