Dr. Hector de Jesus Ruiz is a founder of Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions, Inc and serves as the company’s Chairman. A luminary in the field of technology for nearly three decades, he is an accomplished engineer, corporate strategist and chief executive.
Dr. Ruiz’s professional career began at Texas Instruments in the company’s research laboratories and manufacturing operations. He then spent two decades at Motorola, rising from running a microchip manufacturing facility in Scotland, to overseeing the firm’s worldwide semiconductor operations, to leading semiconductor research and development, and finally serving as President of the company’s Semiconductor Products Sector.
In 2000, Dr. Ruiz joined AMD as President and Chief Operating Officer, and in April 2002 he was named Chief Executive Officer. At AMD, Dr. Ruiz set the strategic direction of the company, helping guide its growth from a small, broad supplier of components to an innovative technology solutions leader in the processor space.
In 2006, he announced plans to build and operate the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in upstate New York, and in 2009, he led an industry transformation by spinning out AMD’s manufacturing assets to form GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the first truly global leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company. During his tenure at AMD, Dr. Ruiz received numerous accolades, including: the Semico Bellwether Award (2009); Executive of the Year – 2005 (EE Times); CEO of the Year – 2005 (Electronic Business); and Top 25 Business Leader – 2006 (FORTUNE Magazine), among others.
Dr. Ruiz currently serves on UT’s College of Engineering Foundation Advisory Council. In 2006, he was selected as a Distinguished Engineering Graduate of UT-Austin, and in 2012, he was selected for the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Texas Exes’ highest honor. Dr. Ruiz currently serves as a Trustee Emeriti of Rice University and is on the Board of Trustees of the RAND Corporation and the Board of Directors of Breakthrough Austin. He is also a Board Advisor to EDCO Ventures, a community development corporation, and is a General Partner in Innovación Investments, a new community development venture capital fund.
Dr. Ruiz attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1968 and 1970 respectively. He completed his doctoral degree at Rice University in 1973.
