Reborn in 2011, 985 missing from two copies

Chapter 726 Samsung flips the table! Is Kunpeng outdated?

"Do you really think they have other options besides leaving Nvidia?"

"madness!"

"funny!"

Old Huang felt a tightness in his chest and a buzzing in his ears.

"Alright, since no one's placing orders for the GTX 950, then let's manufacture them ourselves and push the reference design!"

"As a low-end graphics card, the single-fan GTX 950 reference design is sufficient; there's no need for them!"

"And it's not just the GTX 950 that doesn't need them; the GTX 980 Ti, which will be released in June, won't need them either!"

"Isn't this a show of defiance against Nvidia? Isn't this a slap in the face to me, Huang?"

"That's really brave!"

"Then you have the guts to fight to the bitter end!"

"If you don't place orders for the GTX 950 and don't want to continue producing it, then don't even think about placing orders for the GTX 980 Ti GPU chips either!"

"Our GTX 980 Ti reference design also features a three-fan cooling system, which provides excellent heat dissipation. Since they don't make custom designs, we have enough for ourselves!"

After being betrayed by major clients, Lao Huang was furious and made up his mind that he didn't care if they completely broke off relations!
Nvidia is going to be a lone wolf!
Overturn the entire old order!

Upon hearing this, the marketing director's expression changed drastically: "Chairman, we can't act impulsively. If we only produce reference cards and not retail non-reference cards, then the production capacity of the GTX 980 Ti will not be guaranteed!"

Old Huang, however, didn't seem to care: "It's alright, just place more orders with Foxconn. TSMC has finished mass-producing the GTX 980 Ti GPU chips, and they'll be sent to Foxconn to manufacture graphics cards. As for production capacity? Heh, just have Foxconn add more production lines."

"Nvidia has products and money, and Foxconn has production lines and capacity, so what are we afraid of? Even without ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte, Nvidia can succeed!"

Seeing that the chairman was determined to go his own way, the marketing director's expression became even more unpleasant:

"Chairman, increasing production lines at Foxconn isn't a problem in terms of capacity. But what about sales volume? What about sales channels?"

"channel……"

Old Huang fell silent.

Nvidia's collaborations with manufacturers such as ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte are not only about getting these graphics card manufacturers to help produce non-reference graphics cards and high-end graphics cards, but also about leveraging these graphics card manufacturers' distribution channels to increase sales!
Similarly, Wang Yi values ​​manufacturers such as ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte, and takes good care of them by selling the latest GPU chips to them in advance, allowing them to work together on non-reference Starry Sky graphics cards. This is also because he values ​​the production capacity and sales channels of these manufacturers!
Currently, Starry Semiconductor has sufficient production capacity to produce enough GPU chips of various models.

However, there is a shortage of graphics card production capacity. Manufacturers of PCBs and heat dissipation modules have insufficient capacity, and there is also a shortage of capacity for assembling graphics cards!

Previously, there was only one graphics card, the RTX 970, but that's fine, as Xingyi Graphics Card's own factory has sufficient production capacity.

But now, the RTX 950, RTX 960, RTX 960 ti, RTX 970, and RTX 980 are all available, a total of five graphics cards!
Apart from the flagship RTX 980 graphics card, the other graphics cards have all sold very well.

Xingyi Graphics Cards' own graphics card production capacity is simply insufficient.

If Xingyi Technology were to handle everything itself, it would be impossible to meet the demand.

There won't be that much production capacity in the short term.

However, if you sell your GPU chips to graphics card manufacturers such as ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte, then there's no problem.

These manufacturers also use their own production capacity to produce PCB motherboards and heat dissipation modules, and assemble retail non-reference graphics cards.

This ensures a sufficient supply of Xingyi graphics cards, meeting market demand and leading to higher sales.

When manufacturers like ASUS and MSI sell their Starry graphics cards, these manufacturers make money from the graphics cards, and Starry Semiconductor can also make money from selling GPU chips!

In addition, graphics card manufacturers such as ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte have many channels, stores, and sales points all over the world!

With these brands selling non-reference Starry Sky graphics cards, the sales volume of non-reference Starry Sky graphics cards will be higher, and Starry Sky Technology will also earn more!

All are happy.

That's why Wang Yi didn't even consider refusing to work outside the public sphere; he did it all himself.

Previously, we did everything ourselves. As a completely new graphics card brand, graphics card manufacturers lacked confidence and dared not cooperate. Xingyi Technology had no choice but to do everything ourselves.

Now that Xingyi graphics cards are successful and dominating Nvidia, major graphics card manufacturers are vying to cooperate and place orders, so Wang Yi naturally won't refuse!
That's why the RTX 970 sold 800 million units in just six months!

Many of these are non-public versions released by our partners!
The same applies to subsequent cards like the RTX 960 and RTX 950!
If Xingyi graphics cards were all manufactured and assembled in-house, let alone selling eight million units in six months, they wouldn't even be able to produce them!

Now, in a fit of rage, Huang has lost his mind and wants to completely sever ties with his partners. Nvidia is even finding Foxconn to manufacture its products themselves, which has terrified the marketing director!

Production is fine; Foxconn has ample capacity.

Even if Foxconn's production capacity is insufficient, there is Flextronics, which can also manufacture graphics cards, so it's all negotiable.

The question is how to sell the Nvidia graphics cards that have been produced!
In the past, 55%-65% of Nvidia's graphics cards were retail non-reference designs (AIB), which were produced and sold by partners such as ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and Galax!
Nvidia also has many of its own channels, but not many, far fewer than its partners.

Now that all partners have been severed, and everything is being produced in-house using generic designs, manufacturing is one thing, but how will sales be handled? How will distribution channels be established?
These are all problems!
It can be said that without partners, the production capacity problem can still be solved, but the sales problem is simply unsolvable!
These days, offline channels are still very important; Nvidia's own channels alone are simply not enough to support the business.

Online channels are crucial for many market sectors, which rely heavily on customers like ASUS and MSI. Now that things have fallen apart, Nvidia will be in serious trouble if it has to rely solely on its own channels.

"This..." Old Huang also fell silent.

The break was largely due to Lao Huang's impulsive remarks made in a fit of anger.

While it may feel good to make bold statements, it's actually difficult to put them into practice and truly act as a lone hero.

Even for Nvidia, it's difficult!

"Hey!"

With a sigh, Old Huang calmed down, but he was still unwilling to back down easily: "Hmph! Even if we don't completely break ties, we have to teach them a lesson."

"We'll handle the launch of the GTX 980 Ti ourselves, as a form of punishment for them."

"If they realize their mistake and come to apologize, we will consider giving them another chance!"

The marketing director breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw Lao Huang change his mind.

This is something that can be discussed!
I'm afraid that Lao Huang will act unilaterally and completely break with his partners, becoming a lone hero!
That's it.

Fortunately, Lao Huang was still cowardly... no, rational!
A man can bend and stretch!
"Chairman, this arrangement is the best. Let's officially announce that the GTX 980 Ti reference design is about to enter mass production, and see if those graphics card manufacturers can still sit still!"

"Hmm, let's make it official!" Old Huang sneered: "They don't care about the GTX 950, but the GTX 980 Ti is a true flagship graphics card, a flagship graphics card that even Xingyi Technology doesn't have. Let's see if those graphics card manufacturers are worried!"

"Going against Huang in the graphics card field and offending Nvidia? How dare they!"

"childish!"

Soon after, Nvidia released the news:

The flagship graphics card of the year, the GTX 980 Ti, is about to enter mass production, boasting a comprehensive performance leap and claiming the title of true flagship of the year!

His simple words elicited reactions from various parties.

Graphics card manufacturers, especially ASUS, can hardly help but feel anxious.

ASUS headquarters.

"Chairman, the situation is a bit tricky. To express our anger at Nvidia's irresponsibility, we refused to place an order for the GTX 950 and instead placed an additional order for the RTX 950. Now that Nvidia has officially announced the GTX 980 Ti, it seems they are refusing to place an order with us."

"Yes, this is a complicated matter. If we don't make the GTX 950, we can make the RTX 950, and it will sell better than the GTX 950."

"But if we don't make the GTX 980 Ti, what do we make? Starry Semiconductor doesn't have any graphics cards that can rival the GTX 980 Ti."

"That's the biggest problem. I've heard that the GTX 980 Ti has a huge performance improvement this time, at least 25%. Nvidia won't make them for us, and Xingyi Technology doesn't have a comparable product. What are we going to do? We're facing a product gap!"

"Given our current relationship with Nvidia, it's highly unlikely we'll be able to get the GTX 980 Ti GPU chip. This is indeed a difficult situation."

"Not necessarily. I suspect that Huang wouldn't dare to completely break ties with us customers. Nvidia doesn't have the capability to do everything on its own."

"That's right. We, these retail and private clients, have a lot of sales channels. Without us, Nvidia can't operate smoothly."

"That's right. I reckon that right now, Lao Huang is trying to control us, forcing us to admit our mistakes and apologize in person. Only after we pay a certain price will Lao Huang be lenient and continue to give us GTX 980 ti GPU chips."

"Damn it, isn't this just too frustrating?"

"So what if we feel frustrated? When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head, unless ASUS doesn't make any flagship graphics cards this year!"

"That definitely won't do. So, does that mean we have no choice but to go to their door, bow our heads, and confess? How pathetic!"

"There's no other way but to do it this way. Besides, the sooner the better; whoever pledges loyalty first will definitely benefit!"

"That makes sense, but it's just too pathetic."

"It's alright. Businesses don't care about saving face. We can consider apologizing and making peace."

Upon hearing this, the ASUS chairman frowned: "We can talk about the apology later; there's no rush." ​​"Chairman, do you mean we should fight Nvidia to the end? Never back down?"

ASUS's CEO scoffed, "So what if we fight to the end? ASUS is Nvidia's partner, not their lackey!"

"We need a more equal cooperative relationship, not a superior-subordinate relationship, a relationship where people can be sacrificed or oppressed at any time."

"Most importantly, why do you all feel that Chairman Wang doesn't have a graphics card comparable to the GTX 980 Ti?"

"Are you so sure that Xingyi Semiconductor can't produce an RTX 980 Ti?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became quite interesting.

The surrender faction was completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.

But the struggle faction was excited:
"Chairman, if Xingyi Technology also has an RTX 980 Ti, then we can completely compete with Nvidia! At worst, we can just produce non-reference Xingyi graphics cards from now on, it won't affect anything!"

"That's right. Even if the performance is slightly worse than the GTX 980 Ti, it doesn't matter. Our non-reference design can be overclocked and equipped with extreme cooling. It can make a comeback!"

"Exactly! At least Chairman Wang treats us as strategic partners, while Nvidia treats us like dirt!"

"Just for this reason, we have to fight Nvidia to the very end!"

"I'll contact Chairman Wang first to sound them out and see if they have any plans for an RTX 980 Ti!"

ASUS CEO Dong got up and left the meeting room, then dialed Wang Yi's number.

After some pleasantries, let's get straight to the point:

"Chairman Wang, Nvidia is currently mass-producing the GTX 980 Ti GPU chip, and the GTX 980 Ti graphics card will be officially launched around June. Does Xingyi Semiconductor have a comparable product?"

Wang Yi smiled, instantly understanding the other person's thoughts, but instead of answering directly, he said:

"Starry graphics cards will not lose to Nvidia, and Starry Semiconductor's partners will not lose to Nvidia's partners either!"

Upon hearing this, ASUS Chairman Dong beamed with joy!

He understood!

Xingyi Semiconductor not only has equivalent products, but they are also just as good!
Is that unstable?

Is the technology of Xingyi graphics cards already at this level?

Are graphics cards fully comparable to Nvidia's?
It can even rival the GTX 980 Ti? Or even be on par with it?
How can this be?

It's hard to believe no matter how you look at it.

Is Chairman Wang trying to scam me?
However, when ASUS's chairman pressed further, Wang Yi stopped talking and simply said, "You'll understand soon enough..."

The ambiguous words left ASUS's chairman confused, but he felt reassured.

If Starry Sky Technology has a product that rivals the GTX 980 Ti, then it must at least be a match for it!
Similar scenes have also occurred with other graphics card manufacturers.

Upon learning that Xingyi Technology had a comparable product, major graphics card manufacturers were greatly relieved.

So much so that after Nvidia officially announced the GTX 980 Ti, no major graphics card manufacturers bowed their heads and acted like pushovers, and no one came to apologize!

They're showing a strong determination to fight to the bitter end!

This scene even made Lao Huang a little unsettled.

How could this be?
Did things go wrong?!

Given that Starry Semiconductor has limited technology and cannot produce products comparable to the GTX 980 Ti, what gives these graphics card manufacturers their confidence?
Old Huang was completely baffled by this.

But the calm in my heart gradually disappeared, and the worry gradually increased.

The original plan was to scare off customers like ASUS and Gigabyte, forcing them to come to their door, admit defeat, and apologize.

It feels like things have gone awry. In the end, Nvidia might really be abandoned by everyone and become a lone hero!

That would be a huge problem!

The unease grew stronger, and Lao Huang began to suffer from insomnia.

Before Lao Huang could figure out what was going on, another piece of news shocked the entire internet!
This time, it wasn't Starway Semiconductor that made the move, but Samsung!

[28-nanometer mobile phone chips are a thing of the past!]

[20-nanometer mobile phone chips are already a thing of the past!]

[14nm mobile chip is the current flagship configuration!]

[Samsung S6, equipped with the most powerful and advanced 14nm processor, is now available!]

[Redefining the flagship chip of the year, redefining the flagship phone of the year!]

This news caused a global sensation:
"What?! A 14-nanometer mobile phone chip is coming? That's incredible!"

"Not long ago, Qualcomm was touting how advanced its 20nm chips were, claiming they were leading the way. But it was a disastrous failure, completely outclassed by Star Semiconductor's 28nm chips. Now Samsung is already pushing into 14nm chips? Terrifying! Truly terrifying!"

"Star Semiconductor is still using 28nm, Qualcomm is using 20nm, and Samsung has already gone to 14nm! Samsung is flipping the table!"

"No wonder Samsung didn't participate in the competition between Qualcomm and Kunpeng before. It turns out that Samsung has 14nm technology and simply doesn't care about the competition between the two companies."

"Samsung has already released 14nm chips, so what was the competition between Qualcomm and Kunpeng before? Was it just a bunch of weaklings fighting each other?"

"Like chickens pecking at each other, hilarious!"

"But to be fair, Samsung's 14nm chip is really impressive, doing big things quietly."

"Yes, even as a fan of the stars, I've lost confidence."

"No matter how powerful the Kunpeng 910 is, it's still only 28 nanometers. It's already quite impressive that it can outperform Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810, which is 20 nanometers. It's impossible for it to outperform Samsung's new flagship, which is 14 nanometers."

"That's for sure. There's a two-generation gap between 14 nanometers and 28 nanometers. The Kunpeng 910 is definitely no match for it."

"Does that mean the Kunpeng chip, this year's flagship chip, is out of the question?"

"It's definitely out of the running; Samsung's Exynos 7420 has already secured the title of the most powerful flagship chip of the year."

"The Snapdragon 810 and Kunpeng 910 were locked in a fierce battle, but it ended up being a chicken-eat-chicken fight, and in the end, both were outperformed by Samsung's 14nm process!"

"This year's S6 is worth looking forward to; Samsung might just become the flagship phone of the year."

"Apple is not weak this year either. It is said that the A9 processor in the iPhone 6S is also Samsung's 14-nanometer chip!"

"My God, Samsung and Apple are already using 14nm, what are we going to do with Starry Sky Technology? Will this year's Starry Sky X2 flagship still use the 28nm Kunpeng 910? That would be too lame!"

"It's pathetic. The Starry Sky X2 is bound to be great, but if the processor isn't powerful enough, then it's all over."

"This year is the first year of 14-nanometer chips, and I don't want to use the 28-nanometer Kunpeng 910 again."

"I want to buy the Xingyi X2. I like the full-screen display, but I can't accept the outdated 28-nanometer chip."

"No wonder the Xingyi X2 wasn't released in March. It seems the chip wasn't powerful enough. Could it be that there won't be a Xingyi X2 this year?"

"It's hard to say. Previously, the Kunpeng chips used in Xingyi mobile phones were all developed and produced by Xingyi Technology itself. But now Samsung Semiconductor is mass-producing 14 nanometers and TSMC is mass-producing 20 nanometers, while Xingyi Semiconductor is still using 28 nanometers. It has fallen behind."

"What can we do? Samsung and Apple are both using 14-nanometer chips, and the new flagship Starlight is still using 28-nanometer chips. It's really not right."

"It's over. This year will definitely be the most tragic year for Xingyi mobile phones. The previous Xphone 4 and Xingyi X1 Ultra will be the last of Xingyi mobile phones. Unless Xingyi Semiconductor breaks through 14 nanometers, Xingyi mobile phones will never be able to become the king of mobile phones again!"

"By the way, Starry Semiconductor can't manufacture 14-nanometer chips, can't they find a foundry?"

"Who to contact? Samsung? Samsung's 14nm capacity is limited. It's used for its own purposes and also has to manufacture for Apple. There's no extra capacity."

"Even if Samsung has excess production capacity and is in competition with Starway Technology, we will not manufacture for them."

"You can go to TSMC and use TSMC's 16-nanometer process."

"Yes, last year TSMC said it had secured a huge order from Starway Technology for the 16nm Kunpeng 916!"

"Stop dreaming. TSMC hasn't even mastered the 16nm process yet, so the Kunpeng 916 has no chance."

"Oh? Then it's all over!"

"Starry Semiconductor can't do it with its own technology, TSMC isn't helping, and Samsung won't do the manufacturing. So the Kunpeng 916 is going to be delayed, and the Starry X2 is going to be a disaster! This is a huge problem!"

(End of this chapter)