# Jerry Sanders

> Jerry Sanders co-founded Advanced Micro Devices in 1969 and served as its founding CEO until 2002. An electrical engineering graduate who rose through semiconductor sales, he shaped AMD’s competitive identity, promoted employee ownership, helped establish industry organizations, and led the company through its transition from second-source supplier to independent processor designer.

- **Role:** Co-founder and retired founding CEO of AMD
- **Organizations:** Advanced Micro Devices, Fairchild Semiconductor, Motorola, Douglas Aircraft, Semiconductor Industry Association, Semiconductor Research Corporation
- **From:** Chicago, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- **Known for:** Co-founded AMD and led it as CEO from 1969 to 2002., Led AMD during its transition to independent x86 processor designs and the Athlon era., Helped establish the Semiconductor Industry Association and Semiconductor Research Corporation.

## Career timeline

- **1958** — Graduated in electrical engineering and began work at Douglas Aircraft.
- **1959-1961** — Worked as a sales engineer at Motorola Semiconductor.
- **1961** — Joined Fairchild Semiconductor; subsequently advanced through sales and marketing leadership.
- **1968** — Dismissed from Fairchild after a change in management.
- **1969** — Co-founded AMD with seven other former Fairchild employees and became its founding CEO.
- **1977** — Helped found the Semiconductor Industry Association.
- **1982** — AMD entered a second-source processor agreement with Intel; SIA formed the Semiconductor Research Corporation.
- **1998** — Received the SIA Robert N. Noyce Award.
- **2000** — AMD reached the 1 GHz Athlon milestone; recruited Hector Ruiz as president and COO.
- **2001** — Received the American Electronics Association Medal of Achievement.
- **2002** — Hector Ruiz succeeded him as CEO in April; Sanders remained chairman.
- **2004** — Retired as AMD chairman.
- **2007** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
- **2010** — Inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame.

## Achievements

- Co-founded AMD and led it as CEO from 1969 to 2002.
- Led AMD during its transition to independent x86 processor designs and the Athlon era.
- Helped establish the Semiconductor Industry Association and Semiconductor Research Corporation.
- Received the 1998 Robert N. Noyce Award and 2001 AEA Medal of Achievement.
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2007.

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Stanford’s account of the Silicon Genesis oral-history project’s 30th anniversary named Sanders among the semiconductor figures preserved in its archive; this was archival coverage, not a new interview.
- **2024-12** — Expressed confidence in Lisa Su in TIME’s CEO of the Year profile.
- **2024-05** — AMD’s 55th-anniversary retrospective recognized Sanders and its seven other co-founders.

## Links

- Website: https://jerrysanders.com/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jerry-sanders
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14