Lisa Su
Born 1969 · Age 56
Taiwan-born American electrical engineer, computer scientist and business executive; President, CEO (2014–) and Chair (2022–) of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Known for SOI and copper interconnect work at IBM and for leading AMD's turnaround (Zen/Ryzen/EPYC/Xilinx acquisition).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Tainan, Taiwan
Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su born in Tainan to Su Chun-hwai and Sandy Lo; family spoke Taiwanese Hokkien.
Immigrated to the United States
Su moved with her parents and brother from Taiwan to the U.S. (sources variably say age 2–3).
Early tinkering with electronics
At ~10 years old Su began taking apart and fixing her brother's remote-control cars, early sign of engineering interest.
Undergraduate research (UROP) at MIT
Worked as UROP manufacturing test silicon wafers for graduate students; early semiconductor research experience.
Graduated Bronx High School of Science
Completed secondary education at the Bronx High School of Science, New York City.
Started undergraduate at MIT
Matriculated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (intended EE or CS; chose electrical engineering).
Completed Bachelor's degree, MIT (EE)
Graduated from MIT with a BS in electrical engineering (approximate year based on subsequent MS date).
Completed Master's degree, MIT (EE)
Earned an MS in electrical engineering from MIT.
Joined Texas Instruments (Member of Technical Staff)
Began professional career at Texas Instruments in the Semiconductor Process and Device Center (SPDC).
Completed Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (MIT)
Ph.D. thesis: "Extreme-submicrometer silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs" under Dimitri Antoniadis and James Chung.
Joined IBM Research (research staff)
Hired by IBM as a research staff member specializing in device physics; later rose to VP of Semiconductor R&D Center.
Industry launch: copper interconnect technology
IBM launched copper interconnect technology (Su played a critical role), enabling chips up to ~20% faster and setting new standards.
Founded IBM Emerging Products division
Created and led an internal startup (Emerging Products) focused on biochips, low-power and broadband semiconductors; hired ~10 people.
Technical assistant to IBM CEO Lou Gerstner
Spent a year as technical assistant to IBM CEO, gaining deep business exposure and sitting close to corporate strategy.
Contributed to Cell microprocessor collaboration
Through IBM Emerging Products, Su represented IBM in collaboration with Sony and Toshiba that led to the Cell microprocessor (used in PS3).
Named MIT Technology Review 'Innovator Under 35'
Recognized for her work at IBM and with Emerging Products.
YWCA Outstanding Achievement in Business Award
Received an award from the YWCA for outstanding achievement in business.
Joined Freescale Semiconductor as Chief Technology Officer
Left IBM after ~13 years and became CTO of Freescale, heading R&D.
Promoted to SVP & GM, Networking & Multimedia at Freescale
From Sept 2008 to Dec 2011 was senior vice president and general manager responsible for global strategy, marketing and engineering.
Named IEEE Fellow
Elected IEEE Fellow in recognition of technical contributions (published >40 technical articles by later years).
Freescale filed for IPO (company milestone)
Freescale moved toward IPO in 2011; Su credited with helping reorganize the networking-chip business.
Joined boards and industry groups
Served on boards/committees including Analog Devices, Global Semiconductor Alliance, and U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association (dates vary by organization).
AMD diversification begins
At Su's arrival AMD derived about 10% of revenue from non-PC products (consoles, embedded).
Joined AMD as Senior Vice President & General Manager
Became SVP and GM of AMD global business units, responsible for end-to-end business execution.
Worked to place AMD chips in consoles (Xbox One, PS4)
Played prominent role in deals placing AMD custom chips in major gaming consoles — strategic moves expanding AMD's footprint.
Named EE Times 'Executive of the Year'
Awarded Executive of the Year at EE Times and EDN ACE Awards.
Named Time Magazine CEO of the Year (first woman)
Recognized by Time (sources attribute her as first woman named CEO of the Year in 2014).
Market cap turnaround begins (~$3B baseline)
When Su became CEO AMD market capitalization was roughly $3 billion (baseline cited for later growth calculations).
Appointed President & CEO of AMD
AMD announced Lisa Su as president and CEO, replacing Rory Read; she outlined plans to simplify and invest in right technologies.
AMD non‑PC revenue rises to ~40%
By Feb 2015, non‑PC markets (consoles, embedded) made roughly 40% of AMD sales, reflecting Su's diversification push.
Announced focused long-term strategy (gaming, datacenter, immersive)
Presented multi-year strategy to focus on high‑performance computing and graphics for gaming, datacenter and immersive platforms.
Announced development of FinFET-based chips
Announced work on FinFET-based microprocessors, APUs, graphics chips and semi‑custom designs for next-gen consoles.
Credited with 'recipe' enabling copper interconnect production
Public accounts credit Su with crucial role in making copper interconnects manufacturable at IBM in the 1990s.
Became IEEE Fellow (date reported 2009 but recognized throughout career)
Named a Fellow of IEEE (official year 2009); recognized for contributions to semiconductors and published technical work.
Published technical works: >40 articles (by 2016)
By 2016 Su had published over 40 technical articles and coauthored a book chapter on next-generation consumer electronics.
AMD share value spikes on strong revenue
AMD reported strong revenue growth; analysts credited execution on gains in graphics and console chips and server design licensing.
Named one of Fortune's 'World's Greatest Leaders'
Fortune recognized Su among the world's greatest leaders in 2017.
Launch of Zen architecture / Ryzen introduction (Q2 2017)
After initial launch of Zen-based Ryzen processors, AMD's CPU market share rose to nearly 11%; Ryzen and Threadripper praised for price-performance.
Appointed Chair, Global Semiconductor Alliance
Named Board of Directors Chair of the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).
AMD among best-performing S&P 500 stocks (2018)
Under Su AMD was the best performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2018.
Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Recognized for contributions to semiconductor technology and engineering leadership.
Received Global Semiconductor Alliance 'Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award'
Awarded by GSA for leadership in the semiconductor industry.
Top CEO by compensation (AP) – $58.5M package
Associated Press annual survey found Su topped CEO compensation with a 2019 package valued at $58.5 million (mostly one‑off stock award).
Named one of Barron's World's Best CEOs and other recognitions
Multiple recognitions including Barron's World's Best CEOs (2019) and Fortune Most Powerful Women listings.
Named Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrant honoree
Recognized by Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the Great Immigrants awards.
Recipient, Semiconductor Industry Association Robert N. Noyce Award
Honored by the SIA for leadership in the semiconductor industry (award year reported as 2020).
Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Elected as a member in recognition of contributions to engineering and industry leadership.
Co-chair, Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable
Co‑chaired the roundtable advising policymakers on pandemic economic recovery (role during COVID‑19 response).
Donated AMD compute resources during COVID-19
AMD donated high-performance computing resources to researchers at NYU, MIT, Rice and others to aid viral research.
Named Fortune #2 Businessperson of the Year
Fortune ranked her #2 on its Businessperson of the Year list in 2020.
Inducted into Women in Technology Hall of Fame
Inducted in recognition of leadership and impact in tech.
Awarded IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal (first woman)
First woman to receive the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal for contributions to semiconductor industry and technology leadership.
AMD stock increased ~25× since 2014 (company performance milestone)
Forbes/others credited Su with roughly a 25-fold increase in AMD stock price since she became CEO in 2014.
Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women ranking (#49)
Ranked #49 on Forbes' list of the 100 Most Powerful Women, credited for AMD's stock growth since 2014.
Appointed to U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Named as a member of PCAST by the U.S. administration in 2021.
MIT names new nanotechnology center the 'Lisa T. Su Building'
MIT dedicated its new Building 12 for nanoscience/nanotechnology research in Su's honor.
Named International Peace Honors Honoree
Recognized for achievements in high-performance computing and donating compute power for infectious disease research.
Closed acquisition of Xilinx ($49B) and became Chair of AMD
AMD completed the ~$49 billion acquisition of Xilinx; Lisa Su became Chair of the combined company.
AMD market cap surpasses Intel (first time)
By 2023 AMD's market value surpassed Intel's, marking a major industry milestone under Su's leadership.
Reported personal shareholding disclosures (public filings)
Public filings indicate Su holds AMD shares and long‑term incentive awards (exact holdings vary by filings; contributed to net worth growth).
AMD executive compensation: $30.3M (total)
Reported total compensation of $30.3 million for 2023, representing a CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio of 238:1.
Left Cisco Systems Board of Directors
Reported departure from Cisco board in October 2023.
Included in Time's '100 Most Influential People in AI' and FT's 25 most influential women
Recognized for leadership in AI and industry influence by Time and Financial Times in 2024.
Recognized by multiple lists (Forbes, Fortune, FT) in 2023–2024
Appearances on Forbes 'World's Most Powerful Women', Fortune's Most Powerful Women, Financial Times' 25 most influential women, and other lists.
Ongoing strategic focus: AI, data center and partnerships
Under Su AMD focused on AI processors, partnerships (customers include Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, Meta, Lenovo, HPE) and competing in AI accelerator market.
Selected Fellow of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
Elected Fellow of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute in 2024.
Named Time Magazine CEO of the Year (2024)
Time selected Su as its CEO of the Year for 2024 (second such recognition by Time per sources).
Public recognition as a leading AI/semiconductor speaker
Regular keynote speaker on AI, computing and chips; represented in speaker rosters and high-profile industry events.
Recognized by the Franklin Institute (Bower Award for Business Leadership) 2024
The Franklin Institute honored Su in 2024 for transformational leadership and business contributions (Leadership Award / Bower Award).
Personal: Based in Austin, Texas; married to Daniel Lin
Lives in Austin with husband Daniel Lin; is first cousin once removed to Nvidia co‑founder Jensen Huang.
Estimated net worth surpasses $1.0 billion
Multiple sources estimate Su's personal net worth at >$1.0B (LCRCapital cites $1.1B in mid‑2024).
AMD market cap exceeds $200 billion during Su's tenure
Under Su AMD's market capitalization grew from roughly $3B (2014) to over $200B (by 2024 sources).
Public speaking at industry conferences (selected)
Keynote and panel appearances include CES 2023, ISSCC 2023, Lenovo Tech World 2023, Code/RECODE 2021 and DARPA ERI Summit 2019.
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