Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2811 The Beginning of Wasting One's Life on Playthings (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
"Yesterday, when Paradise Games launched the GeForce 256, the history of gaming was changed. This graphics card is completely different from ordinary 3D accelerators... But players have to face a pain point: the CPU is dragged down by the graphics processing, and slightly complex scenes will lag like slideshows."

Currently, all "3D accelerators" on the market have limited functionality and can only handle simple pixel rendering. Many 3D games, even on high-end machines, can only run at around 20 frames per second, and the image details are so blurry that they look like they've been pixelated.

Now, this predicament has been completely broken. Paradise Games has shown the entire industry with a revolutionary product: the future of game graphics is no longer solely reliant on the CPU; a new generation of products has arrived…

On the television screen, Song Mingxuan showcases the company's latest graphics card—the GeForce 256—to the world at a product launch event.

The GeForce 256 was launched with several "industry firsts". It used ZTE's 220nm process technology and packed 1700 million transistors into the chip - 80% more than the Pentium III CPU of the same period, while the chip size was only less than 10% larger.

More importantly, it was the first to adopt the concept of a "GPU"—that is, a graphics processing unit—integrating previously scattered graphics processing tasks onto a single chip.

The most crucial innovation is hardware T&L technology. Simply put, the graphics card can calculate the lighting and position of 3D models itself, without requiring the CPU to do so. It's like a task that used to require two people can now be efficiently completed by one expert…”

While the press conference was being broadcast on television, Song Mingxuan, the person involved, was hunched over his desk, analyzing the company's structure.

As one of the world's earliest game companies, Lineage Games is not only the world's largest game company, but also, with the success of the Pentium processor, it has become one of the largest manufacturers of personal computer components and semiconductor chips.

The problem now is that there are games on one side and hardware on the other.

Should we proceed with the necessary stripping?

This idea had been brewing in Song Mingxuan's mind for a long time. Over the past decade or so, Paradise Games' business operations have been continuously expanding.

A significant portion of this expansion is driven by the desire to obtain a better game.

To this end, they developed a new processor—the Pentium, a new memory—optical discs, and game consoles. Now, to achieve better 3D effects, they have introduced the "GPU" specifically for graphics processing.

From games to semiconductor chips and the development of personal computer components and game console hardware,
Lineage Games is no longer just a game company.

But Lineage Games is indeed a game company, and the world's largest!

Therefore, the company's attention is largely focused on games, while it seems that it is not so focused on the hardware development of semiconductor chips.

"They should be separated into specialized companies. After all, specialization is the best approach. The two industries should be separated accordingly."

Looking at the business management mind map drawn on the paper, Song Mingxuan nodded slightly.

"It's time to split it up!"

By splitting the company into separate entities, we can make it more specialized, which is for the better development of the company.

"So, should the CPU and GPU businesses be separated?"

Spinning up a company always presents a variety of problems that need to be solved. Although Song Mingxuan had this idea, this matter could not be rushed.

After an idea is put forward, the rest will be handled by professionals. As for Song Mingxuan himself, there are many other aspects of his work to do.

For example, the market acceptance of the GeForce 256. However, Song Mingxuan is not worried about this because he is a gamer himself, and this product was developed to address the pain points of the market.

The GeForce 256 caused an immediate uproar among gamers after its release.

A game enthusiast posted on the forum:

"The moment I started Hellsoldier, I thought I had a new computer—the reflections on the floor showed the details of the weapons, and the number of particles in the explosion effects was three times that of before."

This impressive performance stems from its ability to process 1000 million polygons per second, more than twice that of its predecessor.

Forums, a form of communication that arose with the rise of the internet, originated from online message boards and remain a primary means of communication and learning online. Although ICQ has increasingly entered people's lives in recent years, spreading from universities to society and becoming a mainstream online chat tool, it cannot replace forums.

People communicate and learn on forums, and of course, some people also use forums to gather intelligence.

Gavrilo, who came to SEA as an exchange student, spends his days browsing forums, where he gathers information on various electronic products and hardware.

For Gavrilo, besides learning, the purpose of collecting this product information was to help the KBG screen products. After all, all kinds of electronic products were launched here every day, and a considerable number of those products had no practical significance to the Soviet Union.

"GeForce 256... This is a graphics card specifically designed for 3D games. Games... It seems we don't need games, so this shouldn't make any sense."

When Gavrilo made this judgment, he was unaware that a new electronics industry center was being built in Kiev, and that they were also working on popularizing computers among the general public.

For ordinary people, playing games on a computer is far more useful than using it for office work!
However, from the perspective of officials, playing games seems to be a distraction from their duties.

Although Gavrilah was not an official, he knew very well that if he included the GeForce 256 graphics card on the list, then if an official asked, "What is this thing for?"

He answered that it was for "playing games".

Gavrilo knew his fate without even thinking: he would be considered "not doing his job properly," which could very well end his exchange student life prematurely. So, to protect himself, he should choose those useful products.

Let alone a student like Gavrilo who shoulders certain responsibilities, even intelligence personnel from the 'T Bureau' failed to make an accurate judgment when faced with a GeForce 256 graphics card.

Not only did they fail to make an accurate judgment, they also asserted that "this product is highly likely to lead to more Western youth becoming addicted to video games, which will inevitably cause a series of social problems"...

Is this judgment correct? At least at the beginning of the 1980s, no one knew whether this answer was accurate, but one thing is certain: in early April of that year, when the GeForce 256 graphics card was launched, there were always people who made a misjudgment.

"Playing with toys leads to the loss of ambition..."

After Maxim crossed out the GeForce 256 graphics card on the form, he didn't think anything was wrong.

game?

Is it important?
It didn't matter at all. He then picked up the purchase order that had just been finalized and handed it to his subordinates. Next, the operatives would purchase the necessary products in the SEA market. These products would eventually be sent to Moscow and Kyiv for research or imitation.

"By the way, what's the lieutenant colonel busy with?"

The lieutenant colonel Maxim mentioned was Lieutenant Colonel Simonov, who was the head of the KGB's intelligence station in Chang'an and also Maxim's direct superior.

He's in his office.

Was it the lieutenant colonel himself?

"Yes,"

Afterwards, Maxim went to Simonov's office. As soon as he entered, he saw the lieutenant colonel standing in front of the map, seemingly deep in thought.

"Lieutenant Colonel."

Simonov glanced at Maxim and asked:

"Is there a problem?"

"Not yet, they are all publicly available products on the market."

Maxim explained, looking at the Middle East map hanging on the wall, and asked curiously:
"The Middle East? Is it related to hostages?"

The most pressing issue in the Middle East right now is the "Tehran hostage crisis," which has been ongoing for almost half a year since last October. Although the heat is waning, the problem remains unresolved.

"I don't care about those American hostages."

Simonov shook his head and pointed to the map:
"What I'm concerned about is the SEA's stance in the Middle East. Their interests in the Middle East even surpass those of the United States, including Iraq and Kazakhstan. Furthermore, the offshore oil in the Persian Gulf is in direct conflict with Tehran. And since the cleric in Tehran came to power, he has repeatedly incited Shiite uprisings in Iraq to overthrow the rule of Baghdad..."

After a brief pause, Simonov frowned, his face full of doubt:
"And Iraq is right within their sphere of influence, and their interests are closely intertwined. Under these circumstances, how did Chang'an manage to remain silent? You know, in the past their actions were extremely decisive, but now they have chosen silence. Isn't that strange?"

Intelligence officers' work isn't just about collecting military and political intelligence; it also involves identifying suspicious points and analyzing them. Hearing the lieutenant colonel's question, Maxim thought for a moment, glanced at the map, and said:
"Actually, I think it's quite normal for Chang'an to be doing this now."

"Oh?"

Simonov looked at Maxim, gesturing for him to continue:
"Lieutenant Colonel, as everyone knows, since Nixon, relations between Chang'an and Washington have cooled. Chang'an has always believed that Washington's retrenchment has seriously damaged their interests and even threatened their security. Therefore, the two sides have not only accused each other many times, but there have also been many conflicts between the White House and the official residence. Washington has even accused the official residence of holding onto power on several occasions..."

This directly escalated the problem between the two sides. In fact, the discord between Chang'an and Washington has been public knowledge for the past few years.

Carter even privately referred to Li Yi'an as a "poisonous father" and publicly called on him to relinquish power. The relationship between the two had even reached a precarious point.

Before Nixon, the SEA was called the 'right hand of the free world' essentially because it garnered Washington's support through this method. Now, with Chang'an in direct conflict with Washington, they naturally don't want to intervene in this crisis.

"I understand what you're saying."

Simonov nodded.

"But Iraq, that's their territory, how could they tolerate others encroaching on it?"

Like many others, Simonoff was also influenced by traditional views. After all, the SEA has always been extremely assertive in its sphere of influence, which is why their current silence is so puzzling.

"Does Tehran have the capability? You know, to avoid provoking Chang'an, they even went so far as to shoot their own people. Under such circumstances, the threats made by that elder statesman are nothing but empty words!"

When Tehran was mentioned, Maxim's tone was full of contempt, then, as if remembering something, he added:
"Moreover, compared to the threat posed by empty words, Chang'an would rather see America make a fool of itself and see Carter make a fool of himself. I think Chang'an also looks forward to a change in the White House."

Whether it was the mishandling of the hostage crisis or the failure of the rescue operation, it was already clear that Carter could not win the election again.

Under these circumstances, Chang'an could not possibly intervene. It's important to understand that Carter's competitors also need this crisis to continue; after all, only in this way can they further damage Carter's reputation and prepare for the election later in the year.

Listening to Maxim's analysis, Simonov nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to the map. Although what Maxim said made a lot of sense, he still had some questions in his mind.

"The second half of the year..."

Simonov muttered to himself:
"Indeed, nothing is more important right now than the election in the second half of the year, but this crisis..."

He frowned and said softly again:

"Carter, will he take strong measures to resolve this crisis? After all, the whole world is watching him."

(End of this chapter)