AMD hires former Freescale executive Lisa Su

SAN FRANCISCO -- AMD has hired former Freescale Semiconductor executive Lisa Su as senior vice president and general manager of its global business units with the aim of improving the chip maker’s execution.  

Su, most recently senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s networking and multimedia business unit, will apparently be focused on client relationships, graphics and the game console market as AMD pushes towards gaining market share in the lower power, emerging markets and cloud computing segments.

AMD’s president and CEO Rory Read described Su as “one of the most respected and technically astute executives in the global semiconductor industry,” saying she brings an impressive record of business execution, an area in which, lately AMD has fallen short.

Su will report directly to Read starting next year,  and will oversee an AMD task force responsible for execution and getting products out on time.

AMD also said Su would have responsibility for building alliances and partnerships with software developers, important in building an ecosystem around AMD products. Most recently, AMD has been offering help to Android developers, attempting to tweak the OS for x86 based systems.

Su had been with Freescale since 2007, when she joined the company as its chief technology officer, leading research and development efforts before being promoted to head the company’s networking and multimedia efforts.

Su's departure stems from the regrouping of Freescale’s product groups, perhaps a testament to the significant role she played at Freescale over the past four years, during which Freescale got its house in order and, earlier this year, executed an IPO.

Freescale Thursday (Dec. 15) announced the creation of two new strategic groups: the Networking & Multimedia Solutions Group (NMSG) and the Automotive & Industrial Solutions Group (AISG).  

The newly created NMSG product group, which includes networking, multimedia, radio frequency and cellular products, will be led by Senior Vice President and General Manager Tom Deitrich. The AISG product group, which includes microcontroller, analog and sensor products, will be led by Senior Vice President and General Manager Reza Kazerounian.

In sum, three previous product groups at Freescale – headed by a close-knit management team consisting of Tom Deitrich, Reza Kazerounian and Su – have been consolidated into two new strategic product groups, leaving Deitrich and Kazerounian to divvy up the responsibilities.

Freescale would not say how much lead time Su gave Freescale before her departure, but a spokesman at the company stressed that her resignation was amicable and Freescale has had time to work with Su on the transition.