She Took AMD From $3 to a Chip Giant
When she became CEO, AMD was nearly broke. Ten years later it was worth hundreds of billions. Meet Lisa Su.
In 2014, the chip company AMD was in deep trouble. Its stock was around $3. Many people thought it might not survive.
That year, an engineer named Lisa Su became CEO.
A decade later, AMD's chips powered gaming PCs, huge data centres, supercomputers and AI systems, and the company was worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
From Tainan to Queens
Lisa Su was born in 1969 in Tainan, Taiwan. When she was three, her family moved to the United States. She grew up in Queens, New York.
As a kid she loved taking apart her brother's remote control cars to see how they worked. Her parents encouraged her to study math and science.
Three degrees from MIT
Lisa went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned a bachelor's, a master's and a PhD, all in electrical engineering.
She became an expert in semiconductors, the tiny materials that make computer chips work.
Building a career in chips
Lisa worked at Texas Instruments, then spent years at IBM, where she worked on research and chip development. She then became chief technology officer at Freescale Semiconductor.
In 2012, she joined AMD.
The turnaround
In October 2014, Lisa became AMD's CEO. She made a simple plan: build great products, earn customers' trust, and keep things focused.
She bet big on a new chip design called Zen. In 2017, AMD launched Ryzen processors for PCs and EPYC processors for servers. They were fast and competitive, and AMD started winning back market share from Intel.
In 2022, AMD bought chip company Xilinx. In 2024, TIME named Lisa its CEO of the Year.
The AI era
As AI exploded, Lisa pushed AMD to build powerful AI chips to compete with Nvidia. In 2025, AMD signed a major multi year partnership with OpenAI to supply AI computing power. In 2026 she kept expanding AMD's AI business worldwide, including a large investment in Saudi Arabia.
Where she is now
Today, Lisa Su is chair and CEO of AMD, and one of the most respected leaders in technology.
Why the story matters
Lisa Su did not found AMD, but she rebuilt it. Her story shows the power of deep expertise, patience and steady execution.
For young builders, the lesson is simple. Become truly great at your craft, make a clear plan, and deliver again and again.
She did not promise miracles. She shipped them.
The Record
Born: 1969
From: Tainan, Taiwan; raised in Queens, New York
Studied: B.S., M.S. and PhD in electrical engineering, MIT
Worked at: Texas Instruments, IBM, Freescale Semiconductor
Role: Chair and CEO of AMD since 2014
Timeline
1969 Born in Tainan, Taiwan.
1994 Earns PhD from MIT.
2012 Joins AMD.
2014 Becomes AMD CEO.
2017 Launches Ryzen and EPYC.
2022 Completes the Xilinx deal.
2024 TIME CEO of the Year.
2025 Partnership with OpenAI.