440: Chapter 440 Confidence Amidst the Public Opinion Storm

Qu Feng's footsteps paused slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes: "A 10 billion strategic investment? And it doesn't even include performance betting? CEO Chu, this is a rare opportunity, why did you refuse it?"

Xingyuan Exploration and Deep Blue Semiconductor were in a state of high R&D investment all year round; even with the cash flow support from Xinghai Technology and Starry Sky Technology, the financial pressure had never really eased.

10 billion in funds would be enough to accelerate the R&D of the 28nm process by at least half a year, and could even allow for the early launch of pre-research on the 20nm Lithography Machine; such temptation was indeed hard to resist.

Chu Qianlan raised his hand to press the elevator button, his tone calm but firm: "The opportunity is rare, but the equity cannot be touched. Deep Blue Semiconductor is our core position; once external equity is introduced, subsequent R&D directions and decision-making pacing could be affected. What we pursue is technological autonomy, not capital entanglement."

For him, autonomous development was greater than everything else. Even if he really needed to raise funds in the future, he would not choose a state-owned enterprise.

With private investment, he only needed to consider profits, but state-owned enterprises were different; if a political task came down, he wouldn't know how to develop anymore.

The elevator door slowly closed, isolating the final clamor of the venue.

Ma Yuanlong frowned slightly, still somewhat puzzled: "But 10 billion can solve too many problems. The expansion of Deep Blue Semiconductor's 28nm production line and the global layout of Xingyuan Exploration's 4G patents all require massive funds.

Although the cash flow of Xinghai and Fanxing is sufficient, the pressure of supporting two high-R&D enterprises long-term is not small."

Chu Qianlan turned his head to look at him, his eyes sharp: "Pressure is motivation, but it cannot become a reason for compromise. Behind SDIC are resources within the system; they might be able to invest unconditionally today, but tomorrow they could demand we change our R&D direction due to 'strategic adjustments,' or even share core technologies with other enterprises.

The technological barriers we spent four years building cannot be destroyed by loosening our equity."

Qu Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "CEO Chu makes sense. The core code of Starway EDA and the Xingxiang Instruction Set, as well as the blueprints for Deep Blue Semiconductor's Lithography Machine, are our lifeblood.

Once equity is diluted, the confidentiality boundaries for these core secrets will become blurred, and the risk is too great."

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and as soon as the door opened, Chu Qianlan's phone vibrated.

The name "Academician Shen" appeared on the screen; he answered the call, and Academician Shen's voice came through with a hint of urgency.

"CEO Chu, someone from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology contacted me, saying they are willing to coordinate the inclusion of Xingyuan Exploration's 4G patents into the international standard proposal, but the condition is still to take a stake in Deep Blue Semiconductor. Do you want to reconsider?"

Chu Qianlan's mind raced; the Dragon Kingdom's own 4G standard hadn't even landed yet, yet they were claiming they could help Xingyuan Exploration's patents enter the international standard—this was clearly just empty talk.

He did not stop walking, his tone calm: "Academician Shen, thank you for your kindness, but the equity bottom line cannot be broken. We can push forward the international standard proposal ourselves; it will just be a bit slower.

If SDIC is truly sincere, it would be better to help us coordinate international Legal Counsel resources for the patent litigation; that is more practical than funds."

Academician Shen sighed on the other end of the line: "I knew you wouldn't budge. However, since the call has reached me, I'm afraid the other party won't easily let go; you need to be mentally prepared.

By the way, Longke Academy has already organized the information for the optical materials expert team; regardless of whether we cooperate, the technical support will be provided to you—this is the bottom line."

"Thank you, Academician Shen." Chu Qianlan hung up the phone, a faint smile appearing on his face.

As long as the technology of his subsidiary companies was advanced enough, cooperation that did not involve equity would naturally come knocking.

Walking out of the exhibition center, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.

Chu Qianlan raised his hand to block the sun, his gaze falling on the rows of science and technology parks in the distance, his eyes calm.

Academician Shen's call confirmed his prediction: SDIC and the forces behind it would not give up just because of one refusal, but the bottom line in his heart had never wavered.

...

With the conclusion of the Dragon Kingdom Mobile Global Developer Conference, related reports fermented rapidly.

The 45nm Chip for communication and nearly a hundred 4G patents displayed by Xingyuan Exploration at the sub-forum, along with the declaration of "full industrial chain autonomy and controllability," were like a giant boulder thrown into the field of public opinion, stirring up thousands of waves.

The official Weibo account of the Science and Technology Daily used the title "Highlight Moment for Domestic Semiconductors! Xingyuan Exploration's 45nm Chip + 4G Patent Dual Breakthrough" to deeply interpret the industry significance of this technological breakthrough.

The article emphasized, "This is the first time the Dragon Kingdom's semiconductor industry has formed a patent barrier in the core field of communications, breaking the decades-long monopoly of overseas giants."

The Shenzhen Special Zone Daily focused on government-enterprise cooperation, using the title "300 Mu of Land + Tax Incentives, Shenzhen Strongly Supports Semiconductor Autonomy" to detail the Municipal Government's support policies for Deep Blue Semiconductor.

The article quoted Mayor Li Weimin's statement: "Supporting Chu Qianlan's team in their autonomous R&D is safeguarding the future of Dragon Kingdom's technology."

A certain technology tabloid posted on Weibo with the title "Furious Retort to Qualcomm, Deep Blue Semiconductor's Leader Reveals a Shocking Secret," describing the dialogue between Chu Qianlan and Henry from Qualcomm.

It emphatically stated that Chu Qianlan revealed Deep Blue Semiconductor had already developed a 45nm Lithography Machine.

This highly inflammatory technology tabloid article was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting heated discussion across the entire internet.

"A 45nm Lithography Machine? Did Deep Blue Semiconductor really build it? Why was there no news about it before!"

"No wonder Xingyuan Exploration dared to go head-to-head with overseas giants in a patent war; it turns out they have an autonomous Lithography Machine backing them up. This is the real technological barrier!"

"Are there any professionals who can explain what level a 45nm Lithography Machine is at? Can it meet current Chip production needs?"

"I only knew Deep Blue Semiconductor was doing Chip foundry work before; I didn't expect them to have even self-developed a Lithography Machine. This layout is too deep!"

"A while ago, our company spent 150 million to buy a 65nm Lithography Machine, and the payee was Deep Blue Semiconductor. Now it seems they were just offloading obsolete equipment!"

...

The technology tabloid's article spread like a virus, and the topic "Deep Blue Semiconductor 45nm Lithography Machine" rushed to the top of the Weibo trending list within just three hours, with the related topic views exceeding 200 million and discussion volume exceeding 1 million.

In professional technical forums, technical experts posted analyses overnight: "A 45nm Lithography Machine is a key piece of equipment for the mass production of mid-to-high-end Chips, and only a few companies in the world can produce it.

If Deep Blue Semiconductor can truly self-develop and implement it, it means Dragon Kingdom's semiconductor manufacturing has completely shaken off its dependence on overseas equipment; this is a milestone breakthrough!"

A senior engineer from a Chip design company posted evidence: "A while ago, we entrusted Deep Blue Semiconductor to manufacture 45nm Chips, and the yield was stable at over 94%. We were confused about the source of their equipment at the time, but now the truth is finally out! This yield is even higher than some overseas foundries; their technical strength is absolutely reliable."