Since assuming the role of chief executive officer at AMD in 2014, Lisa Su has overseen a transformation that saw the semiconductor company grow its market capitalization from approximately $3 billion to more than $700 billion. This expansion included the landmark achievement of overtaking Intel in market value, a milestone realized through her strategic focus on advanced chip architecture.
Academic Foundation at MIT
Born in 1969 in Tainan County, Su immigrated to the United States as a child. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she pursued electrical engineering. Her academic work culminated in a Ph.D. in 1994, with a dissertation focused on extreme-submicrometer silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs. During her doctoral studies, she emerged as an early investigator into silicon-on-insulator technology, which sought to improve transistor efficiency by utilizing insulating material layers.
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Su joined Texas Instruments in 1994 before moving to IBM Research in 1995. As vice president of IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center, she played a key role in integrating copper connections into semiconductor chips. This technical development, launched in 1998, allowed for chips that were 20% faster than previous iterations. She also founded IBM's Emerging Products division, where she led a team that developed the Cell microprocessor, a nine-processor chip later utilized in the PlayStation 3.
Leadership at AMD
After joining AMD in 2012, Su held roles as senior vice president of global business units and chief operating officer. Following her appointment as CEO and board member in 2014, she shifted the company's trajectory toward high-performance computing. Her tenure has been marked by significant industry recognition, including the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal in 2021 and selection as a 2025 Time 100 honoree. She also serves on the boards of Cisco and Analog Devices.
Fast facts
- Born: 1969, Tainan County
- Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Employers: Texas Instruments, IBM Research, Freescale Semiconductor, AMD
- CEO Appointment: 2014
- IEEE Fellow: 2009
- IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal: 2021
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame: 2021
Questions readers ask
What is Lisa Su's professional background?
She is an electrical engineer and business executive who held research and management positions at Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor before joining AMD.
What was her role at IBM's Emerging Products division?
She founded the division to focus on biochips and broadband semiconductors, leading the collaborative development of the Cell microprocessor.
Achievements
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame — 2021
- Affiliated with AMD, Texas Instruments and IBM Research
- Educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Worked as chief executive officer, entrepreneur and electrical engineer
