Dai co-founded the American semiconductor company Marvell in 1995 with her husband Sehat Sutardja. She directed Marvell’s rise to become one of the top semiconductor companies in the world. While at Marvell, Dai worked on strategic partnerships, and marketed Marvell’s technology for use in products across several markets. Dai also works to increase access to technology in the developing world and has served as an ambassador of opportunity between the US and China. Dai advocates for getting more women involved in science and technology.

Newsweek named Dai one of the “150 Women Who Shake the World.” She has been profiled by CNN International for the Leading Women Innovator Series. In 2004, Dai was a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. On May 12, 2012, Dai became the first female commencement speaker at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. On August 22, 2012, Dai was on the Forbes list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.” In October 2012, she was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award by the non-profit organization Upwardly Global. In March 2013, Dai was honored with the Silicon Valley Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Established Corporation category by the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA-San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

In 2008, the company and its then chief operating officer–and the only member of its stock option “committee” during the period in question – Weili Dai paid fines, to the Securities and Exchange Commission over charges of false financial information to investors by improperly backdating stock option grants to employees, totaling $10 million and $500,000 respectively. Dai was forced to step down as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and a director but allowed to continue with the company in a non-management position.

On May 23, 2013, Dai was No. 88 on the Forbes list of “The World’s Most Powerful Women.” On June 12, 2013, Dai was named a 2013 Most Influential Women in Embedded. On Oct. 25, 2013, Dai was honored with the New Silk Road Award by the California-Asia Business Council. On Nov. 13, 2013, Dai was awarded the Gold Stevie Award for Woman of the Year – Technology. On Dec. 16, 2013, Marvell Co-founders Dr. Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai were honored with the 2013 Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award by the Global Semiconductor Alliance.

On May 28, 2014, Ms. Dai was named to Forbes Most Powerful Women list. On Sept. 8, 2014, Dai, was honored with a Gold award as the “Best Woman Professional of the Year” at the 2014 Golden Bridge Awards. On Nov. 17, 2014, Ms. Dai was honored with the Gold Stevie® Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Business Products. On Dec. 9, 2014, Ms. Dai was honored as a Gold Winner for 2014 Women World Awards.

She sits on the board of the disaster relief organization, Give2Asia, and was named to the Committee of 100, an organization representing the Chinese Americans. The Sutardja Dai Hall at her alma mater, UC Berkeley, was named for Dai along with her husband Sehat Sutardja, CEO of Marvell and Pantas Sutardja, CTO of Marvell. Sutardja Dai Hall is home to the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). In 2015, Ms. Dai was named to the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s (GSA) Board of Directors, helping to foster and accelerate the growth of the silicon industry across the globe. Ms. Dai also is a member of the executive committee for TechNet.

On May 26, 2015, Dai was named as the 95th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, her fourth consecutive year on Forbes list of “The World’s Most Powerful Women.” On Aug. 5, 2015, Ms. Dai received a Gold recognition for “Technology Executive of the Year” from the 2015 International Best in Biz Awards. On Oct. 14, 2015, Ms. Dai was named a recipient of the “Keepers of the American Dream” by The National Immigration Forum and National Immigration Forum Action Fund.