Lisa Su, one of the most influential figures in modern technology, exemplifies how technical brilliance and visionary leadership can completely alter a company’s destiny. Born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1969, Su immigrated with her family to the United States at a very young age, settling in Queens, New York City. Her father, a statistician in pursuit of graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and her mother, an accountant, instilled in her the values of intellectual rigor and determination. From childhood, Lisa displayed a natural curiosity about how things worked, frequently taking apart remote-controlled cars and other small machines to understand their inner workings—an early manifestation of her affinity for engineering and problem solving. She attended the Bronx High School of Science, a storied institution known for cultivating future innovators, and graduated in 1986, setting her on a path toward one of the most distinguished academic and professional careers in technology.
Continuing her academic pursuits, Su enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, where she would spend many productive years immersed in intensive study and experimentation. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and eventually her doctoral degrees in electrical engineering, focusing her research on metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors, or MOSFETs—miniature electronic switches found at the core of modern microchips. Her doctoral research at MIT not only showcased her technical acumen but also laid the foundation for her later success at leading-edge semiconductor companies. It demonstrated Su’s rare ability to bridge advanced scientific theory with practical engineering and large-scale industrial application.
After MIT, Su transitioned decisively into the professional world, taking on roles that spanned engineering design, technology development, and executive management at major companies including Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor. Her tenure at IBM proved pivotal: as the lead scientist at the IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center, she helped pioneer the company’s adoption of copper interconnects to replace aluminum—a breakthrough that significantly improved chip performance and efficiency. Later, as senior vice president and general manager at Freescale Semiconductor, she guided the company toward its initial public offering, demonstrating her adeptness not only in technical leadership but also in corporate strategy and operational growth. These experiences honed her ability to balance innovation with business execution, preparing her for the immense challenges she would later face at AMD.
In 2012, Su joined Advanced Micro Devices as the general manager of its Global Business Units at a moment when the company was struggling to survive. At the time, AMD’s market capitalization had dwindled to less than $2 billion, and its product lineup was heavily dependent on personal computer processors—a sector already in decline as mobile devices and cloud services began reshaping the computing landscape. Recognizing the need for reinvention, Su helped guide AMD toward a semi-custom design strategy, whereby the company would tailor its chip architecture to meet the unique specifications of major clients. This approach secured highly lucrative partnerships with Sony and Microsoft for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, diversifying AMD’s revenue streams and reducing its reliance on the shrinking PC segment. Two years later, in 2014, Su was appointed president and chief executive officer, a turning point that would define her legacy and alter the trajectory of global semiconductor competition.
Under Su’s strategic leadership, AMD underwent one of the most remarkable corporate revivals in technology history. She refocused the company on high-performance computing and graphics technologies, deliberately exiting low-margin markets for portable devices to concentrate resources on sectors with substantial growth potential—namely data centers, cloud infrastructure, and advanced gaming systems. Her decision led to the creation of the Ryzen line of CPUs and the EPYC series of server processors, products that quickly established AMD as a serious threat to Intel’s long-standing dominance and as a core competitor to Nvidia in graphics and AI acceleration. In 2018, AMD also achieved a technological milestone by launching the world’s first 7-nanometer data center GPUs, the Radeon Instinct MI50 and MI60, symbolizing the firm’s emergence as a cutting-edge innovator. By 2020, the company’s market value exceeded $110 billion, and by October 2025, it had reached roughly $270 billion—a transformation achieved through vision, persistence, and relentless innovation.
Although often celebrated for her calm demeanor and meticulous intellect, Su has faced formidable challenges. Her competitors—Intel and Nvidia—recently formed a strategic alliance to jointly develop artificial intelligence infrastructure, a move that places additional pressure on AMD. Simultaneously, the second Trump administration’s shifting export regulations concerning technology sales to China have complicated AMD’s operations in one of its most significant markets. Despite these headwinds, Su continues to advocate for balanced global engagement, arguing that limiting GPU exports could inadvertently hinder innovation worldwide. She famously said in a U.S. Senate hearing that technological progress depends on the free exchange of tools and ideas, underscoring her broader vision of innovation as an international collaborative endeavor.
Su’s resolve and character have also captured public attention in unexpected moments. A viral 2018 incident at the Chinese Grand Prix—when a Formula 1 commentator failed to recognize her and asked if she spoke English—led to an exchange that left audiences impressed by her humility. Su’s gracious response, “I’m with AMD,” became a defining example of quiet confidence and professionalism, amplifying her reputation as both a leader and a role model. Within academia, Su has maintained deep ties to MIT, becoming the first alumna to endow a building that now bears her own name: the Lisa T. Su Building at the heart of MIT.nano. She also established the Lisa Su Fellowship Fund to empower female doctoral students in nanotechnology, reinforcing her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in science and engineering.
Despite her unprecedented professional demands, Su leads a deliberately private personal life. She is married to Daniel Lin, a non-public figure with whom she occasionally appears at formal events, though little is known about their private family life. To maintain both physical and mental balance, Su devotes time to boxing training at home, an exercise regimen that she considers energizing and personally empowering. She has mentioned her fondness for passion tea lemonade from Starbucks and typically manages to rest five to six hours on work nights, indulging in slightly more sleep on weekends—a glimpse into the disciplined yet human habits behind her extraordinary productivity.
In 2024, Su’s achievements culminated in one of the highest honors bestowed upon a corporate leader—being named TIME magazine’s CEO of the Year, the first woman ever to receive that recognition. The award acknowledged not only AMD’s resurgence but also her influence on the broader technology sector, her ability to navigate volatile markets, and her commitment to ethical, transparent, and forward-looking leadership. Her family ties also add an intriguing dimension to her story: Su is a first cousin once removed of Nvidia’s founder and CEO Jensen Huang. Although both share Taiwanese roots and emigrated to the United States in childhood, they did not meet in person until well into their respective careers, a testament to how parallel journeys in technology can unfold independently yet converge in global competition.
Even as AMD’s valuation has grown more than a hundredfold under Su’s leadership, Nvidia remains significantly larger, with a market capitalization of approximately $4.4 trillion as of 2025. Nonetheless, Su consistently emphasizes that she does not measure success solely by comparison with rivals. In interviews, she has described the semiconductor and AI marketplace as vast, open, and full of opportunity, signaling her focus on long-term innovation rather than short-term competition. Her willingness to engage with critics also distinguishes her management style. When a technical analysis firm published a report suggesting AMD’s graphics software limited the potential of its hardware, Su personally initiated a ninety-minute discussion with the lead analyst to better understand the feedback. She later summarized her perspective on social media with the statement that “feedback is a gift,” reflecting her belief in continual improvement and constructive dialogue as vital tools for corporate growth.
Global trade disputes and export regulations have introduced new complexities to her leadership. Like Nvidia, AMD has had to design specialized chips—such as the MI308 AI processor—to comply with U.S. export rules governing technology sales to China. In early 2025, updated restrictions temporarily halted those shipments, costing AMD an estimated $800 million in revenue. Su, however, has remained pragmatic, warning that isolating international markets risks slowing overall innovation. Following policy adjustments in July of that same year, AMD resumed compliant exports and agreed, along with Nvidia, to remit 15% of revenue from Chinese chip sales to the U.S. government in exchange for maintaining export licenses.
Her influence now extends beyond the technology sector into governance and public policy. On September 4, 2025, Su participated in an AI task force session at the White House led by First Lady Melania Trump and later attended a high-profile dinner with industry leaders including Bill Gates, Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg. While she is not part of any formal advisory board, Su has endorsed the administration’s AI Action Plan, describing it as a practical framework to ensure sustained American leadership in artificial intelligence. Although the legislation has sparked debate for potentially overriding state-level AI regulations and limiting certain types of funding, Su has remained optimistic about its strategic vision and potential to create a unified national approach to emerging technologies.
In sum, Lisa Su’s life and career illustrate how expertise, determination, and strategic courage can transform both a person and a company. From a curious child dismantling gadgets in a Queens apartment to the head of a multinational semiconductor empire, Su’s story stands as an inspiring testament to perseverance, intellectual rigor, and empathetic leadership in one of the world’s most complex and competitive industries.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-lisa-su-ceo-and-president-of-advanced-micro-device
