The Queen of Semiconductors, AMD’s Lisa Su is not willing to lose

Dr Su first joined AMD in 2012 as a senior vice president and general manager of its global business units. Two years later, she was promoted to CEO—and faced a daunting challenge: AMD’s stock price was languishing at a mere US$1.61 and the company’s market value was a paltry 1 per cent of its rival Intel’s at US$1.952 billion.

Reversing AMD’s fortunes would be no easy feat.

When she took the helm, Dr Su strategically focused the business on its core markets: desktop, laptop and data centre CPUs, along with graphics chips for personal computers and gaming consoles. She spearheaded a shift to the “Zen” architecture, a move that would ultimately reverse the misfortunes of the previous “Bulldozer” design and pave the way for the highly successful Ryzen desktop and EPYC server processors.

However, progress wasn’t without its hurdles. When manufacturing partner GlobalFoundries struggled to advance its process technology, Dr Su made a decisive and costly move: she negotiated a deal to pay a substantial penalty to GlobalFoundries, freeing AMD to partner with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which had successfully developed cutting-edge 7nm technology.

This strategic decision proved crucial in restoring AMD to its former glory.

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This strategic partnership with TSMC, combined with the new “Zen” architecture and access to cutting-edge manufacturing processes, enabled AMD to launch a full-scale counterattack in the market. Underlying this resurgence was Dr Su’s steadfast belief in a key leadership principle: the “5 Per Cent Rule”.

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AMD’s processor roadmap revealed the long-term nature of the challenges Dr Su sought to address. She recognised that setting unrealistic growth targets would be counterproductive, potentially demoralising the team.

Instead, she advocated for a more measured approach, focusing on consistent, incremental improvements, hence the 5 Per Cent Rule. She believed that with each new product, AMD could overcome past limitations and steadily advance towards its ambitious goals. This “5 Per Cent Rule” fostered a culture of continuous improvement, empowering the team to be more constructive and build a revitalized AMD.

Despite the accolades she has received, Dr Su remains driven by a competitive spirit that has been with her since childhood. “I love to win!” she once declared in an interview. This inherent drive, combined with her strategic vision and unwavering determination, has been instrumental in shaping her remarkable career and transforming AMD into an industry powerhouse.

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At the age of two, Dr Su immigrated to the US with her family, where she experienced a different cultural and educational environment. Her father, Chun-Huai Su, recalls that even as a young child, his daughter was fascinated by how things worked, often taking apart toy cars to explore their inner workings.

Dr Su has said that her family never placed limits on her interests. While she wasn’t drawn to traditional toys like dolls, her parents encouraged her curiosity and fostered a learning environment that treated both boys and girls equally. This supportive upbringing, coupled with her innate inquisitiveness, inspired her to pursue a career in engineering, a passion that would guide her throughout her education and beyond.

In fact, she and Jensen Huang, CEO of software and fabless giant Nvidia, are first cousins once removed.

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Entering the Bronx High School of Science, a renowned institution known as the “Cradle of Physicists”, Dr Su found herself surrounded by exceptionally talented peers. This competitive environment fuelled her desire to excel, not just academically but also in her future career. She set her sights on attending the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she chose to major in electrical engineering, believing it to be the most challenging field.

Throughout her studies, Dr Su maintained a focused yet pragmatic approach. She recognised that while she might not always be at the very top of her class, she was determined to be a key contributor and problem-solver. This mindset, evident throughout her academic journey, would prove to be a defining characteristic of her leadership style in the professional world.

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During her 2024 visit to Taiwan, where she was born, for the Computex event, Dr Su engaged enthusiastically with students. When asked what advice she would give her 17-year-old self, she responded without hesitation: “Be more patient.”

Dr Su advised them to embrace learning with open arms and to resist the urge to rush towards accomplishments. She emphasised that those years at the cusp of adulthood are a time for exploration and personal growth. She echoed this sentiment in her 2017 commencement speech at MIT, where she extolled the virtue of patience, and urged graduates to be bold in their aspirations and pursue their dreams fearlessly.

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Dr Su believes that while everyone hopes for good fortune, true success comes from actively shaping one’s own path. She emphasises that the first step is to “Dream Big” and be courageous in pursuing those dreams. Drawing from her own experiences at MIT, she encourages young people not to underestimate themselves, but to embrace their potential and “dare to fly”.

Dr Su acknowledges that the journey of realising one’s dreams is rarely easy and requires taking risks. She reminds aspiring leaders to maintain a passion for lifelong learning and reflect on the lessons learned along the way. Whether in the laboratory or workplace, she urges them to be bold in their endeavours but to also seek evidence and be thoughtful in their decision-making.

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Ultimately, Dr Su believes that the ability to solve problems and create unique value can truly empower individuals to “create” their own luck. These intangible skills, she argues, are the tools that distinguish those who succeed from those who merely hope for good fortune.

As the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to surge, bringing both challenges and opportunities to the semiconductor industry, Dr Su stands ready to lead AMD to new heights.

With her deep understanding of technology, strong partnerships, keen market insights, strategic leadership and unwavering determination, she is poised to make a lasting impact on this transformative era. Just as she revitalised AMD, she is now shaping the future of AI, securing her place in history as the “Queen of Semiconductors”.

This article was translated from Traditional Chinese to English. The original piece was written by Johnson Jang.

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