National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University confers an honorary doctoral degree on Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, in recognition of her significant contributions to business operations and the technology industry.
Dr. Lisa Su was recommended by the president of the National Chiao Tung University Electrical Engineering Alumni Association, Pua Khein-Seng, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2019 during the tenure of President Mau-Chung Chang.
NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin shared that Dr. Lisa Su has earned countless awards for her achievements and contributions, including membership in the National Academy of Engineering, a fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Robert N. Noyce Medal from the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award from Global Semiconductor Alliance, one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune Magazine, the World’s Best CEOs by Barron’s Magazine, and International Peace honoree. She is also a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Dr. Lisa Su is the first female CEO of AMD and led the transformation of AMD into a high-performance and adaptive computing leader, and one of the fastest-growing semiconductor companies in the world. Her story of leading the successful transformation of AMD has made her a paradigm for global business leaders.
Dr. Lisa Su started her remarks with a greeting in Chinese. “The principles of NYCU are truly close to my heart because you were founded on the idea that a great university is a place where people come together across multiple disciplines to solve real-world problems.” Dr. Lisa Su said. “AI also requires that all disciplines come together, including hardware, software, systems, applications and business models. This is a perfect example of the
multi-disciplinary approach and different perspectives that NYCU is all about.” Dr. Lisa Su also shared her experience at MIT. Believing that semiconductors could change the world, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in semiconductors although nobody thought semiconductors were very interesting at the time. “I have been in this industry now for almost 30 years, and I must say I am incredibly proud to be in this industry, and together we really do change the world.”
In a conversation with doctoral students, Yun-zhu Song from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Eugene Lee from the Department of Electronics, and Wei-Syuan Lin from the International Semiconductor Industry Academy, Dr. Lisa Su shared that the AI field is moving very quickly and will bring tremendous possibilities for the future. She said that the students are in the most exciting time because they can do many different disciplines and aspects. She addressed whether to pursue interdisciplinary studies or delve into a specific specialization depended on the individual, however, she believed that creativity often arises from the connection of different fields. The resources, talents, and innovative culture within Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem will bring substantial progress at a rapid pace.
Dr. Lisa Su’s leadership style and contribution to the industry and society render her an exemplary model for all teachers and students of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Today, NYCU confers an honorary doctorate on Dr. Su in recognition of her major contributions to business operations and society.
