The V3 Hot Seat: AMD corporate vice president Joe Macri

Macri on his dream job as a Formula One driver and his love for sci-fi books and Californian red wine

Joe Macri is chief technology officer of AMD's Client Division. He is a 25-year veteran of the computer industry and has held various positions at Digital Equipment Corp, ArtX, ATI and AMD.

Macri's areas of expertise are in CPU, memory and graphics. He was previously the senior director of graphics engineering at AMD. Macri holds a BS in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Since Macri has joined AMD, he has overseen the development of the Trinity processor family and now the latest Richland A-Series APU family.

Macri follows other IT leaders in the V3 Hot Seat including HP Autonomy CTO Fernando Lucini and General Electric global technology director William Ruh.

What would be your dream job (apart from your current role, of course)?

I'd like to be a Formula One driver - as you might guessed from my film choice, I'm a big fan of F1 driving and think I could give Lewis Hamilton a run for his money.

Which mobile phone and tablet do you currently use?

I have an iPhone. I have many tablets; my favourite is a Windows 7 Acer.

Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?

Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). TSMC pioneered the "dedicated silicon foundry" industry and is the largest silicon foundry in the world. Morris is pretty much known as the father of Taiwan's chip industry, so a pretty impressive guy.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?

Semiconductor process technology - it is the basis for everything. The semiconductor industry plays a massive role as a technology enabler. If you think about it, so many of the products we use on a daily basis are supported by this technology and it is constantly evolving and innovating.

Where's your favourite holiday destination?

Italy and Sonoma, California. I'm a big wine buff, so heading to the centre of California's wine industry is a no-brainer. I find relaxing with a great red wine the perfect way to unwind, and Sonoma produces excellent Pinot Noir.

Do you prefer e-readers or real books?

Every other book I read is sci-fi. Being in the technology industry, I'm always interested in what the next big thing is going to be and I find that there is no better way to understand the future than by reading sci-fi; Ben Bova is a favourite.

Twitter, Facebook or Google+?

I am not a big fan of social media in my personal life, but I do see the value it brings to businesses and how it changed the way companies can interact with consumers.

AMD has such a massive fan community and we can interact with them regularly and provide them with information and content that is useful to them by deploying the many social media platforms that are out there, specifically Facebook.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?

The Rolling Stones every time.

What is your favourite film?

Le Mans (1971). It's a brilliant action film starring one of my favourite actors Steve McQueen and it features footage from the actual 1970 24 hours of Le Mans race.

Windows or Mac OS?

Windows - I've always been a Windows user and although I have devices that run on other operating systems; I find Windows the most intuitive.

If you want to volunteer for V3's Hot Seat, or want to suggest an IT leader you think should take part, please email [email protected] for more details.