Chapter 85: A Big Business Suggestion

"Cracked?" Timothy chuckled softly. "What do you mean by that?""Remember the contract we signed before proceeding with the transfer of money? That we will only pay the initial upfront of eight billion dollars and then the rest when we make significant strides on reverse-engineering the chip...well, given the competitive nature of the semiconductor business, we want it fully realized."

Hana looked to Jensen and then Timothy. She wasn’t aware of what they were talking about. Even at first she wondered why Mr. Jensen Huang was meeting Timothy Guerrero. She thought it would be related to Timothy’s business but this was something more than she anticipated.

"You want me to give you all the clues huh?" Timothy said, leaning back to his chair.

"Yes, and if you do that, I’ll give you the rest of the twelve billion dollars," Jensen offered.

"Hmm...look, I must be honest, even though I don’t know the full intricacies of the technology."

Jensen listened to that and didn’t buy it. He expected it, Timothy Guerrero is protecting the true nature of the chip because he believed that one day, he’ll enter the semiconductor business. After all, he started an automotive business and given that it’s going to be electric and must be ahead of their rivals, it must be technology advanced. And to make technologically advanced vehicles, you need a chip to do that to support the AI systems, electronic controls, things like that.

"I see...but are you aware of the AI race that has been going around?" Jensen asked.

"Yes... big companies like Google, Tesla, Meta, OpenAI..." Timothy listed, his tone calm but thoughtful. "Everyone’s scrambling to dominate the AI field, who gets there first decides the next decade of industry. Data, energy, automation, it all runs on who has the better chip."

Jensen nodded slowly, eyes sharp with agreement. "Exactly. And that’s why we’re here." He leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on the table. "In order to win that race, Timothy, we need better chips, far better than what exists today. Smaller, faster, cooler, more efficient. What you gave us, the architecture inside that black wafer—it’s something we’ve never seen before."

"I can remember your team saying that," TImothy chuckled and added. "However, my hands are full at the moment. I can’t help you really. And that chip, consider that a miracle."

"So you won’t really give in huh?" Jensen smacked his lips as he considered offering that option. "How about this? You know, NVIDIA had been a fabless semiconductor company right?"

"Yes, and you partner with TSMC," Timothy replied, resting his elbows on the table.

Jensen nodded, his tone turning sharper but measured. "Exactly. But lately, TSMC’s lead time has been tightening, and global competition is getting fiercer. Between Apple, AMD, Intel, and the AI giants—our capacity is stretched thin. We can’t afford to depend on one supplier forever."

Timothy tilted his head slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "So, what are you implying?"

Jensen clasped his hands together on the table, his voice steady and deliberate. "What I’m implying is that NVIDIA needs an alternative—a dedicated fabrication partner, one that can handle our next-generation chips exclusively."

Timothy’s brows furrowed. "You mean another foundry company?"

Jensen gave a faint smile. "No, not just another one. A new one. Built from the ground up—with a different kind of architecture, a different set of standards. One that understands how your chip was made... because it would be your company running it."

For a moment, Timothy froze. His fork hovered halfway to his plate before slowly lowering it back down. He blinked.

"Wait—you’re saying you want me to start a semiconductor fabrication company?"

"That’s right," Jensen confirmed, completely serious now. "Not just a startup, not a research lab—a full-scale fabrication facility. One capable of producing your chip’s architecture at volume. A foundry that works with NVIDIA directly, exclusively. You’d be like TSMC... but newer, faster, more specialized."

The air in the room shifted. Even Hana’s usual composure faltered slightly. She turned to look at Timothy, trying to read his reaction.

Timothy leaned back slowly, still processing what he just heard. "That’s not something you just decide over lunch, Mr. Huang," he said with a half-smile. "You’re talking about building an entire fabrication ecosystem—materials, cleanrooms, lithography, personnel, licensing. That’s not a simple contract; that’s an empire."

Jensen nodded knowingly. "Exactly. This is because you are so secretive of the nature of your chip. So why not manufacture that chip on your own, that way you can control the technology. I’m pretty sure that’s the reason why you are so reluctant to share the architecture. You don’t trust anyone else to handle it. Not us, not TSMC, not Samsung. You’re protecting your breakthrough—and I respect that. But if you want control, the only way forward is to build your own foundry."

Timothy pondered for a moment. This is what he had thought of months ago in his condominium, about starting his own semiconductor foundry company that will build a chip years ahead on what’s currently being developed or in the market. But he trashed that thought because he wouldn’t want to make an enemy of the giants.

But now, one giant is offering him to start his own one. It’s nice, and it’s a trillion dollar market. However, to produce exclusively with them? It feels like a desperate move for them. And even if he were to start one, he would sell the product to another company so the profit would be bigger than partnering with one.

"Mr. Huang, I appreciate the offer—but you understand what you’re proposing, right? Building a semiconductor foundry isn’t like setting up another gigafactory. It’s not just money—it’s geopolitical. Whoever holds chip production, holds leverage. If I build one that works exclusively with you, I’ll be chained to NVIDIA’s ecosystem forever."

Jensen smiled faintly, unoffended. "And yet you’re tempted."

Timothy chuckled under his breath. "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. The semiconductor industry is worth trillions. Everyone needs chips—from cars to satellites. But partnering exclusively with one company, even one as big as yours, would limit what that foundry could become."

Jensen nodded slowly, folding his hands. "True. But what I’m offering isn’t just partnership—it’s protection. The semiconductor world isn’t kind to independents. Ask GlobalFoundries, SMIC, even Intel’s foundry branch. They all learned that you can’t fight alone anymore. You need a technological and financial shield."

He paused, then leaned slightly forward. "That’s what I’m offering you. You build your foundry—your process, your design, your rules. NVIDIA will bankroll the startup phase, help you with ASML access, EUV licensing, and cleanroom integration. You’ll own the company, Timothy. Not me. You’ll just guarantee us priority manufacturing for our next-generation AI processors."

Timothy glanced down, his mind quietly running the numbers. He’d heard of ASML’s EUV machines—each costing over $200 million, requiring vibration-free environments and months of calibration. He thought of the logistics, the engineering teams, the regulatory hurdles. And then he thought of the potential.

"And what’s in it for you?" Timothy asked finally, glancing up.

Jensen grinned faintly. "A future. NVIDIA’s future. The chip you sold us—it’s ahead of its time. We can’t reproduce it with existing fabs. But if your architecture gets fabricated under your own standards, it opens a path to the next generation of processors. We get to integrate it into our AI accelerators, and you get to own the first foundry that can build them."

Hearing those enthusiastic words, Timothy couldn’t help but sigh.

"I’m going to think about it, Mr. Huang. This is not something you can decide on the spot," Timothy said.

"I know, I’ll be staying in this place for a week, I will wait for your decision."