Mark Papermaster
Mark D. Papermaster | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President at AMD; former senior vice president at Apple Inc. |
Mark D. Papermaster (born 1961) is a prominent American business executive currently holding the positions of chief technology officer (CTO) and executive vice president responsible for technology and engineering at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).[1] He was elevated to the role of Executive Vice President on January 25, 2019.[2]
From 1982 until 2008, Papermaster was employed at IBM, where he contributed significantly to the advancement of PowerPC technology[3] and spent two years as vice president overseeing IBM’s blade server division. His transition from IBM to Apple Inc. in 2008 led to a high-profile legal dispute involving an employee non-compete clause.[4] At Apple, he served as senior vice president of devices hardware engineering in 2009,[5] managing product lines such as the iPhone. In 2010, he took on the role of vice president of silicon engineering development at Cisco Systems.[6][7]
Papermaster joined AMD on October 24, 2011, where he assumed leadership over all technology divisions and product development,[8] steering the company’s overarching technical strategy.[1]
Early life and education
Born in 1961, Mark D. Papermaster grew up in Galveston, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982 before beginning his career at IBM in Vermont. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Vermont in 1988.
IBM (1982–2008)
Papermaster embarked on a 26-year tenure with IBM starting in Vermont in 1982. In 1991, he moved to Texas to focus initially on circuit design within the Microelectronics Division. Over time, he progressed through various technical and managerial positions involving quality assurance, applications of CAD tools, and microprocessor development. As vice president of IBM's Microprocessor Technology Development unit, he directed microprocessor and server technology initiatives from 1991 through 2006.
He was instrumental in the creation of IBM’s PowerPC architecture and microprocessors—a technology adopted by Apple for its Macintosh line. Papermaster developed deep expertise in IBM Power microprocessors and the Power ISA, playing a substantial role in PowerPC chip design.
In October 2006, he advanced to vice president of IBM's Blade Development Unit, overseeing technologies including x86, POWER processors, storage blades, chassis systems, network electronics, and associated ecosystems. That same year, he joined IBM's Integration & Values Team (I&VT) as well as the Technical Leadership Team, concentrating on talent acquisition and executive leadership development.
Senior VP at Apple (2009–2010)
Recruited by Apple in 2008 as a successor to iPod executive Tony Fadell, Papermaster’s move prompted IBM to file suit alleging violation of a one-year noncompete agreement. Papermaster responded with a countersuit claiming Apple engaged him for his leadership and engineering expertise rather than proprietary IBM information. The dispute was resolved through a settlement in January 2009 that required Papermaster to observe a six-month unpaid leave before commencing work at Apple.
He officially joined Apple on April 24, 2009, as senior vice president overseeing Mobile Devices and Devices Hardware Engineering, reporting directly to Steve Jobs. His responsibilities included managing engineering teams behind the iPod and iPhone hardware development, including the launch of the iPhone 4 in June 2010. Although commercially successful, the iPhone 4 encountered criticism related to delays in releasing its white model and antenna reception issues—problems linked to a casing design approved by Jobs late in 2009. On August 7, 2010, The New York Times reported his departure from Apple under undisclosed circumstances.
VP at Cisco Systems (2010–2011)
In November 2010, Papermaster assumed the position of vice president for Cisco Systems’ Silicon Switching Technology Group. He was responsible for guiding Cisco’s silicon strategy, architectural design, and development efforts within their switching and routing product lines. His group managed internally developed ASIC chips deployed in products such as the Nexus 7000 data-center switch and the Catalyst LAN switches.
CTO and executive VP at AMD (2011–present)
On October 19, 2011, AMD announced Papermaster’s appointment as senior vice president of Technology & Engineering and chief technology officer (CTO), roles effective from October 24. Reporting to then-CEO Rory Read, he took charge of all technological teams, product development processes, corporate technical direction, research and development activities—including system-on-chip (SoC) design integrating hardware and software components. Recruited by Nick Donofrio, Papermaster brought aboard key personnel like Jim Keller and Apple chip architect Raja Koduri, both reporting directly to him.
Under his guidance, AMD reorganized its CPU design division to create the high-performance Zen core. By early 2017, AMD had multiple CPU and GPU products advancing under his leadership; this included the data center-targeted EPYC processors launched in June 2017 based on Zen architecture. The Ryzen Threadripper series for high-end desktops also utilized Zen technology. In that year, Papermaster confirmed ongoing development efforts for both Vega graphics architecture and the preceding Polaris platform. He also spearheaded AMD’s transition to manufacturing using the 7 nm process node—a critical step for upcoming Zen-based CPUs and Navi-driven graphics processors.
Speaking and writing
Papermaster is regularly sought after for insights on industry topics such as advancements beyond Moore's Law Plus, immersive technologies, and artificial intelligence applications. His authored works include articles published by TechCrunch addressing semiconductor progress rates as well as contributions to outlets like Dark Reading, ET Tech, Forbes, IEEE Test & Design Magazine, Inc., and Network Computing.
He has delivered keynote addresses at prominent industry conferences including the Design Automation Conference (2016), Embedded World (2018), Techfest (2016–2017), Imagination Tech Summit (2017), Strategic Materials Conference (2017), and IEEE Industry Summit on the Future of Computing (2017). Additionally, he spoke at the Congress on the Future of Engineering Software held in April 2018.
Organizations
Papermaster actively participates with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Olin College Presidents Council. Additionally, he holds a position on the advisory board of the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas. His involvement extends to the university's electrical and computer engineering advisory council, where he was honored as an ECE Fellow in 2009 for his contributions. Since June 2016, he has been a member of the Forbes Technology Council. In August 2017, Papermaster became part of the advisory board for the CTO Forum.
See also
External links
- Mark Papermaster – AMD
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