Hector Ruiz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hector Ruiz
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| Born | December 25, 1945 |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin (BS, 1968; MS, 1970) Rice University (PhD, 1973) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering |
| Institutions | Texas Instruments Motorola AMD GlobalFoundries |
Hector de Jesus Ruiz Cardenas (born December 25, 1945) is a well-known business leader. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions, Inc. He used to be the CEO and chairman of AMD, a big company that makes computer chips.
Ruiz wrote a book called Slingshot: AMD’s Fight To Free An Industry From The Ruthless Grip Of Intel. This book talks about his decision in 2005 to take legal action against a much bigger rival company. It also shares stories from his childhood and important lessons he learned from his family and teachers.
Early Life and School
Hector Ruiz was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a city in Mexico. As a teenager, he walked across the border every day. He went to high school in Eagle Pass, Texas, in the United States. He learned English quickly and graduated as the top student in his class.
He studied electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his first degree in 1968 and a master's degree in 1970. Later, he received his PhD from Rice University in 1973. In 2012, the University of Texas honored Ruiz as a Distinguished Alumnus. This award recognizes former students who have achieved great things.
Career Highlights
Ruiz worked at Texas Instruments for six years. Then, he spent 22 years at Motorola, another major technology company. He became the president of Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector.
In 2000, the founder of AMD, Jerry Sanders, asked Ruiz to join AMD. Ruiz became the president and chief operating officer. He was chosen to lead the company when Sanders retired. Ruiz became the CEO of AMD in 2002 and chairman of the board in 2004.
During his time as CEO, Ruiz led AMD to make important new technologies. They made good progress in competing against Intel, another big chip company. One of his key ideas was to separate AMD's chip manufacturing. This created a new company called GlobalFoundries. This move helped AMD focus more on designing chips. An investment group from Abu Dhabi helped fund this new company.
From about 2003 to 2006, AMD made computer chips that many experts thought were better than Intel's. AMD believed that Intel's business deals made it harder for their chips to be widely used. In 2009, AMD settled a legal case against Intel, and Intel paid AMD $1.25 billion.
In 2006, Ruiz announced that AMD, and later GlobalFoundries, would build a very advanced chip factory in New York. This news brought a lot of attention to the area. The factory was expected to create many jobs.
Ruiz became the chairman of GlobalFoundries in 2009. He later left this role. He has stated that he believes he never did anything wrong.
In 2010, Ruiz traveled around the world advising technology companies. He wrote about the growing technology economy in Brazil. He noted a new sense of confidence among Brazilian business and political leaders.
In 2011, Ruiz started a new consulting company called Bull Ventures. He aimed to help other companies by sharing his experience in leading strategy and business deals. In 2013, he wrote an article for BusinessWeek offering advice for the next CEO of Intel.
In September 2015, the Mexican Consulate in Austin, Texas, honored Dr. Hector Ruiz with the Ohtli Award. This award recognizes people of Mexican origin who have helped their communities outside of Mexico.
Views on Immigration
Hector Ruiz supports ways for immigrants to legally become U.S. citizens. He has spoken about the importance of fair immigration policies.
