# Ep. 43 | Mark Papermaster: The EE and Exec Behind Apple, IBM, Cisco, and AMD's Success

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2022-04-12
- Length: 51m
- Episode: 3
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/the-engineer-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-amd-success

## Summary

Mark Papermaster, AMD's CTO and Executive Vice President of Technology and Engineering, discusses his career at Apple, IBM, and Cisco, and his current role leading AMD's turnaround. He explains how AMD used modularity and the Infinity Architecture to 'punch above its weight' against larger competitors, enabling the development of the Zen architecture and APU. Papermaster details the strategic shift toward chiplets and heterogeneous computing through acquisitions of ATI and Xilinx, allowing AMD to mix CPU, GPU, and FPGA technologies. He emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary engineering teams, balanced system design, and AI as a fundamental skill for modern engineers.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=1) Introduction: Mark Papermaster and AMD's Engineering Philosophy
- [2:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=155) Papermaster's Education and Early Career at IBM and Cisco
- [8:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=533) Joining AMD and the Zen Architecture Redesign
- [16:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=968) Modularity, Infinity Architecture, and Chiplets
- [26:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=1611) Building Great Chip Design Teams and Diversity
- [29:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=1791) PowerPC, RISC-V, and the AIM Alliance
- [35:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=2125) The IBM vs. Apple Legal Case and Non-Compete Clauses
- [39:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=2363) Leading iPhone and iPod Hardware Teams at Apple
- [45:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=2724) AMD's Future: Data Center, Edge, and AI Breadth
- [47:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-04-12-ep-43-mark-papermaster-the-ee-and-exec-behind-apple-ibm-cisco-and-amds-success#t=2850) Lightning Round: AI Skills and Immersive Tech

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- AMD (company)
- Apple (company)
- IBM (company)
- Cisco (company)
- Zen (product)
- iPhone (product)
- iPod (product)
- PowerPC (product)
- RISC-V (other)
- ATI (company)
- Xilinx (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Interview: AMD CTO Papermaster | Interview: Imagination CEO Black | Where to Invest in 2020](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-01-24-interview-amd-cto-papermaster-interview-imagination-ceo-black-where-to-invest-in) (EE Times Current)
- [Heterogeneous Computing with Raja Koduri](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-07-18-heterogeneous-computing-with-raja-koduri) (Oxide and Friends)
- [2020 Mega-Merger #3 | An AI Ecosystem (Almost) from Scratch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-10-30-2020-mega-merger-3-an-ai-ecosystem-almost-from-scratch) (EE Times Current)
- [Episode 81: Chatting With AMD's Forrest Norrod EVP Datacenter Solutions about Buying ZT Systems](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-08-26-episode-81-chatting-with-amds-forrest-norrod-evp-datacenter-solutions-about-buyi) (The Circuit)
- [EP 137: OpenAI + AMD, Intel Tech Touch, QCOM buys Arduino](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2025-10-13-ep-137-openai-amd-intel-tech-touch-qcom-buys-arduino) (The Circuit)

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