Sanders founded AMD about the same time that Intel was launched and the two firms have battled to secure the market for microprocessor chips. Though AMD’s sales have lagged Intel’s performance, the company has done much to reduce the price of processor chips and to advance cost-effective technological breakthroughs. In an industry characterized by many leadership transitions, Sanders has been a stalwart competitor and pioneering presence in Silicon Valley for over three decades. He was named the best CEO in the semiconductor industry in 1983, 1984, and 1985.