Reborn in 2011, 985 missing from two copies

Chapter 624 Semiconductor Innovation, Xingyi Class!

What I learned in school is not useful at work.

The things needed for work cannot be taught in school.

This is a difficult problem of the times.

It’s okay in the field of liberal arts, but the core of management is not in the books at all.

The essence of accounting is hidden in Tilanqiao.

However, the Western economic theories from a hundred or eighty years ago are still somewhat useful today and can still be used to fool people.

But science and engineering are completely different. If you fall behind by one generation, you have to learn all over again, let alone falling behind by so many generations, or even decades.

In fact, this is not just true for semiconductors, but also for emerging fields such as AI.

The AI-related theories currently taught in China are all ancient AI, which have lagged behind the current AI industry for many years.

There is no way. Those old professors never learned AI when they were in school. At that time, there were no artificial intelligence algorithms, no fields such as intelligent driving. The professors themselves have never learned AI and don’t know it themselves. What can they teach students?

It is for this reason that ten years later, the average age of employees at AI giants such as Deepseek is very young.

These people either returned from studying abroad and learned advanced systems from abroad, or learned some ancient AI in China and became self-taught after working.

The same is true in other fields such as semiconductors. The lecture notes of many well-known professors may not be updated for more than ten years!
Some people’s lecture notes in 2014 are still the same ones from 2004!

Even though technology has developed rapidly in the past decade and all industries have undergone qualitative and earth-shaking changes, the lecture notes of some old professors have remained unchanged.

Others have the same core, with slight changes and a few newer cases.

It is equivalent to taking the purified water from ten years ago and putting a new label on it and selling it to new students.

What advanced knowledge can students learn in such an environment?
Wang Yi doesn’t think so.

The same is true for semiconductors.

Not to mention the 14nm process and the 10nm process, even the 90nm process, those well-known semiconductor professors have never had any contact with it, have never learned it, and don’t understand it. How can they teach it to students?

There is no way. What they have been exposed to are the products of the last century, and the system they teach to students is also the system of the last century.

Even after students graduate, they have no use for it.

Even if you enter a large semiconductor company, you have to start as an apprentice and learn step by step from your master.

It's okay if the master is responsible and can give some guidance, and in a year or two, you will be able to work independently.

If the master is irresponsible, then even a PhD or Master's degree in semiconductors from a prestigious university will find it difficult to achieve great success.

Of course, those who have strong learning ability, are hardworking and creative still have hope of success.

But it is difficult for those "nerd-type academic masters" who only know how to memorize things by rote.

It can be said that the biggest role of 985 universities is not to cultivate professional talents in semiconductors, AI, etc., but to screen out academic masters with strong learning ability!

Yes, screening is more important.

Efficiently screen out those geniuses with strong learning abilities!
The key indicator for screening is academic qualifications, or to be more precise, the first academic qualification.

The kind of nerd who can get into a key undergraduate program from a small town may be a rote-memorizing type of person, but the science nerds who can get into Peking University or Tsinghua University have superb learning abilities!
Even if they have not studied the latest semiconductor or AI theories, once they are exposed to new technologies, they can master them in three months, which would take ordinary people more than a year to master.

This kind of people are the ones that Xingyi Technology gives priority to admit.

As for those who have an ordinary undergraduate degree but rely on perseverance to get a 985 undergraduate degree, a master's or doctoral degree from Peking University or Tsinghua University, to be honest, they may not have strong learning ability, they just have perseverance.

After all, as long as you have a strong learning ability, you can do well in the college entrance examination even if you study while having fun, and your first degree will not be bad.

Of course, some people will say that some people are very smart, but they don’t like to study, so they didn’t do well in the college entrance examination…

Don't expect someone who can't even maintain basic self-discipline to sit on the bench and work 996 hours a day to do research and development, and this is certainly not the goal of Xingyi Technology.

When Xingyi Technology recruits people now, it not only looks at the school they went to, but also their first degree and college entrance examination scores, especially math and science scores.

As long as you have high scores in math and science, you can be given priority for the interview even if your total score is lower.

What is needed is strong learning ability + strong self-discipline + hard work.

For other jobs, Wang Yi does not support the overtime culture.

But the core R&D department has no choice. It is unrealistic not to work overtime in R&D.

I spend 8 hours a day on R&D, but there is still no result. I have to go home after get off work and continue tomorrow. Then the R&D cycle is endless.

On the contrary, overtime is commonplace in the core R&D department, and ten hours a day is normal.

There is no way, every technical breakthrough is a race against time.

For example, the research and development of 10-nanometer process originally took 36 months.

But in order to catch up with Samsung, TSMC directly started the Nighthawk Project, working in three shifts 24 hours a day, aiming to shorten the 36 months to 24 months and surpass Samsung!
But it's a bit slow to wait until after you start working to learn.

It is best to get exposed to advanced knowledge in school.

"No, I have to write a letter of advice to ask colleges and universities to increase their investment in industry-university cooperation!" Wang Yi had a plan.

Wang Yi won’t talk big about promoting university reform.

There are too many things involved here and it cannot be resolved overnight.

But if Xingyi Technology increases cooperation with universities, promotes industry-university integration, and provides targeted training, then there will be no problem.

"Zi Yan, what do you think? If we cooperate with Beihang University to set up the Semiconductor Xingyi Class, we can recruit top science students, train them, and sign them directly to Xingyi Semiconductor."

"These students learn basic theories in their freshman year and advanced theories in their sophomore year. We will send core engineers to Beihang University as lecturers to impart cutting-edge theories and knowledge in the current semiconductor field to students for targeted training."

"At the beginning of the junior year, we will be assessed. Based on the assessment results, we will sign contracts and enter different departments of Xingyi Semiconductor. We will sign a confidentiality agreement and start internship work directly. We will be exposed to R&D work in advanced processes, grow through learning, and receive a basic salary during the internship period."

"There will be an internship assessment after one year of internship. Starting from the fourth year, those who pass the assessment will officially enter the core R&D department of Xingyi Semiconductor, and those who fail the internship assessment will be assigned to other non-core departments."

Hearing this, Jian Ziyan's eyes flickered, "This strategy is really great. It greatly shortens the training time. Currently, we recruit semiconductor fresh graduates, most of whom are master's and doctoral students. After joining the company, they have to learn from scratch and train for one or even two years before they can be considered qualified employees. By that time, many of them are in their thirties and have long passed their most energetic years. Their subsequent development can only be said to be average."

"If we follow the industry-university integration approach, we can start transferring advanced processes and systematic training in our sophomore year, and then we can get internships at Xingyi Semiconductor in our junior year, and we can be independent in our senior year. At that time, they will be in their 20s! They will be the most energetic and have the brightest future. This is a promising future for students. It will also make a better contribution to Xingyi Semiconductor."

"Yes, this is one of the reasons I care about it the most." Wang Yi said with a smile.

Domestic semiconductor PhDs study until they are in their thirties, but most of the knowledge they gain is outdated process theory, which is not very meaningful.

It’s better to be a sophomore student trained by Wang Yi in industry-university integration!

After all, sophomore students trained under the industry-university cooperation model are learning cutting-edge theories taught by core engineers of Xingyi Semiconductor, which are all the latest systems, and can at least learn 40-nanometer process.

These are things that domestic PhDs cannot learn, and their teachers don’t know either.

For example, if enrollment starts in September this year, then the first batch of sophomores in the Xingyi class in September next year will be able to receive systematic instruction in cutting-edge theories from senior engineers from Xingyi Semiconductor as lecturers.

At the very least, what is taught is the theoretical system of 40-nanometer process, and even part of it is the theoretical system of 28-nanometer process.

Not to mention teachers in other universities, even senior engineers at SMIC treat these things as treasures, especially the 28-nanometer theoretical system.

Of course, the most core part of the 28nm process could only be encountered during my junior year when I started my internship at Xingyi Semiconductor.

As for the seniors, they will be experienced full-time employees and can be assigned to different departments according to their abilities and start actual research and development work.

This strategy saves students’ study time and improves the efficiency of Xingyi Semiconductor’s talent pool.

As for why you chose Beihang University to start?
Of course, it is already March, the college entrance examination is in June, and enrollment is in July, so time is tight.

If it were other schools, it would probably be difficult to move forward this year, and would have to be at least until next year.

But as for Beihang University, because of Wang Yi's face, Beihang University will probably make every effort to promote it and start recruiting students this year!
As for the number of people...just recruit three classes of 100 people each!
There is no other way. Famous universities like Beihang University have a limit on the number of students they can enroll. It is not realistic for Wang Yi to recruit 1000 students.

Even 100 people are difficult.

Unless Wang Yi builds a professional Xingyi University himself and recruits students specifically.

But this is even more troublesome. It will be difficult to implement it within three years, let alone this year.

It is better to cooperate with colleges and universities first and build Xingyi University step by step.

"Zi Yan, write a report quickly and contact Beihang University. We will go there tomorrow."

"Okay, Chairman, if we want to enroll students this year, we really have to speed up."

"But 100 people is still a little too few," said Wang Yi.

After all, not all of these 100 people will enter Xingyi Semiconductor's R&D positions. On the contrary, only the best 30 will enter core R&D.

The next thirty most outstanding people will enter the R&D department to do some grass-roots work, such as testing.

The things developed by the R&D team need professionals to test, analyze and improve them...

Generally, the forty outstanding people will enter the production line of Xingyi Wafer Factory and engage in work such as equipment debugging, or even be assigned to the logistics department, other departments, etc.

In this case, there are only thirty core R&D positions for one hundred people, which is not enough, absolutely not enough.

We must continue to cooperate with other schools to promote the integration of industry and academia!
Thinking of this, Wang Yi looked at Jian Ziyan again: "Ziyan, Beihang is a pilot project. If the other schools are willing to move forward this year, we will provide full support. If not, then we will do it next year."

"Okay!" Jian Ziyan knew that the college entrance examination was only three months away, which was too close. If she wanted to promote the Xingyi class, she had to break the rules and make special arrangements.

But this is a troublesome matter, and requires university leaders to have great courage, initiative, and even a spirit of adventure.

After all, this is the first time in history. It would be fine if it succeeds, but if it fails, all the responsible persons will have to take the blame!
Therefore, most school leaders would rather have less trouble than more.

Even if I have an idea, I will postpone it to next year.

Let’s first take a look at the progress of the Xingyi class at Beihang University this year, and then decide whether to follow up next year.

This way you can attack or defend, which is very safe.

Therefore, even if Xingyi Technology fully promotes the integration of industry and academia, it is estimated that few universities will participate this year.

There is nothing we can do about this.

After all, Beihang University is Wang Yi’s alma mater, so they might be willing to take the risk, but other schools don’t have such a relationship!
In desperation, Wang Yi called Song Si Ning again and explained the situation:

"Si Ning, go and talk to Lu University and see if we can promote the industry-university integration model. We have many students in the four provinces of Shanhe, but few famous universities. If it works, we can recruit more students. As for the quota, I will try to find a way to expand the enrollment so that the Xingyi class is not included in the original enrollment quota!"

"Chairman, this is not a big problem. We have invested so much in Jeju and have a great influence across the country. I believe Luda will support what you want to do. Moreover, semiconductors are also a core area that the country focuses on supporting. Luda should not refuse. I have a good relationship with them, so there will be no problem in getting it off the ground this year." Song Sining said with a smile.

"That's good." Wang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

As for Beihang University, he is a student of Beihang University, and Beihang University will give him face.

As for Lu University, Wang Yi is the pride of Lu Province, and the whole province probably wants to support him.

What's more, this is a win-win situation.

And there is also Song Si Ning's face. Song Si Ning is also one of the best graduates of Lu University.

It was Song Sining who was invited to give the graduation speech!

And although Shandong Province is somewhat traditional in many aspects, it is not ambiguous at all when it comes to political correctness.

I am particularly interested in semiconductors, but I met the wrong person in my previous life...

The next morning, Song Sining took the relevant information and went straight to Lu University.

Wang Yi and Jian Ziyan also came to Beihang University and met with He Weihua, president of Beihang University, and Wen Jichang, dean of the School of Electronic Information Engineering.

"Director Wang, the combination of industry and academia you mentioned is not a problem in theory. However, the research direction of our school's School of Electronic Information Engineering is mainly in aerospace."

"For example, integrated circuits used in aerospace applications focus on radiation resistance and high reliability, so the process technology is not that important."

"There are also smart sensors for drones and satellites, which are different from the current development direction of Xingyi Semiconductor."

Wang Yi understood what He Weihua meant.

Aerospace is more military-oriented, and the chips used at this level must be reliable and radiation-resistant first. As for 28 nanometers or 14 nanometers, it doesn’t matter at all.

On the contrary, the military chips currently used by Europe and the United States are all 90 nanometers or even worse.

Even ten years later, Europe and the United States are still using 28-nanometer, 40-nanometer, and 55-nanometer military chips.

Ten years later, the polar bears were still using 120-nanometer military chips.

This goes against the development direction of Xingyi Semiconductor.

Wang Yi nodded: "That's true, but military chips must also be continuously upgraded. Even if the most advanced chips are not used, 28 nanometers will be the mainstream in the future. Military chips and aerospace chips in Europe and the United States are all moving towards 28 nanometers."

Wen Jichang also spoke up: "This is indeed a problem, but reliability is still the first priority. However, we also need to plan for advanced technology. In a word, we can temporarily not use it, but we can't use it when we can't!"

He Weihua seemed to be thinking: "That makes sense, but our School of Electronic Information Engineering only has so many enrollment quotas, and the research and development direction is definitely biased towards aerospace, and we have directional tasks. Once the students are assigned to the Xingyi class, what will happen to our aviation chips?"

People in this kind of schools all come with a mission.

Wang Yi understood very well: "I know that the existing enrollment quota cannot be changed. We will continue to develop in the aerospace direction. This is a strategic layout. But can we apply for 100 more enrollment quotas to create the Xingyi class and train consumer-grade semiconductor talents for us?"

"As a result, Beihang University's School of Electronic Information Engineering is divided into two systems, the original aerospace direction and the newly established Xingyi Semiconductor direction."

"This..." He Weihua and Wen Jichang looked at each other and fell into deep thought.

Then, He Weihua said, "I think it's okay. I'll file a report when the time comes. There's no problem with the policy. It's just a matter of recruiting 100 more students."

Wen Jichang was a little embarrassed: "The enrollment problem is easy to solve, but the difficult part is how to teach! On the one hand, the instructors in the School of Electronic Information Engineering are all in the aerospace field, and they don't understand the advanced manufacturing process of consumer-grade chips. They can't teach even if they want to."

"On the other hand, we have limited teaching staff. We have to teach and guide students, do research, and work on key projects. It's really hard to do it all."

He Weihua nodded: "Director Wang, this is indeed a big problem."

Wang Yi waved his hand and said, "This is an easy question. Beihang University recruits these 100 students. Xingyi Semiconductor can sign the contract directly and we will train them on our own. They only study in school for two years, and the outstanding ones only for one year."

"In the first year, Xingyi Semiconductor will hire professional teachers to give lectures and explain the basic theories."

"In the second year, we will send senior engineers from Xingyi Semiconductor to teach cutting-edge theoretical systems, such as some theoretical systems of advanced processes such as 40 nanometers and even 28 nanometers."

"In the third year, we started the assessment and selection process and started to intern at Xingyi Semiconductor. The outstanding ones started directly as interns in the second year."

"In the fourth year, I was assessed on my internship and assigned to different teams, where I officially started working."

"You train them yourself?" He Weihua was shocked. "And you only study for two years. You enter Xingyi Semiconductor in your third year. Is that possible? You need to have a master's degree or even a doctorate, right?"

Wang Yi waved his hand: "That doesn't make much sense. Consumer-grade semiconductors are developing very fast. What domestic universities teach is decades behind the times. It's useless to study for a lifetime. In the end, if you enter a semiconductor company, you have to start from scratch."

Wen Jichang agreed very much: "Mr. Wang is right. Our Beihang University represents the most advanced semiconductor technology in the aerospace field, and we teach cutting-edge knowledge of aerospace chips. But other schools teach outdated things about consumer-grade semiconductors."

"For example, the 28-nanometer process of Xingyi Technology, the semiconductor experts in those universities don't understand it, so how can they teach students?"

He Weihua seemed to be thinking: "I see, then Director Wang's suggestion is indeed feasible. Okay, let's do it this way, I have no objection."

"The School of Electronic Information Engineering has no objection either." Wen Jichang said, "We are in great need of semiconductor talent. I fully support Director Wang's approach."

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll go and propose to enroll students and use Beihang University as a pilot." He Weihua said with a smile.

Wang Yi was in a good mood: "Thank you, principal, dean, now Xingyi class is stable."

"Haha, you're too polite. We are just helping with the enrollment. You have to take care of the training yourself."

"It's already very good." Wang Yi said with a smile.

It would be unrealistic to let Xingyi Technology recruit students on its own.

But if Beihang University can recruit 100 more top students, that would be easy.

"Principal, when you ask for quotas, try to ask for 200. That way, after the upper level cuts, we still have 100!"

"Haha, okay, I'll try my best to give you more!" He Weihua said with a smile.

"I'll go with you too. The old man also has some face." Wen Jichang also spoke with a smile.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Wang Yi was delighted.

Wen Jichang is the dean of the School of Electronic Information Engineering of Beihang University. He is also a super expert in the field of aerospace application-specific integrated circuits and is an academician!
Many of the aerospace chips were developed by President Wen’s team.

His face might be more important than the principal's.

Of course, Wang Yi would not let others take action alone.

On the contrary, after settling the matter, Wang Yi did not return to Beihang University, but went directly to Director Qin.

This matter concerns Xingyi Semiconductor. The headquarters of Xingyi Semiconductor is in the imperial capital. To put it simply, this is the imperial capital’s business!
Then Director Qin has no choice but to do it.

Similar to Director Liu who also serves as the deputy mayor of Jeju, Director Qin of the imperial capital is not only the head of the management committee, but also a big shot in the imperial capital.

With him on board, the matter becomes more stable.

Wang Yi has no say in the Teaching and Research Department, but Director Qin can.

Seeing Wang Yi coming, Director Qin smiled:
"Director Wang, you haven't been here for a while. Come and sit down and have some tea!"

As he spoke, Director Qin personally poured water for Wang Yi.

Wang Yi quickly stood up and said, "Director Qin, I can do it myself."

"It's okay, sit down." Director Qin smiled and said, "Although I'm usually busy, I still have time. Come here and chat when you are free. Especially about technological development, semiconductors, and technological warfare, I want to learn more."

"Director Qin, you are too kind. But let me be honest. This time I came here to discuss issues related to the semiconductor field."

"Oh, I'm all ears." Director Qin became interested.

Since Wang Yi’s last speech at the Ministry of Science and Technology, many senior officials were shocked and even organized core academicians to conduct several reviews.

The final consensus reached was that what Wang Yi said was correct, and the possibility of a future technological war breaking out is 100%!

Moreover, even the timing and method were estimated to be almost accurate!

To this end, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Big Fund have made some adjustments and responded proactively.

It is for this reason that Director Qin wishes Wang Yi would come more often and talk more.

Wang Yi sighed: "You also know the recent major events in the semiconductor industry. Samsung and TSMC are so shameless. Relying on their large number of engineers, they actually work in three shifts 24 hours a day to develop 10-nanometer technology. They are trying to leave Xingyi Semiconductor far behind!"

(End of this chapter)