I recently helped judge Technovation’s 2018 World Pitch Night, hosted at AMD’s campus in California. Technovation, a global technology entrepreneurship program for girls age 10-18, invited 12 finalist teams from more than 12,000 participants worldwide to present their business plans for a mobile app to solve a problem in their community.
Although much has occurred since that night, I can’t quit thinking about the girls and mentors I met through the experience, and their courage, persistence and belief in a great idea. Many had never before traveled outside of their home country, and others spoke about new career plans. It reminds me of the opportunity and responsibility we have at AMD to enable great ideas by creating powerful technology that leaves the world better for the generations to come.
This desire to help create a better world and solve some of its toughest challenges is what drives us at AMD to push the boundaries of high-performance computing, datacenters and visualization technologies in a responsible and ethical manner. That’s why I’m pleased to announce on behalf of nearly 10,000 AMD employees, our 23rd annual corporate responsibility update.
This year’s update highlights how AMD focuses on people, our planet and the purpose behind our technology with updates on progress toward sustainability programs and goals, the community impact of our employee volunteers and new case studies showcasing how consumers are using AMD technology to improve lives.
People
- Working together to positively impact the communities in which we live and work is a value deeply embedded in AMDers worldwide. Throughout the year we take time out of the work day to volunteer, giving back to our neighborhoods and fostering comradery among our teams. Testament to our progress was the 29% increase in the number of global AMDers who participated in company-sponsored volunteer events in 2017, for a total of 2,451 AMDers contributing 10,257 hours of service to help promote STEM education, clean up local parks, provide meals and more.
- We continue to cultivate an inclusive culture that values and respects all perspectives and experiences – what we call “multi voice” at AMD. We believe this is key to a diverse employee workforce, and that it drives our ability to innovate and build great products. Through employee resource groups, maintaining our 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, participating in industry initiatives to improve diversity, and more, we continue to invest in our current and future workforce.
Planet
- AMD’s 25x20 Energy Efficiency Initiative continues to enable innovative energy-efficient platforms, delivering benefits to both our customers and planet. As the 25x20 initiative continues to reach key milestones, our progress has been recognized with awards like the 2017 California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA).
- The latest Ryzen™ processor with Radeon™ Graphics is expected to be the most efficient and the fastest APU we’ve ever built. Learn more about our progress in SVP and CTO Mark Papermaster’s latest blog.
- We continue to progress toward our approved science-based 2020 climate protection goals and further strengthen our supply chain by engaging with our suppliers to see that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible. This year, AMD joined CDP’s 2018 Supplier Engagement Leader Board representing the top 2% of over 3,000 sustainably-focused, reporting companies.
Purpose
As we look to the future, we do so with an eye toward helping create a better, more sustainable world with powerful technology and responsible business practices that bring shared value to our employees, customers, suppliers, investors and communities. We thank those who have joined us in this mission.
Susan Moore is AMD’s Corporate Vice President of Public Affairs and is a former chairwoman of Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
