Lisa Su, the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), is steering the company toward a new frontier in artificial intelligence (AI), setting her sights on capturing a significant portion of the AI chip market. Having led AMD since 2012, Su is not only the sole female CEO among the top 10 semiconductor companies by market capitalization but also the highest-paid female CEO for five consecutive years, according to an AP survey. Her engineering background and technical acumen have been pivotal in her leadership, enabling her to make informed decisions that drive AMD's success.
Under Su's leadership, AMD has experienced remarkable growth, including overtaking rival Intel in market value in 2022. Her strategic focus on AI represents a long-term professional gamble, as she believes that making astute technical decisions is key to success in the semiconductor industry. Su's involvement in AMD's technology road map is hands-on; she frequently visits the company's chip labs and collaborates closely with AMD's technology chief, Mark Papermaster.
"Lisa Su knows fundamentally how chips are made," said Thompson. "She understands the risk with different technology options, and she can assess that risk and make the right choice."
Su's vision for AMD is not limited to hardware. Despite AMD's chips being on par with Nvidia's, her biggest challenge lies in software development. She acknowledges the need for further software optimizations and is determined to expand AMD's software division, intending to announce new AI chips annually and build a robust team of thousands of employees dedicated to this effort.
"We have put a ton of work into customer and workload optimizations but there is lots more we can do," stated Su.
Her commitment to innovation is evident in AMD's increased research spending, which reached $6.5 billion last year—over six times the amount spent in 2014. This investment underscores her belief that technological advancements require substantial resources.
"It's fairly clear in tech, there's no such thing as cutting yourself to be a winner," Su remarked, emphasizing the importance of investing in growth.
Su's leadership style is characterized by her personable approach and deep understanding of engineering, earning her admiration from the engineering team at AMD. Her familiarity with the technical aspects of chip production allows her to make decisions that resonate with her team.
"Lisa is so admired by the engineering team because she knows what they do, and they know she knows it," expressed Mark Papermaster.
Beyond the boardroom, Su has been known to enjoy a game of Texas Hold 'em poker, often playing with her sales staff—a testament to her strategic mindset and ability to weigh risks effectively.
"One of the things that I like to say about the semiconductor industry, or technology in general, is the decisions that we make today, you will really see the impact three to five years down the road," Su noted.