Lisa Su is leading AMD's AI charge: Who is she
What's the story
It was 2014. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) the US-based chipmaker, was sinking. Many analysts called the company "uninvestable" at that time. Fast forward nine years, and we have an AMD gearing up to challenge NVIDIA in the AI race. The credit for its turnaround goes to Lisa Su, who has been the semiconductor maker's CEO since 2014. Now, who is she?
Beginning
Su studied electrical engineering at MIT
Su was born in 1969 in Tainan, Taiwan, to a statistician and an accountant. Her family emigrated to the US when she was three. Her love for engineering began at an early age. After graduating high school in 1986, she joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Between computer and electrical engineering, she chose the latter because it was more difficult.
Semiconductor interest
She obtained a master's degree and Ph.D. from MIT
Su's stint as an undergraduate research assistant manufacturing test silicon wafers for graduate students incited her interest in semiconductors. Her summer jobs at Analog Devices also played a part in this. After completing her bachelor's, she obtained a master's degree in electrical engineering from MIT. She also earned a Ph.D. in the same subject in 1994.
IBM
Su helped IBM design faster chips with copper circuitry
After her Ph.D., Su joined Texas Instruments as a member of the technical staff. After a brief stint at the company, she was hired by IBM as a staff researcher. She made a name for herself by helping design chips with copper circuitry. They were 20% faster than chips with aluminum. She was a VP of semiconductor research and development at IBM till 2007.
Example
She got a taste of corporate turnaround at IBM
At IBM, Su had her first taste of a corporate turnaround. Under the stewardship of Lou Gerstner, the company grew to new heights. After her time at IBM, she joined Freescale Semiconductor. She was a senior VP at the company when she was approached by AMD. In 2012, she started her time at AMD as a senior VP and general manager of global business.
AMD
AMD had $2.2bn debt when Su took over
When Su took the reigns of AMD in 2014, the company had a debt of $2.2 billion. Its share in the server chip market was a mere 2%, while its arch-rival Intel showed no signs of slowing down. AMD was in ruins, but Su built the company back up. With its new Zen architecture, the company soon became the market leader in speed.
Current status
Su is one of the highest-paid CEOs in the world
Intel currently has a market capitalization of $129.84 billion, while AMD's market cap stands at $192.38 billion. AMD's shares have picked up 84.45% this year alone. Su grew alongside AMD. She is now one of the highest-paid CEOs in the world, with an annual compensation of $30.2 million in 2022. Her next target is NVIDIA's AI crown.
Information
She is now worth $740 million
In 2022, Su was named in the Forbes 50 over 50 list. She is currently worth $740 million and is the 34th richest businesswoman in the US. Su was also included in Barron's World's Best CEOs of 2022 list.