Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, a leading executive in the semiconductor industry and head of the company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), will deliver the address at the OneMIT Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 28.
As chair and CEO of AMD, Su has transformed the company, which is now a global leader in high-performance and AI computing. In addition to designing industry-leading CPUs and the specialized GPUs that enable AI applications, AMD technology is the foundation of many of the world’s most advanced supercomputers and high-performance computing systems. The company continues to work on next-generation hardware and open software that will accelerate the adoption of AI, which Su has described as the most transformational technology of our time.
Su has maintained a close relationship with MIT since her days as a student. She was the speaker at the 2017 doctoral hooding ceremony, and in 2018 she established the Lisa Su Fellowship Fund. She served on the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Visiting Committee for 10 years. In 2022, Building 12, which houses MIT.nano, was named in her honor.
“Long before she led the spectacular turnaround of AMD and lent her name to MIT’s world-class nano facility, Lisa Su was an MIT student who inspired and mentored her classmates. During her PhD studies, she created instructions that guided generations of student researchers in using some of the Institute’s most advanced equipment,” says MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “Lisa is renowned for her intellectual rigor, boldness, and originality, and we're absolutely thrilled that she has agreed to deliver the Commencement address to our graduates this year.”
“MIT has always held a special place in my life and career, and I’m thrilled to accept the invitation to speak at Commencement,” Su says. “The Class of 2026 will be graduating at an exciting time, as AI transforms our world and expands what is possible, and I look forward to celebrating them as they prepare to share their skills and ideas with the world.”
Born in Taiwan, Su grew up in Queens, New York. After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from MIT, she worked at Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor, then joined AMD in 2012. In her current position, Su is a member of a small group: Only about 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs.
“Lisa Su has embraced MIT’s ‘mind and hand’ motto over the course of her career, first with important scientific discoveries in semiconductor design and engineering, and later as an extraordinary business executive leading the delivery of innovative products that play an essential role in the modern digital economy. We are very fortunate that she has agreed to share some of the lessons learned on her journey,” says Jim Poterba, the Mitsui Professor of Economics and chair of the Commencement Committee.
“Dr. Lisa Su is an inspiration to the MIT community for the way she combines exceptional engineering and leadership with meaningful, far-reaching impact in computing and countless other fields,” senior class president Heba Hussein says. “Her journey embodies the spirit of MIT, and the Class of 2026 is incredibly excited to welcome her at Commencement as we step into the world carrying the same MIT values!”
“I am excited to hear from someone that I know we can all learn something from. I think all MIT students respect the ‘lock-in’ that must have been required to achieve all that she has, with AMD and beyond,” says Alice Hall, president of the Undergraduate Association.
“Dr. Su is a world leader in manufacturing technologies and personifies MIT's values. As an alum, she has shared many experiences with current students, and I look forward to hearing about how these experiences shaped her successful career,” says Teddy Warner, president of the Graduate Student Council.
Su has received many honors including two named for MIT alumni: the Global Semiconductor Association’s Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award and the Robert N. Noyce Medal. She was named TIME’s 2024 CEO of the Year and has been recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People and Fortune's Most Powerful People in Business. She received the 2024 Bower Award for Business Leadership and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Committee for Economic Development (CED). Su is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
Su joins notable recent MIT Commencement speakers including science communicator Hank Green (2025); inventor and entrepreneur Noubar Afeyan (2024); YouTuber and inventor Mark Rober (2023); Director-General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (2022); lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson (2021); and retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral William McRaven (2020).
