Dr. Lisa Su’s Speech at National Taiwan University: Insights into AMD’s Transformation Strategy, AI Industry Trends, Leadership, Innovation, and Taiwan’s Semiconductor Ecosystem
This article is based on the speech given by Dr. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, at National Taiwan University, where she discussed AMD’s transformation strategy, the future trends of the AI industry, and her unique views on leadership, innovation, and Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem.
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Dr. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD and director of the Semiconductor Industry Association, was invited this month to speak at National Taiwan University. She shared insights into how she led AMD from adversity to success, her perspectives on the immense AI market, and her high praise for Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem.
Born in Tainan and holding a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, Dr. Su, a semiconductor giant, captivated the audience with her profound technical expertise and exceptional leadership. She engaged in a deep conversation about technology, strategy, and life philosophy, leaving a lasting impression on both students and industry professionals. The following are key takeaways from her speech:
Opening the speech, Dr. Su humbly expressed that engaging with the talented students made her “feel old,” but she hoped to share some stories that could inspire their careers. She reflected on her academic background, from her undergraduate and master’s degrees at MIT to her doctoral work focused on semiconductor devices. With over thirty years of experience in the semiconductor industry, she emphasized the rapid technological advancements that have shaped her journey. Since joining AMD in 2012 and becoming CEO in 2014, Dr. Su has positioned the company with a clear focus on “High-Performance Computing” (HPC).
“High-performance computing has essentially become the core of our lives today,” Dr. Su emphasized. AMD’s technology impacts billions of people daily, whether in cloud data centers, network edges, personal computers, automobiles, or industrial sectors. “The most important thing for a tech company is having a long-term strategy and a technological roadmap,” she said. AMD’s success is built on three pillars:
- Focus on high-performance computing: Making HPC the core competitive advantage, continuously investing in R&D.
- Establishing strong partnerships: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is one of AMD’s core partners, jointly developing leading-edge products.
- Embracing technological transformation and betting on Chiplet technology: Given the slowdown of Moore’s Law, AMD has boldly invested in Chiplet technology, viewing it as the key to future development.
These strategies have paid off, with Dr. Su proudly noting that five of the top ten supercomputers worldwide now use AMD’s technology. “I firmly believe that high-performance computing will be the most important core area in the future,” she said.
AI Wave: A $500 Billion Market and the Importance of Holistic Design Thinking
When discussing the current hot topic of AI, Dr. Su acknowledged the astonishing speed of innovation in the AI industry, “new technologies and innovations emerge almost every week.” She cited the DeepSeek model, which gained attention in January this year, as an example of how techniques like the Mixture of Experts model have reduced AI’s usage barriers and costs, accelerating its adoption and application. “The main contribution of DeepSeek is that it has truly accelerated AI’s application,” she noted.
Dr. Su emphasized that the AI computing ecosystem lacks a “one-size-fits-all” solution. On one hand, there is a need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars to develop the most powerful frontier models. On the other hand, there is significant demand for mid-sized models and various algorithms. She expects AI investments to continue growing significantly in the future, covering both large and more cost-effective investments.
“The most important thing about AI is: the market is enormous,” Dr. Su predicted that the AI market will reach $500 billion in the next three to four years. Such a massive market requires a variety of computing power, including CPUs, GPUs, ASICs, and FPGAs. “No single company can provide all the solutions,” she emphasized. AMD’s AI strategy focuses on two main points:
- Providing a complete solution: Covering hardware, software, and system levels.
- Building an open ecosystem: Encouraging collaboration and co-innovation to enable mutual learning. She further mentioned that DeepSeek’s open model features promote secondary innovations based on it.
Dr. Su further pointed out that AI has penetrated every aspect of AMD’s business, from the largest data centers to personal computers, all of which will see a surge in AI applications. “This represents a huge market opportunity for all of us,” she stated.
She also reminded the audience that in AI, design thinking must shift. “You must adopt a holistic design approach,” she emphasized. Hardware, software, and systems must be designed together, rather than considering each component in isolation as in the past. Starting from the system application and algorithms is key to designing chips effectively.
The Key Role and Resilience of Taiwan’s Ecosystem
Dr. Su spoke highly of Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem. “Taiwan’s ecosystem is truly unique.” She noted the impressive capabilities established by TSMC in manufacturing, as well as the complete industry chain encompassing ODMs, OEMs, manufacturing, and design. She anticipated an increase in investment in software and systems in the future. AMD’s team in Taiwan is an important part of its global R&D efforts, something Dr. Su takes great pride in.
At the same time, she emphasized the interdependence of global ecosystems today. “From the perspective of the United States, we are indeed very reliant on Taiwan’s manufacturing ecosystem.” Thus, building “resilience” in this ecosystem is critical. This ties into the global trend of supply chain restructuring and diversification, highlighting Taiwan’s irreplaceable position in the global tech industry.
Dr. Su, who was born in Tainan and later immigrated to the United States, also shared her personal growth journey. She thanked her parents for emphasizing the importance of education, even though she was eager to enter the workforce, her parents “strongly recommended” that she pursue a Ph.D.
“It turns out my parents were right,” she said. She believes that her university and graduate school experiences provided invaluable opportunities to learn diverse knowledge and build confidence in solving future problems. From being a semiconductor engineer to a business executive and then a leader in the semiconductor industry, her journey toward her “dream job” was not easy, especially in the early stages when family support was crucial.
Leadership, Innovation, and Advice for Students
Dr. Su believes that leadership styles vary, but university education plays a crucial role in fostering leadership skills. She shared one of the best pieces of advice she ever received: “Go solve the hardest problems.” She encouraged students to choose projects, problems, or companies that could have a significant impact, as these offer the most learning opportunities and the greatest contributions. “One thing for sure: I learned the most from the biggest mistakes I made,” she stated. Mistakes, she emphasized, are not a bad thing but an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Reflecting on AMD’s transformation journey, Dr. Su recalled the challenges she faced when taking over in 2014. At that time, the company’s product roadmap lacked competitiveness. “In a tech company, products are everything.” Thus, her first priority was to replan the product roadmap and establish three key priorities: create excellent products, build strong customer relationships (emphasizing the importance of cooperation), and stay agile and act quickly.
To achieve these goals, the team needed time to develop a great roadmap. Today, AMD’s CPUs based on Zen technology have reached the fifth generation, and the company has transformed from being “non-optimal” to being one of the companies with “the best CPU technology globally.”
Dr. Su views key trends in the semiconductor industry, including the necessity for holistic design thinking, and believes AI is still in the “early innings,” with immense innovation potential over the next decade. She is particularly optimistic about AI’s application potential in healthcare and life sciences, such as helping cure diseases, discovering new drugs, and diagnosing health problems early.
Finally, Dr. Su offered sincere advice to the students present: “Be very ambitious about the goals you want to achieve.” She encouraged young students to have “grand dreams” and to boldly share those dreams with others because people will help them achieve their goals.
She also reminded students, especially those from Taiwan or Asia, that they may sometimes feel shy, but they should overcome this and be brave in expressing themselves. She emphasized the importance of continuous learning and staying mentally agile, as the world changes rapidly. When facing setbacks, it’s okay to feel sad briefly, but they must learn from it and focus on the next goal.
Dr. Su also mentioned that the “quality” of talent is more important than the “quantity.” When AMD had only about 8,000 employees, much smaller than competitors like Intel, many people thought AMD couldn’t succeed. But she firmly believed that success hinges on having “the right people, the right projects, the right focus, and the right vision.”
