505: Chapter 505 Lenovo's "Crossing the Line" to Support Rice

In the reception room, Meng Pu had already presented a welcoming gift.

He handed a Chip Design proposal to the CEO!

"CEO, we really owe you for what happened last time, and I know it caused Lenovo to suffer quite a loss. So, this time, to show our sincerity, we've specifically brought you the latest design draft."

"What is this?" The CEO was no longer as enthusiastic about self-developed chips as he had been before.

After all, not only did he gain nothing last time, but he had also nearly lost his life in the process.

"This is the Lenovo K2, a flagship chip that competes with the Snapdragon 801. Its benchmark scores can reach over 40,000. It is no longer an entry-level product, but a true flagship chip."

"Now, we are handing this chip over to Motorola as our apology. Plus, it can help boost your sales!"

The CEO took out the proposal and looked at it. It was indeed a modified version of the Snapdragon 801, and by switching to the 22nm process, there would be a qualitative improvement in performance.

If Transsion's 14nm process could be used, the chip's performance would see an even greater qualitative leap.

It would have absolutely no problem competing with the Kirin 9 series.

Seeing this, he was clearly tempted.

This was much better than the original Lenovo K1. Hell, that chip was just a modified version of a scrapped 615 project anyway.

This proposal didn't actually move him, as the phones equipped with the Lenovo K1 chip had only sold a little over a million units to date.

The so-called self-developed chip hadn't helped sales much; on the contrary, it had brought nothing but criticism.

"Manager Meng, we're old acquaintances, so let's not beat around the bush. You know very well how much of an impact the Lenovo K1 had on us. This time, you still want us to... Of course, it's not impossible for Lenovo to continue increasing investment in semiconductors, but this alone is probably not enough!"

After saying this, he made a gesture implying a bribe, as it would be difficult for this chip to silence the public outcry on its own.

Meng Pu's expression changed. He had assumed the other party would know when to stop, but he hadn't expected such insatiable greed.

Everyone had learned bad habits from Transsion.

"What are you saying, CEO? Although the Lenovo K2 might not compare to top-tier flagship chips, it is definitely a solid core for the terminal market. Furthermore, it is Lenovo's self-developed chip. The first generation's performance wasn't strong, but the second generation has made leaps and bounds, which better demonstrates your company's R&D capabilities. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Cut the nonsense!" The CEO's face showed a hint of impatience.

He remembered that after cleaning up their mess last time, Transsion's fans flooded his comment section, calling him a sucker, a stepfather... just all sorts of nasty things.

"If you want us to continue being your pawn to help Qualcomm suppress Transsion, it's not impossible. But the terms need to be improved."

"We can officially announce the Lenovo K2 immediately, start tape-out right away, and release news almost every month. But you must give us the global first launch rights for the Snapdragon 805. Motorola can't keep a low profile anymore, or the brand will truly be ruined!"

Meng Pu's expression was uncomfortable; Lenovo's appetite was even bigger than he had imagined.

The Snapdragon 805 was a flagship product prepared by Qualcomm.

This chip was redesigned based on the Snapdragon 801, replacing the 28nm process with a mix of TSMC's 22nm and Samsung's 20nm, while lowering core power and significantly optimizing heat issues.

Its performance was set to compete with the Taishan 720 coming in the second half of the year.

As for the first launch rights, they had already been sold: Samsung for the international launch, and Xiaomi for the domestic launch. This way, they could revitalize those two brands, but now...

"Impossible." Meng Pu refused directly. "The Snapdragon 805 is our flagship product. The first launch rights have already been decided. CEO, your request is too excessive; I simply don't have the authority to apply for that."

"Excessive?" The CEO smiled. This time, he was determined to get a piece of the pie from Qualcomm.

"Manager Meng, you know the current situation better than I do. Taishan's 14nm process has been around for years, and your international supply chain..."

After saying this, he revealed a meaningful smile. After all, Transsion also sold chips; as long as he didn't burn bridges, it served as a warning to the other party.

Meng Pu clenched his fists, wishing he could smash the table and just walk out.

But thinking about how powerful this chip's performance was, handing it to Lenovo was the best choice.

So he decided to play the... just for a moment, the patient turtle, and sooner or later, he would make Lenovo pay.

"The Lenovo K2 chip, aside from the 'self-developed' label, will just get criticized upon release. It can't even beat Transsion's mid-range chips, so how are we supposed to sell it?"

Seeing the other party back down, the CEO decided to apply more pressure.

"Fine, then don't sell it! I will report this matter to Qualcomm headquarters and will definitely explain your difficulties."

After saying this, Meng Pu waved his hand and left directly.

"Huh?" The CEO was instantly stunned. He just left?

Lenovo had taken the fall for such a big mess, and they wouldn't even give them the first launch rights for a chip.

The CEO, who had been so confident, was dumbfounded. He wouldn't be able to explain this to Boss Liu.

After all, it would cost at least four or five hundred million USD for Lenovo to develop such a chip, which meant he had essentially rejected another product.

That night, after a meeting and discussion at Qualcomm headquarters, they finally decided... Meng Pu did the right thing.

Recently, Lenovo had indeed been getting a bit cocky, actually wanting to lecture Qualcomm. This behavior absolutely could not be tolerated.

Supporting a manufacturer to do self-development? That was easy!

So the next morning, Lei Jun received another call from Qualcomm.

"Mr. Lei, I heard that Dami Company has been working on self-developed chips recently. Is this true?"

"It's true. We have already invested 2 billion Chinese Yuan and assembled a professional team. Our first Surge chip is about to..."

However, before he could finish, he was interrupted by Meng Pu on the other end of the line, as he didn't want to hear this nonsense.

"Give up 49% of Dami Semiconductor's shares, and Qualcomm will engage in deep cooperation with Dami Company. We can provide you with full ARM architecture licensing, dispatch a team of senior engineers to collaborate, and support the entire process from design to tape-out. We will help you create a true self-developed flagship chip! Additionally, we have a Xuanjie O1 self-developed chip on hand. Mr. Lei, what do you think of this proposal?"

On the other end of the line, Lei Jun pressed the mute button and began to cheer.

He had been wondering how to keep up the lie about Dami Semiconductor, but now, there was a way out!

Transsion Semiconductor... forget it, can't beat them... HiSilicon... with Qualcomm's help, maybe beating HiSilicon is actually possible.