Pioneering engineer in the semiconductor industry and the Chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Lisa Su was awarded an honorary doctorate by National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan. The award ceremony was held on June 2 in Austin, Texas, United States, with NTHU President W. John Kao conferring the honorary doctorate degree upon Su. Chun-hwai Su, Su’s father and an NTHU alumnus, welcomed Su to be part of the NTHU family by presenting a bouquet of flowers to her.
When delivering an address, Su stated that it is truly an honor to receive the prestigious honorary doctorate from NTHU, one of the leading universities in Taiwan and in the world.
Su noted that what makes her excited is working on products that truly touch the lives of billions of people every day. And she is very thankful to her education that enables her with the foundation to work in such an exciting field, and also to answer some of the world’s most challenging and important problems.
Su emphasized that she has experienced herself firsthand the power of education and the incredible opportunity it provides. When she just entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she didn’t know what she wanted to do. But she first had the opportunity to learn about semiconductors as a research assistant during her freshman year at MIT. From then on, she was fascinated about semiconductors and the ability to build tiny chips that would really change the world.
Su pointed out that education plays a significant role in shaping the future. Therefore, she would like to acknowledge President Kao and his vision, the entire NTHU administration, and faculty members and staff, whose dedication and leadership have placed NTHU at the forefront of academic excellence as well as research discovery.
Recollecting his first phone call with Su, President Kao noted that Su told him that “NTHU has deeply affected my father and my father has influenced my life journey.” Now he would like to add that “Su has certainly impacted the tech world and in turn, every one of us.”
Kao stated that he and Su shared the same experience—both were born in Taiwan and moved to the United States at a very young age, so he knows very well that Su, as a woman and an Asian, needs to work extra hard to break the glass ceiling and bamboo ceiling. The fact that she is now a standout leader in the semiconductor industry bears testament to her hard work. “Su is a role model for the students and faculty of NTHU, as she works super hard to become the person she is today.”
Su was born in Taiwan in 1969. She emigrated to the United States at the age of three. Su’s husband Daniel Lin was also there witnessing the ceremony.
