Reborn in 2011, 985 missing from two copies

Chapter 619: Fab Wars, TSMC Tragedy

"Damn, you can still play like this!"

"No martial ethics, really no martial ethics."

“咱们都按正常迭代顺序，28纳米-20纳米-16纳米-10纳米，正常进行。三星直接28纳米-14纳米！直接领先我们台积电一大代了！”

"The most troublesome thing is that we know that Samsung's 14nm is a generation ahead of our 20nm, and Samsung also knows it. But ordinary users don't think so."

“Yes, ordinary users still think that Samsung’s 14nm is two generations ahead of our TSMC 20nm and one generation ahead of our 16nm!”

"What a fucking idiot, Samsung is such a beast."

"The main reason is that our 16nm mass production is too slow and will only start in the second half of next year. Samsung's 14nm will start mass production by the end of this year, half a year earlier than us. As a result, Apple's next-generation A9 chip orders may be snatched away by Samsung!"

"Alas, this is a big problem. TSMC's 20 nanometers and Samsung's 14 nanometers, Apple will definitely choose Samsung."

"It's not just Apple that chooses Samsung. I think Qualcomm also wants to choose Samsung. It's just that Samsung's 14nm production capacity is insufficient, so they chose TSMC's 20nm foundry for Snapdragon 810."

"Apple is an ungrateful person who can never be fed. This year, in order to manufacture the A8 for Apple, we gave priority to Apple with all our 20nm production capacity. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 orders were forced to be postponed to next year. But what about Apple? Seeing Samsung's 14nm breakthrough, I'm afraid it will give all the A9 orders to Samsung soon!"

"It's a waste of time to raise a wolf. You can never tame it!"

A group of senior executives cursed and were very angry:

"If Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 orders are high, it's fine. Even if we can't get A9 orders next year, we can still mass-produce 20nm Snapdragon 810!"

"But the problem is that Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 has been severely impacted by Xingyi Technology's Kunpeng chip, and there is a high possibility of failure. There are not many orders at all."

"As a result, we won't get any orders for A9 and there won't be many orders for Snapdragon 810. Then TSMC will be in dire straits next year!"

Hearing this, Lao Zhang broke out in a cold sweat.

This year, TSMC has the goddess Apple A8, and Qualcomm 801 and other backup products lined up. There is no problem with any pressure, as there are enough orders.

But by next year, not only will the goddess Apple A9 run away with that bad boy Samsung, but Qualcomm, the backup tire, will also fail. Isn't that the end?

Wouldn’t TSMC be in dire straits next year?

Lao Zhang panicked: "What about Huawei? Will they have new chips next year?"

"Chairman, Huawei will definitely have new chips next year, but the problem is that this year Huawei's chip orders have all been abandoned by TSMC and turned to Xingyi Semiconductor, using Xingyi Semiconductor's 28nm process. Next year's chip orders will probably still be given to Xingyi Semiconductor!"

The corner of Lao Zhang's mouth twitched: "..."

"Even Huawei has defected, so isn't that the end for TSMC?"

"Even if our 16-nanometer process goes into production in the second half of next year, who will use it?"

"This..." Everyone in the room was silent, and the expressions on their faces were extremely solemn.

Sometimes if you are one step slower, you lose everything, let alone being slower for half a year!

This is too passive for TSMC.

"No, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must actively fight for it."

Old Zhang slammed the table and said seriously, "Marketing department, mobilize everyone. Huawei's marketing director will lead the team and tell President Yu that the 16nm process in the second half of next year will be given to them, and mass production will begin in August!"

"Okay, with such a price tag, I don't think Huawei can refuse it. After all, it is a 16-nanometer process, which is two generations stronger than Xingyi Semiconductor's 28-nanometer process."

"Yes, the 16nm process will definitely enable Huawei to produce its flagship chip in the second half of next year, but this alone is not enough."

Lao Zhang nodded: "So, we have to go to Qualcomm as well. In this way, the vice president will lead the team to Qualcomm and must win the order for Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and mass produce it using TSMC's 16nm process."

"As for Apple, we can't give up. We have to send a vice president. Not too many, but at least get one-third of Apple's A9 chip orders next year!"

Another vice president nodded and said, "Since Apple encountered a supply crisis that year, it has always preferred a dual supply chain to ensure stable supply. Even if next year's Apple A9 processor will use Samsung's 14nm process, as long as we offer the right price, we still have hope of winning back some orders."

"Yes, Apple is so big that Samsung can't take it all. And as a competitor, is Apple confident in giving all its chips to Samsung? This is our opportunity at TSMC."

"Yes, we don't need more. Even if we only get one-third of the order, there will still be 40 million, which will allow us to survive the crisis next year."

Lao Zhang nodded: "Let's do it this way. You all have to do your job and there can be no problems."

"Yes."

Zhang looked around at everyone and changed the subject: "Samsung, the sixth-best player, has put TSMC in a very passive position!"

The vice president was also furious: "Samsung is fucking terrible. I just don't understand. Samsung has always lagged behind and can't even figure out 20 nanometers. How come they can suddenly figure out 14 nanometers? And they want to achieve mass production by the end of the year?"

Others also spoke one after another:
"Yes, I am also confused about this question. Samsung's 14nm process will be mass-produced by the end of the year, which means that Samsung's 14nm process has been successfully trial-produced, but the yield rate is not high. The yield rate needs to be continuously improved before mass production can be achieved."

"The problem is, we haven't even finished 20 nanometers yet, so how can Samsung overtake us and try to produce 14 nanometers? They are cheating, right?"

"That's right. We can't even handle 16 nanometers, so how can they handle 14 nanometers? Where did this guy get the technology?"

"Needless to say, it must be Lao Liang! Without Lao Liang, Samsung is shit. With Lao Liang, they have even developed 14 nanometers, which is a generation ahead of us!"

Lao Zhang said viciously, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth in hatred.

"Mr. Liang, FinFET technology!"

"So that's it." Everyone suddenly realized:
"FinFET technology is the key to breakthroughs in process technology below 20 nanometers, and FinFET was invented by Mr. Hu, Mr. Liang's teacher. Mr. Liang is not only familiar with it, but also has made outstanding contributions!"

"Yes, with Lao Liang here, it's only natural for Samsung to break through the 14nm process."

Lao Zhang sighed: "FinFET technology is the core of 14/16 nanometers. If we can solve the FinFET process, then we will have a bright future, focusing on high-end foundry and making a lot of money. If we can't solve it, then we can only struggle in the fields of 28nm and 20nm, and will only be abandoned by the times!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded:
"Yes, our 20-nanometer process was only put into mass production in April this year. It should have been the most advanced process in the world. Customers such as Apple, Qualcomm, and Huawei all requested to use it and actively placed orders. However, because Samsung will start mass production of 14-nanometer chips by the end of the year, our 20-nanometer process has fallen behind! Several major customers have abandoned us. Damn it!"

"There's nothing we can do. Competition in the semiconductor field is so fierce. I just didn't expect that after Lao Liang joined Samsung, Samsung would make such great progress."

"I'm going to say something you may not like. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

“If Liang had not been forced to leave and join Samsung, Samsung would not even be able to figure out 14 nanometers, let alone 20 nanometers.”

"That's right. If Lao Liang was still at TSMC, it would be TSMC that would be mass-producing 14nm technology by the end of the year!"

"With him here, we don't have to wait until the second half of next year for our 16nm process. It will be ready by the end of this year. But unfortunately..."

"Allowing a major helper to become an enemy is the biggest mistake we can make."

……

Everyone was talking at once, regretting their decision.

But Lao Zhang's expression became extremely ugly, and he even wanted to curse in his heart.

The responsibility for this lies with him as the chairman of TSMC.

Before Zhang stepped down, the position of the head of TSMC should have been passed to Liang, who made great contributions to TSMC!
But Lao Zhang just likes Lao Jiang, who is Lao Liang’s mortal enemy and has a good temper.

He passed the position of TSMC's president to Chiang Kai-shek and demoted Liang in secret, sidelining him.

How could Mr. Liang bear this humiliation?
As soon as Samsung saw the opportunity, it quickly extended an olive branch and invited Mr. Liang to go to South Korea.

In 2009, Mr. Liang officially resigned and left TSMC.

Initially, there was a non-compete clause, but Liang did not openly join Samsung Semiconductor. Instead, he entered a university in South Korea to circumvent the non-compete clause. But in fact,

Later, Mr. Liang officially joined Samsung!
Zhang was furious and sued Liang and Samsung in 2011, claiming that Liang helped Samsung to finalize the 28-nanometer process during the non-compete period.

In August last year, the first instance court ruled that Liang lost the case and ordered him to pay NT$500 million in compensation to TSMC and be prohibited from providing services to Samsung before December 2015, 12.

However, Mr. Liang was dissatisfied with the first-instance judgment and began to appeal.

TSMC is also actively responding.

Originally, Lao Zhang would not do anything desperate at this time.

It doesn't matter if Mr. Liang stays at Samsung until the end of 2015. Samsung is far behind TSMC anyway and will not be able to catch up with TSMC in the short term.

But who would have thought that Old Lady Liang could be so troublesome!

Not only did it produce results, it also blew up TSMC and surpassed TSMC!
Samsung even used its 14nm process to snatch a large number of orders from TSMC.

This time, Lao Zhang couldn't stand it anymore.

Especially those useless subordinates, who are still sighing and blaming others!
Crazy?
Don’t I, Old Zhang, have any face?
Even if I did something wrong, it wasn't my fault!

Can you admit it?
joke!

Lao Zhang shouted, "Humph! What's the point of saying this now?"

"Lao Liang is an ungrateful person who can never be tamed. We at TSMC trained him, but he went to help Samsung and surpass TSMC!"

"He is a traitor!"

"Big traitor!"

"We are TSMC's enemy!"

"The biggest enemy!"

"I, Zhang, hereby declare that as long as I, Zhang, am in this circle, Lao Liang will never have a good life!"

"Give me evidence as soon as possible. I will sue Lao Liang again for violating the non-compete agreement. Sue Samsung for plagiarizing our TSMC's core technology! I will make sure they can't even turn the tables in the second trial!"

"This..." Everyone was silent.

Many of them are old friends who have worked hard with Mr. Liang and don’t want to do anything too extreme.

Old Zhang's expression became even uglier: "What? My words don't work anymore?"

"Yes! We'll arrange it right away!"

A quick-witted subordinate spoke up immediately.

"Yes, let's do it now!" Others also spoke up in agreement.

Lao Zhang nodded and said, "Act separately. Those who should go to Apple, Qualcomm, and Huawei should go immediately. Those who should collect evidence should collect evidence, and those who should sue Lao Liang and Samsung should sue them!"

"Yes!" everyone responded and took action.

I knew in my heart that the chairman was anxious!

Samsung Semiconductor, which was originally far behind TSMC, suddenly surpassed TSMC by a generation and snatched away a large number of orders, causing TSMC to face a fatal crisis!

Of course Lao Zhang couldn’t stand it!
Soon, all the senior executives of TSMC were dispatched to perform their respective duties.

Wang Yi did not sit idly by.

On the contrary, he also came to the R&D headquarters of Xingyi B1 wafer factory and found Mr. Hu:
"Mr. Hu, Samsung is really fast. TSMC has not yet mass-produced 20-nanometer chips, but Samsung will launch 14-nanometer chips by the end of the year. It's really fast!"

This node is similar to the previous life, and it directly blew up TSMC! It is a whole generation ahead of TSMC!

Mr. Hu smiled and said, "Yes, Xiao Liang is quite capable. He is also clear-headed. He actually skipped 20 nanometers and went straight to 14 nanometers, overtaking others."

"Chairman, when you said Samsung's cross-generational development, I was a little surprised. I didn't expect Samsung to actually do this."

"And they did a very good job of keeping it secret. TSMC knew nothing about it."

Wang Yi nodded: "Samsung is still very resourceful. If TSMC knew about this, it would probably give up 20nm and go all in on 16nm."

"Indeed. This time, TSMC will suffer heavy losses. I estimate that they will lose the Apple A9 order." Mr. Hu said meaningfully.

Wang Yi nodded: "It is very likely that once TSMC loses the A9 order, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 will use the 20nm process next year, and TSMC will start production of 16nm in the second half of next year, and will snatch Huawei's orders."

"This year, all Huawei's chip orders were given to us, and we used our 28-nanometer process to manufacture for Huawei. But if TSMC gives Huawei 16-nanometer process next year, the result will be hard to predict."

Mr. Hu understood what Wang Yi said.

Xingyi Technology's process is 28 nanometers, while TSMC's is 20 nanometers. Huawei can tolerate this and continue to use Xingyi Technology's 28 nanometers.

But if TSMC uses 16 nanometers and Xingyi Technology is still at 28 nanometers, a difference of two generations, Huawei will not be able to tolerate it.

This is not a good thing for Xingyi Technology.

Mr. Hu laughed and said, "It's okay. Samsung's 14nm will be in mass production by the end of the year, which is around January next year. TSMC's 16nm is estimated to be in the second half of the year, which is around August. Our Xingyi Semiconductor's 8nm process may be a little slower than Samsung's, but it is definitely much faster than TSMC's!"

Hearing this, Wang Yi's eyebrows lit up: "With your words, I feel relieved!"

Next year, Xingyi Semiconductor will also be able to mass-produce 14nm chips, so Huawei’s orders will be inevitable.

"Mr. Hu, what is the current progress of our 14nm process?" Wang Yi couldn't help but ask.

Mr. Hu frowned: "It's not going well."

“The yield rate is too low.”

"???"

Wang Yi was startled, then overjoyed: "It's already been made?"

I thought it would take the second half of the year to complete it, and it would take the second half of next year to raise the yield rate to a qualified level.

But I didn’t expect that it would be made now!
Doesn’t that mean that mass production of 14nm will be possible in the first half of next year?

Wang Yi was completely excited.

Mr. Hu sighed and said, "It's done."

“But the yield rate is too low, only 10%!”

"There are still a lot of problems. It will take nearly a year to increase the yield rate to 85%!"

"Great, that's great!" Wang Yi was overjoyed. "That means we can mass produce 2 nanometer chips around February next year? Maybe even surpass Samsung?"

Samsung said that it will start mass production by the end of the year, most likely in January next year.

Mr. Hu said it will be February next year, most likely January next year, or even the end of this year.

Wang Yi knew clearly that Mr. Hu's standards were always very high and extremely strict, and the yield rate was too high.

In fact, the yield rate of 14nm can be mass-produced even at 85%, let alone 75%!

With this kind of cutting-edge technology, what's wrong with a lower yield rate? At most, the cost will be higher and the price of the chip will increase a little.

They are all small problems!
"It depends on the situation." Mr. Hu said calmly.

Wang Yi felt relieved. Mr. Hu said that it depends on the situation, so the matter was settled.

Maybe they can actually get ahead of Samsung and mass-produce 14nm chips ahead of schedule!

This is fun!
"Mr. Hu, I feel relieved with you here!" Wang Yi was overjoyed.

I really found a treasure.

At the 40nm and 28nm stages, Xingyi Semiconductor was lagging behind and is trying to catch up.

But in the 14nm field, Xingyi Technology also needs to overtake Samsung like Samsung.

But by then, TSMC will be obsolete.

From the big brother, he suddenly became the third brother!

This is really fun.

Of course, Samsung is just as fun.

Wang Yi is clear that Samsung's 14nm process is a premature one and is far inferior to TSMC's 16nm process.

It is precisely for this reason that the A6 processor of the previous iPhone 9S series had a foundry problem.

In the past, the sales volume of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus reached 1.2 million units, with about 9000 million units in stock in the first year.

Originally, Apple had a large order of 9000 million chips. Apple felt that Samsung's 14nm process was more mature and could be mass-produced in January, so it planned to give 6000 million chips to Samsung using its 14nm process.

The remaining 3000 million chips will be produced using TSMC's 16nm process, which will not be put into mass production until the second half of the year.

Before the 6S series was launched, everyone thought that Samsung's 14nm chip would definitely crush TSMC's 16nm chip, and consumers also wanted to buy the Samsung version of 6S.

Unexpectedly, after it was actually launched on the market, Samsung's 14nm process failed!
Compared with TSMC's 16nm chip, the performance is 30% worse!

Users who originally purchased the Samsung version of iPhone 6s felt like the sky was falling.

The remaining users also strongly demanded to buy the TSMC version, and users of Samsung chips were still thinking about protecting their rights and returning the products.

This incident caused a lot of controversy and put Apple in a passive position.

The proportions of subsequent chip orders were also changed, with a large number of orders going to TSMC's 16nm process and a reduction in Samsung's 14nm orders.

There is no way, Samsung’s 14nm process is too disappointing.

This is the much-talked-about chip foundry scandal.

But will it happen again this time?
Wang Yi couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

can you?

probably not!

This year, Apple’s chip orders are expected to be entirely given to Samsung!
If so, it would be fun.

Thinking of this, Wang Yi laughed heartily.

"???" Mr. Hu on the other side looked confused: "Boss Wang, what's wrong with you?"

Wang Yi came back to his senses and said, "It's okay, Mr. Hu. Just make sure we make our 14nm chip. Don't worry, the semiconductor industry will be very exciting in the future. Hahaha."

Afterwards, Wang Yi called Zhu Changlin and explained some things to him.

Zhu Changlin was overjoyed and quickly contacted Huawei's Lao Yu:

"Mr. Yu, are you satisfied with our cooperation this year?"

"Satisfied, of course I am. The Kirin 910 that you manufactured for us has a very high yield rate, and its performance is very stable and powerful!" Lao Yu praised it highly.

Originally, Yu and Huawei took a gamble when they changed the foundry of Kirin 910 from TSMC to Xingyi Technology.

I was even worried about the car flipping over.

But now, Kirin 910 has been delivered in several batches, and not only has it not failed, but it is also amazing, too amazing.

Completely exceeded Huawei's expectations!
"Don't worry, we will mass-produce Kirin 920, Kirin 925, and Kirin 928 for you with guaranteed quality and quantity."

Zhu Changlin said with a smile: "In the future, we will continue to have new wafer fabs delivered and production capacity will continue to increase. This will not be a problem."

"That's great."

"By the way, Mr. Yu, your chips should have a major upgrade in the second half of next year, right? In terms of process technology?"

"Yes, we plan to launch Kirin 950 in the second half of next year, which is a comprehensive upgrade. But the process may not be 28 nanometers."

老余为难道：“你也知道，今年的苹果A8就是20纳米，明年的苹果A9估计是三星的14纳米。即便是高通的骁龙810也是台积电20纳米。我们的麒麟950……”

"How about using 14 nanometers?" Zhu Changlin said with a smile.

"14 nanometers?" Old Yu was stunned. He thought of many things at once, and his expression became incredible:

"Xingyi Semiconductor is also going to skip the 20-nanometer process and go directly to the 14-nanometer process? And will it be able to mass produce in the second half of next year?"

Zhu Changlin laughed and said, "We will definitely be able to mass produce 14nm chips next year, but not necessarily in the second half of the year. We may also mass produce them in the first half of the year. Just keep researching and developing them. We will use the most advanced 950nm process to manufacture Kirin 14 chips for you. We will provide you with large quantities!"

"That's great!" Lao Yu was in a good mood:

"Mr. Wang, you are really amazing. You are a role model for us at Huawei. In addition to this year's Kirin 920/925/928, we will also launch Kirin 620, Kirin 930, and Kirin 935 in the first half of next year. All of them are 28nm process and will be outsourced to Xingyi Semiconductor. There will also be the 16nm Kirin 950 in the second half of the year!"

"No problem." Zhu Changlin agreed with a smile.

It is clear in their minds that this time, Huawei HiSilicon will fully turn to Xingyi Semiconductor to flex its muscles.

If nothing unexpected happens, all of Huawei's subsequent large chip orders will be outsourced to Xingyi Technology.

As a result, TSMC has lost another major customer.

Sure enough, TSMC's marketing director came to Huawei to discuss next year's orders and was warmly received, but no order was won.

Typical courtesy, courtesy farewell.

This made the TSMC director very angry, but he could do nothing about it.

On the other hand, TSMC Vice President Bei Chengqi came to Apple headquarters to discuss the big chip order for Apple A9 next year.

But unexpectedly, he was also rejected.

Not only was Cook not seen, but even the director of the chip department was not seen.

Only an ordinary management member and Bei Chengqi were arranged to practice Tai Chi.

Bei Chengqi immediately reported the situation to Lao Zhang:

"Chairman, Apple's attitude is not right. I have been here for several days, but they are very perfunctory. I asked to see Mr. Cook, but was always turned away!"

(End of this chapter)