292: Chapter 292 Liang Mengsong Joins!

"I can help you resolve the lawsuit. My legal team at Peking University has experience with similar cases. I'll find the lawyers and cover the costs. Non-compete clauses aren't invincible; as long as we find the right angle, this case won't be difficult to handle."

Liang Mengsong didn't answer immediately. Zhao Yang could feel him thinking on the other end of the line. After a moment, Liang Mengsong spoke, his tone softening slightly compared to before.

"Dr. Zhao, why do you want to make chips? Spark Technology is doing very well right now; your cash flow is abundant, and your products are in an upward phase. The chip foundry industry requires massive investment, has long cycles, and carries high risks. Many people have thrown tens of billions into it without even seeing a splash. Why do you want to wade into these muddy waters?"

There was a hint of doubt in Liang Mengsong's voice.

To be honest, he was quite curious. Given Zhao Yang's current status in the academic world and his existing industries, it truly seemed as though he had no connection to chips whatsoever.

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To suddenly invite him to take the helm and manufacture chips?

Liang Mengsong was very perplexed.

"Because chips are infrastructure."

Zhao Yang's answer was brief, but his tone was certain.

"Without controllable manufacturing capabilities, upstream design and downstream applications can be throttled by others at any time. Dragon Nation cannot rely on others for foundry services forever. I want to do this project, and I want to make it a success."

"Where will your funding come from?" Liang Mengsong asked a very practical question.

"The profits from Spark Technology. Current monthly profits exceed one billion, and they're still growing. I'll provide the initial startup capital myself, which is about thirty billion, invested in three phases. Subsequent funds can be supplemented through bank loans and industrial funds."

This figure surprised Liang Mengsong. He asked another technical question: "What are your thoughts on the technical roadmap? Are you going to play it safe with mature processes, or go straight for advanced nodes?"

"Starting from 32 nanometers. This is currently the most cost-effective node with high market demand and relatively mature technology. Once we've established a foothold, we'll try to move toward 28 nanometers. TSMC just pushed the 32nm node into mass production last year, and it took nearly a year for the yield rate to stabilize. If we enter at this node, although the technical threshold is high, it isn't insurmountable."

Liang Mengsong was silent for a moment.

"Give me a few days."

"No problem. Contact me whenever you've made up your mind."

After hanging up with Liang Mengsong, Zhao Yang called Wu Ping and Hu Weiwu respectively. Wu Ping's reply was polite but clear, saying he currently had several projects moving forward simultaneously and simply couldn't spare the energy, so he declined.

Hu Weiwu was even more direct, saying the Loongson project was only halfway finished and he couldn't leave midway. Both were friendly but ultimately refused. This result was within Zhao Yang's expectations—although he had a great reputation now, Spark Technology was, after all, a company in the medical field and hadn't yet established sufficient capital credibility in the chip industry.

Three days later, Liang Mengsong called back.

"Dr. Zhao, I'm in."

Things moved very quickly after that. Zhao Yang utilized Peking University's legal resources to contact several senior lawyers with extensive experience in intellectual property and labor contract disputes, forming a legal team specifically to handle Liang Mengsong's non-compete lawsuit. The entire process took only two months to reach a settlement.

After the lawsuit ended, Liang Mengsong flew from Shenghai to Yanjing to sit down and talk with Zhao Yang face-to-face for the first time.

The meeting took place in a quiet guesthouse conference room near Peking University. Liang Mengsong wore a dark blue jacket; he was thinner than in his photos, and his hair was a bit gray, but his eyes were sharp. After sitting down, he didn't exchange pleasantries and asked directly about the project plan.

Zhao Yang explained his ideas from beginning to end. Starting at 32nm, mass production in three years, and investment in three phases.

After he finished, Liang Mengsong asked a question about Lithography machine procurement, which was a critical issue. Much of the key equipment for 32nm is subject to export controls and cannot be bought simply by having money.

Zhao Yang didn't explain in detail, only saying he would use a special channel to resolve it.

In fact, Zhao Yang did have a way. In this era, although the West had certain blockades on Dragon Nation's key technologies and high-end equipment was almost entirely banned from export...

But it wasn't as sensitive as it would be after 2016 or even 2019.

This was almost the final window of a few years. Of course, 32nm DUV Lithography machines were still very difficult to buy—almost impossible.

But such matters were not as strictly guarded as they would be in later generations.

Mainland Dragon Nation couldn't import them, but that didn't mean places like Singapore couldn't import the most advanced EUV Lithography machines from ASML.

As for what to do once the engineers arrived with the imports?

Naive! Zhao Yang had been a chip engineering major in his past life. Facing the newly emerging EUV Lithography machines, while manufacturing them was almost impossible...

But using and researching them was not that difficult!

Liang Mengsong glanced at Zhao Yang but didn't press further. Having worked at both TSMC and Samsung, he knew some things couldn't be solved with money alone. Since Zhao Yang could say this, it meant he had cards to play. He was silent for a moment, then asked for Zhao Yang's judgment on the future direction of the chip industry.

Zhao Yang spoke for about ten minutes, covering everything from the slowing trend of Moore's Law to the impact of the vertical specialization model on the foundry industry, and from the growth in chip demand brought by the smartphone explosion to the rise of domestic chip design companies. Liang Mengsong was leaning back in his chair listening at first, but his body gradually leaned forward. By the time Zhao Yang finished, his gaze had completely changed.

"When I was at TSMC, Morris Chang said one thing: the essence of a foundry is not manufacturing, but service. When a customer hands you their design blueprints, you must be able to help them achieve mass production in the shortest time with the most stable yield rate. Whoever provides the best service gets the orders."

Liang Mengsong spoke with a clear trace of emotion in his voice. "But TSMC's current size is too large—so large that it has started picking its customers. Small customers can't get capacity, and large customers are also subject to its whims. This is a problem, but it's also our opportunity."

Zhao Yang nodded.

"The 32nm node is a good choice."

Liang Mengsong continued, "TSMC has just established itself at this node, and capacity is still ramping up. The number of manufacturers worldwide that can do 32nm foundry work can be counted on one hand. Although we're starting late, as long as the team is built quickly and the equipment is tuned steadily, it's not without a chance."

"You build the team; I'll handle the equipment."

Zhao Yang said, looking seriously at Liang Mengsong.

Liang Mengsong picked up the teacup in front of him and took a large gulp. Then he looked at Zhao Yang, his tone calm but his eyes reflecting a fire that had been suppressed for a long time.

"I spent over a decade at TSMC and a few years at Samsung. The biggest regret of my life is not being able to personally build a foundry that can compete head-on with TSMC. Dr. Zhao, for this project, I'm willing to bet the professional life of my remaining years."

Zhao Yang didn't make any overly dramatic statements. He simply reached out and shook Liang Mengsong's hand.

"Then let's do it together."