166: Chapter 166 Scarcity Marketing? Don't Panic, Make It Right Away!

Jinjiang Bookstore, Technical Department Office.

Qiu Zhengyang was holding the newly unboxed fanmi 2, unable to put it down; the frosted glass on the back of the phone shimmered with a faint blue light in the sunlight.

Wu Chen leaned over and clicked his tongue in wonder, "You're quite lucky, kid. I've been trying to grab one for three days without luck, and you actually managed to snag one during the E-commerce Platform's hourly flash sale?"

"It wasn't luck, it was hand speed!"

Qiu Zhengyang smugly waved his phone and opened the system app store.

"Look at this loading speed; it's probably at least three times faster than the Fanmi 1. Zhou Fan's technology is truly beyond reproach."

On the other side, Yu Zhengqing leaned over with his laptop, lines of code jumping on the screen: "I just ran a performance test on this phone. The multi-core CPU score broke the current record, and other performance data is also far ahead of its peers... it's just..."

He suddenly paused and pointed to a forum community, "Look, Fanmi seems to be getting smeared again..."

"They're still getting smeared? This is toxic!!"

Qiu Zhengyang frowned slightly and then entered that forum as well.

He curiously clicked on the pinned post, and his originally cheerful mood instantly sank.

[Is Fanmi addicted to hunger marketing? I've been trying for days and got nothing. Are they playing us for fools?]

[Upvoted +1. I suspect they're doing it on purpose, teasing us to build hype!]

[So disgusting. The pre-sale page says 'ample stock,' but it's gone the second you click in. Isn't this false advertising?]

[It's selling so well, maybe the production capacity just can't keep up? Are you just a hater? What's there to complain about??]

[I heard TSMC has cut off their supply. Does Fanmi have no chips to use at all now?]

[...]

The comment section was like a stirred-up hornet's nest, with negative remarks flooding the screen at a visible speed.

Some netizens posted screenshots of ten consecutive days of failed purchases, while others dug up Fanmi Technology's inventory data, questioning the authenticity of "five million chips sold out in three days."

The most glaring was a highly upvoted comment: [The light of domestic products? Or a market monopoly?]

"Are these people sick?" Wu Chen was so angry he almost threw his phone. "Is it a crime for fanmi 2 to sell well? At a price of 2999, any idiot knows to grab one! Isn't it normal for supply to fall short of demand? If you don't like it, then don't buy it. If you're so capable, go buy out Apple's stock!"

Qiu Zhengyang frowned and then opened the Fanmi official website to see if there were any new updates.

The page refreshed, and his expression suddenly shifted.

"Look at the Fanmi official website, they've posted an announcement."

The three of them hurried to the Fanmi Technology official website, where the pinned red announcement was particularly eye-catching:

[To all users who support Fanmi:

Due to sudden changes in chip foundry channels, the current inventory of fanmi 2 is completely sold out. Limited by production capacity, the second batch of products is expected to be released in two months. Thank you for your understanding and patience. Fanmi Technology always believes: keeping core technology in our own hands is the best promise to our users.]

"Two months?" Yu Zhengqing's brow furrowed again.

"Something's not right. Why so long? And what does 'changes in chip foundry channels' mean? Did something go wrong with TSMC?"

"Found it!" Yu Zhengqing's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of gravity.

"There's internal news saying TSMC seems to have unilaterally halted Fanmi Technology's orders. It looks like... a direct supply cut-off!"

"What the hell!!" Wu Chen's eyes widened. "These people are too dirty. They're playing the supply cut-off card again!!!"

This had happened before—suppliers cutting off supply. Fanmi had to go through a lot of effort back then to survive the crisis.

This time, it was the chips that were cut off!!!

"It's over. If TSMC really cut off the supply, it's likely those Western giants making a move!"

"It's normal for them to panic since fanmi 2 is selling so explosively, but these tactics are too despicable!!"

"If the West has really stepped in, two months... we might not even have chips then!"

"..."

The atmosphere in the office instantly became heavy.

Meanwhile, the tide on the internet was quietly turning.

Someone forwarded the Fanmi announcement to mainstream community forums, sparking even more intense discussion:

[Holy crap! The supply cut is confirmed? TSMC really isn't doing foundries for them anymore?]

[Stock in two months... is Fanmi sure they'll have chips to use?]

[TSMC is such an idiot. They won't even take the money? Why cut off the supply???]

[It must be because Fanmi stepped on the toes of too many giants. A self-developed system, a self-developed chip... Now that it's selling so well, the West probably can't sit still!]

[How can this be? Our Huaxia finally produced an awesome tech company. Is it just going to be suppressed like this?]

[...]

Amidst the heated discussion.

Someone was the first to send a forwarded message from Xinlang weibo.

Haicheng Microelectronics' official account suddenly released heavy-hitting news:

[Our country's self-developed 45nm Lithography Machine has achieved a mass production breakthrough! The first fully localized 45nm chip, 'qiankun chip', has successfully rolled off the production line and been collected by the National Museum. Its performance has reached international advanced levels. From now on, the Huaxia chip has its own 'light'!]

In a short, blurry video, the lithography machine, which embodied the painstaking efforts of countless people, was emitting a faint purple beam. Under the lens, the chip's patterns were as clear as hair. The last picture was a close-up of the chip displayed in the National Museum, with a line of small characters engraved on the edge: "2010.8 Made in Huaxia."

This news was like a thunderclap thrown into the public opinion field.

The netizens who were questioning Fanmi fell silent instantly, then were submerged by overwhelming excitement.

[I knew Fanmi had the confidence to announce stock in two months! So this is what they were waiting for!]

[45nm! A domestic lithography machine! This is even more exciting than fanmi 2 becoming a bestseller!]

[Western countries cut supply, and domestic products rise? I was wrong to scold them before; I apologize to Fanmi! This is the true light of domestic products!]

[Those who were smearing them for hunger marketing, why don't you come out and take a few steps? They really ran out of chips, but they can build them themselves now. Doesn't that just burn you up?]

[It's unbelievable that there's actually a 45nm Lithography Machine domestically... The 90nm breakthrough was only a few months ago, right? How did Haicheng Microelectronics do it? Are they really that awesome???]

[I guess the two companies might have collaborated to research the lithography machine; otherwise, there's no explanation...]

[...]

Wu Chen refreshed the page, and watching the comment section shift from questioning to amazement, he suddenly laughed out loud.

He looked at Qiu Zhengyang and teased, "This phone of yours might become a souvenir in the future. It's from the only batch with an externally manufactured qiankun chip. You should treasure it!"

"Holy crap, this is too ridiculous. How did Haicheng Microelectronics suddenly break through the 45nm lithography technology??"

"I saw a post earlier... saying that based on current progress, Huaxia's 45nm lithography technology would take at least five years to develop, but now..."

"It really is too ridiculous. How on earth did they do it? Did they really collaborate with Fanmi?" Yu Zhengqing speculated tentatively, but then shook his head. "That's impossible. Fanmi doesn't build lithography machines. A collaboration between the two is impossible!!"

"What if it's Zhou Fan?" At this moment, Wu Chen suddenly interjected.

"What do you mean??" Qiu Zhengyang seemed to think of something, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Zhou Fan participated in this project?"

"I'm not sure either... it's just that lately, Zhou Fan's phone has been unreachable. When I asked President Lei's side, they were all secretive, saying something about resolving a major crisis for Fanmi. Looking at it now... it must be related to the chip project!"

"..."

"No wonder... the Fanmi announcement said 'keeping core technology in our own hands is the best promise to our users'..."

"Damn... if others won't do the foundry for me, I'll just build it myself. That's my brother!!!"

"That's so badass!!!"

"As expected of my idol..."

The three in the office looked at each other, their hearts filled with shock.