This week we will be continuing our blog series on influential women in technology. It is important to highlight these women in the tech industry in order to empower and inspire all women in tech. At the end of 2023, women held only 35% of tech jobs in the United States, which shows the importance of supporting the women who are making a huge impact in a mostly male-dominated field.
One of these women is Dr. Lisa Su, the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance computing technologies. Her work and experience in tech has grown AMD significantly and earned her many rewards and recognitions. Keep reading to delve into Dr. Su’s journey that made her one of the top women in the tech industry.
Dr. Su’s Background
Dr. Lisa Su was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States when she was just a small child. Her passion for technology was apparent from a young age, as she went on to earn her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Early in her career, Dr. Su worked as a member of the technical staff at Texas Instruments Inc. in the Semiconductor Process and Device Center before shifting her career to IBM. For 13 years, she worked at IBM in various engineering and business leadership positions, one of which was Vice President of the Semiconductor Research and Development Center. She then served as Senior Vice President and general manager, Networking and Multimedia at Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. before joining AMD.
“Of course, I love having relationships with my peer CEOs, but I love having relationships with the head of engineering or the head of sales and our customers, because I learn what is on their minds.”
Advanced Micro Devices
In 2012, Dr. Lisa Su joined AMD and was responsible for directing end-to-end business execution of AMD’s products and solutions as Senior Vice President and GM, global business units. When she became CEO, she led AMD’s huge transformation into an industry leader in computing and AI solutions. The company was not doing so great in 2014 when Su became CEO, but she saw it as a great opportunity to make it into something bigger.
Dr. Su took many risks that wound up in her favor and led AMD to a few years of small yet consistent improvements. Even with much competition, Su became a CEO that scaled her company tremendously. Now with AI at the forefront of the tech industry, Su is working hard to ensure that AMD is keeping up with demand and remaining competitive with companies like Nvidia.
“I’m hopeful for a day when technology actually improves our quality of life and the quality of our business in a far more substantial way than it does today, and that’s what I think artificial intelligence can do. It can make each one of us smarter. It can make each one of our businesses better. It could help us answer questions that today are not clear.”
Rewards and Recognition
Dr. Lisa Su’s work in AMD and her vast expertise in technology has earned her many different rewards and recognitions. Some of these include 2024 TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, 2024 CRN 25 Most Influential Executives, 2024 Bower Award for Business Leadership, and Chief Executive Magazine’s 2024 CEO Of The Year. These awards are just a few of the many that Dr. Su has earned due to her dedication and technical prowess.
In 2021, President Biden appointed Dr. Lisa Su to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). She continues to serve on PCAST today, and is also a member of the board of directors for the Semiconductor Industry Association and on the Department of Homeland Security’s Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board.
Dr. Su’s impact throughout the tech industry serves as an inspiring journey that many young women in tech can learn from and gain the confidence to build something great themselves. Her work will continue to help her company grow and adapt to the ever changing possibilities in technology.
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