23: Chapter 23 On-Site Chip Manufacturing

Zhou Lei saw Gao Yuan lost in thought; as fellow businessmen, he could guess eighty to ninety percent of what Gao Yuan was thinking.

So he continued, "President Gao, are you interested in joining forces with Xiawei to dominate the global chip market? I heard from Qingquan that your Photolithography Machine's 3nm process is actually its most conservative specification. According to Qingquan's estimation, your machine might even be capable of a 1nm process. With such technology, our dominance over the chip market is a sure thing!"

Gao Yuan had also considered controlling chips. Chips were currently the core of technological products; whoever controlled chips possessed the ability to shake global manufacturing!

However, Gao Yuan had too many good things in his hands... compared to others, chips were already a high-effort, low-profit endeavor!

For the time being, Gao Yuan had no plans to control chips! But he still wanted to know what Zhou Lei had in mind.

Gao Yuan looked at Zhou Lei. "President Zhou, how does Xiawei intend to cooperate?"

"Xiawei provides the land and capital, while President Gao provides the technology and personnel. Profits will be split fifty-fifty!"

"Haha, President Zhou! To be honest, Xiawei's conditions are very tempting, and I'd love to agree! But my agreement isn't what counts... because the technology isn't in my hands... I'm an internet entrepreneur. As you know, I don't understand technology!"

Zhou Lei looked at Gao Yuan, wondering how much truth there was to those words...

But Gao Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Zhou Lei with a face full of sincerity.

"President Gao doesn't understand technology?"

Gao Yuan shook his head decisively. "I don't. I studied Engineering Management in university, and after graduation, I didn't follow my field and went into the internet! Forget about photolithography technology, I don't even know how to program..."

Gao Yuan was telling the truth; he didn't have a lick of technical skill. However, he had the ability to possess it at any time because Photolithography Machines were nothing special in the Future World. Just like the technology for designing a steam engine in modern times, it wasn't a secret at all! As long as Gao Yuan wanted it, he could get the complete set of technology in minutes...

As for technical personnel, among the thousand professional research robots Li Qingmei gave him, never mind that they already possessed the technology—even if they didn't, these robots could research and develop it themselves...

These highly intelligent research robots manufactured in the Future World were perfectly capable of handling ordinary R&D tasks...

R&D tasks in the real world were simply too easy in the eyes of these robots.

Jia Yi's team was Gao Yuan's 'scientific research team'—absolutely loyal and technically superb!

However, Gao Yuan would not let these robots have too much contact with the outside world! Their involvement was limited to tasks like guiding installations...

Although these robots had a very high degree of simulation, they might still be exposed if they were in contact with others for a long time.

Moreover, these teams actually had no identity in the modern world...

They were undocumented!

Zhou Lei couldn't read anything from Gao Yuan's face and asked tentatively.

"President Gao, how about a thirty-seventy split?"

Gao Yuan's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. "President Zhou, please, don't tempt me. I would have no objection to a fifty-fifty split! But my willingness is useless. In fact, you know that it's impossible for me to have developed the Photolithography Machine myself. I have a team behind me, but I can't order this team around. If they are unwilling... there's nothing I can do! I'm no good with the technology either!"

Zhou Lei nodded repeatedly. "I understand. Research personnel are the true wealth! However, researchers also need to eat. I believe you have a way to convince them, right?"

"Haha, President Zhou, researchers are all very stubborn! However, I can give you a promise: as long as Black Fish Technology's Photolithography Machines are released for sale, Xiawei will definitely be given priority supply..."

Zhou Lei was all smiles. Although the cooperation hadn't been finalized, there were still gains. With this promise from Gao Yuan, he was at least somewhat at ease. He reached out his hand. "President Gao, I look forward to our cooperation!"

...

The next morning, Gao Yuan woke up in the hotel...

Checking the time, it was eight o'clock, one hour before the press conference. He went downstairs for breakfast.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Li Qingquan pacing back and forth in the corridor outside...

Hearing the door, Li Qingquan turned around. "President Gao, you're awake?"

"Director Li, is something the matter?"

"Yes, I'm here to bring you the agenda. You can learn about some of the conference's procedures and the people attending in advance!"

Gao Yuan nodded and took the document Li Qingquan handed over.

Arriving at the restaurant, Gao Yuan read while he ate...

Although this press conference was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the lineup was not lacking at all.

The hosts were Kang Guang and Li Meng from Xia Nation CCTV. CCTV hosts rarely participated in such commercial activities unless they were hosted by official media or were events with an official background.

But for Xiawei to have invited them in such a short time showed that this event at least had official endorsement.

Looking further down at the guest list...

The Vice Minister of the Xia Nation Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chairperson of the Xia Nation Commercial Committee, the Vice President of the Xia Nation Academy of Engineering...

Xiawei founder Ren Yuanzhi, President Zhou Lei! Xiaxin International Chairman Chen Jiuge, BOE Executive President Ji Hailiang! Dami Technology founder Lei Jianguo, Guoxing Group Chairman Qiu Ren!

Below them were many experts and professors from related fields!

Xiawei had truly gone all out for this event.

However, with ten Photolithography Machines physically sitting there, Xiawei indeed had the confidence...

After checking the guests, Gao Yuan looked at the schedule...

It began with Ren Yuanzhi's speech, followed by Zhou Lei introducing the detailed parameters of the Photolithography Machine...

It was straight to the point.

After that, there were speeches from various big shots, and finally, the hands-on phase where Zhou Lei and Gao Yuan would join forces to manufacture the first chip entirely produced within Xia Nation...

From the silicon wafer to the chip design and then the Photolithography Machine, it would achieve one hundred percent domestic production...

Xiawei 'manufacturing' a chip at the press conference was clearly intended to dispel the doubts of the people.

A physical chip being manufactured was more persuasive than any words. This conference was to tell the whole world that Xiawei had Photolithography Machines and was going to make its own chips... any supply cuts were simply not worth worrying about!

After the chip was manufactured...

It would be the Q&A session for reporters!

The entire event would last about three hours...

After finishing the agenda, Gao Yuan felt that this conference was more like an official seminar than a press conference.

But this didn't have much to do with Gao Yuan; he was just here to show his face today!

Afterward, he could head back home.

After breakfast, Gao Yuan went downstairs, where Li Qingquan was waiting at the hotel entrance.

"President Gao, let's go to the venue together; I'll take you in..."

Gao Yuan sat in the Coaster, chatting with Li Qingquan all the way. In about ten minutes, they arrived at the National Convention Center...

From a distance, he could see Xiawei's advertisements standing there.

They must have been rushed out just for this press conference.

Advertisements several dozen meters high stood at the side of the National Convention Center entrance, with slogans like 'Black Fish Photolithography, Leading the "Chip" Era!' and 'Self-produced and Self-supplied, Xiawei Enters the "Power Chip" Era!'

Gao Yuan's Black Fish Technology had only just been established...

Gao Yuan hadn't expected Xiawei to actually write 'Black Fish' in such a prominent position; this was a gesture of goodwill. Xiawei was still thinking about cooperating with him. But what Xiawei didn't know was that he planned to make new communication devices that would subvert traditional mobile phones. If Xiawei still wanted to cooperate with him then, Gao Yuan wouldn't mind giving them a chance!

He entered the venue through the VIP passage...

The press conference hadn't started yet, and Gao Yuan met with the various big shots in the VIP room.

In the past, Gao Yuan certainly wouldn't have had the chance to sit and drink tea with these people, but now, everyone who saw him was full of smiles and praised him, saying, "Young and promising..."

This made Gao Yuan feel a bit dazed, as if everything before his eyes wasn't quite real.

...

Soon, the press conference began, and Gao Yuan walked from the VIP room into the hall...

The scene was surging with crowds, cameras were densely packed, and reporters from major media outlets were squeezed at the front. The first two rows were VIP seats with name tags on the tables...

Gao Yuan found his seat and sat down.

It was a seat on the left side of the first row. Perhaps Xiawei had arranged it specifically; to Gao Yuan's left was Zhou Lei, and to his right was Xiaxin International Chairman Chen Jiuge.

After taking his seat, Chen Jiuge smiled and greeted Gao Yuan.

"President Gao, impressive. We've been researching Photolithography Machines for so long and just broke through to 22nm, yet you've already mass-produced a 3nm machine! I have to say, the younger generation is truly formidable!"

"President Chen is down-to-earth. In a few more years, Xiaxin International's technology will surely advance by leaps and bounds!"

Chen Jiuge smiled and said nothing...

However, in his heart, he had never quite believed in the Photolithography Machine jointly developed by Xiawei and Black Fish Technology...

As an industry expert, Chen Jiuge knew how difficult Photolithography Machines were; they were an accumulation of technology. He would rather believe in a breakthrough in controllable nuclear fusion than believe someone could build an ultra-precise Photolithography Machine in such a short time.

Because perhaps with a stroke of genius, controllable nuclear fusion could be achieved.

But Photolithography Machines were different; they couldn't be accomplished with just one brilliant idea.

However, since Xiawei had invited so many people to witness it, they must have something to rely on.

Chen Jiuge suspected that the so-called '3nm' process machine was actually taking a different path, like the carbon-based chips BOE was researching, which could theoretically reach the performance of 3nm process silicon chips! Moreover, the manufacturing process was much simpler compared to silicon chips!

However, carbon-based chip technology was far from reaching the stage of mass production and practical use! Even in the lab, they had only achieved performance similar to 5nm chips; there was still a long way to go before 3nm mass production!

So he only greeted Gao Yuan politely and then started looking through documents on his own. Chen Jiuge wanted to see how Xiawei and Black Fish would perform...

Kang Guang and Li Meng took the stage with a standard CCTV style.

It had to be said that having only seen them on screen before, seeing them in person now, Gao Yuan found that Kang Guang's build was exceptionally standard and tall, carrying an air of refined elegance.

Li Meng was also different from how she appeared on screen; she looked quite young, overflowing with youthful vitality, and her overall image was definitely not inferior to those A-list actresses!

"Thank you all for attending the launch of the Xiawei Group's Chip Business Department. I am Kang Guang!"

"I am Li Meng, and the two of us will be hosting this press conference! Photolithography Machines have always been the shackles restricting the development of our country's semiconductor industry, and Xiawei Group even encountered a supply cut crisis. Now, Xiawei Group has established a Chip Business Department, and its subsidiaries for chip production are also in intensive preparation! It's a cause for celebration. As many of you may already know, Xiawei has purchased Photolithography Machines from Black Fish Technology, and the first batch of ten machines has already been delivered to Xiawei... This means our country's optical craftsmanship has reached the forefront of the world!"

"Yes, when I first heard this news, I couldn't believe it either. But when I came to the Xiawei Group and saw it with my own eyes, and touched the Photolithography Machine with my own hands, I was shocked and moved..."

...

The impact of this press conference was too great. Over three hundred media outlets were present, and a considerable number of business media and self-media were blocked outside. Only official media at the provincial level or above and internationally renowned media could enter the venue.

Countless people were staring at this press conference...

As for the speeches and addresses of those big shots, no one actually cared...

The reporters were also just routinely recording segments or taking a few photos, all waiting for the main event to arrive.

Soon, Zhou Lei stood up...

And walked onto the stage!

"Hello everyone, I am Zhou Lei! Next, I will introduce the specific parameters of the Black Fish Photolithography Machine! Just now, I heard someone questioning whether Xiawei had really received the machines. I can tell you that the machines have already entered Xiawei's production workshop. Soon, a large number of chips can be produced. I can proudly tell you that Xiawei has escaped the risk of supply cuts!"

"Less small talk, let's get to business. The Black Fish Photolithography Machine is a combination of brilliant ideas, excellent imagination, and rigorous craftsmanship! Everyone, look at the big screen..."

"The Black Fish X-01 Photolithography Machine has the following characteristics. One, small volume..."

"Two, photon discontinuous exposure. Theoretically, the exposure light source can be reduced to 0.1nm..."

"Three, precise alignment. The Black Fish X-01 creatively uses electromagnetic bearing alignment to ensure zero error. The eyepieces and objective lenses on the alignment system's microscope are clearer than traditional lenses, with greater magnification..."

"Four, simple operation, fully automatic..."

"Five, higher efficiency, ten times more efficient than traditional Photolithography Machines..."

...

For every point Zhou Lei mentioned above, there was an exclamation from below...

However, unlike ordinary people, Chen Jiuge, who was next to Gao Yuan, simply didn't believe it.

At this moment, he was frowning. "How is this possible? It's impossible to achieve... Photons? How to capture them, how to emit them?"

"What alignment system can achieve zero error? What new process could there be for lenses?"

"With such a precise instrument, aren't they afraid of errors with it being fully automatic?"

"Ten times the efficiency... Heh!"

Chen Jiuge didn't believe it, but his heart was very conflicted. Clearly, his professional knowledge told him this data was unreliable, but he was also anxious—what if it was true?

If it wasn't true, how could Xiawei make such a big scene? They even listed the data in detail; were they not afraid of losing face?

If it was true...

Then it was too terrifying. In less than three years, traditional Photolithography Machines would be obsolete!

And what made Chen Jiuge even more suspicious was Zhou Lei's claim that they had already received the machines...

This clearly didn't fit Gao Yuan's persona.

Gao Yuan was an internet person. As an internet person, he would hold a press conference as soon as he had a concept, yet now that mass production had already started, he had remained quiet...

Behind every behavior that defied common sense, there was bound to be a deep secret!

Chen Jiuge suspected this was a joint hype campaign...

Meanwhile! The news from the press conference was constantly appearing on the internet via the phones of the media and guests on-site...

Countless netizens following this matter left comments under various short videos and Weibo posts.

"I originally had a good impression of Xiawei, but this time, the bragging is a bit too much..."

"Exactly, why does Xiawei need to play with such concepts? Is there a physical product?"