When I am reborn, I just want to be a top student

Such a significant technological breakthrough as a lithography factory naturally cannot be limited to such a small amount of publicity.

CCTV news, personal interviews, corporate documentaries, press conferences—all of these have been arranged.

But these things no longer have much to do with Wang Donglai.

The reason he was able to attend the Xuanwu Battery procurement meeting was simply because it was the first time. The premium on Xuanwu batteries was too high, and only his presence could ensure the successful pricing of Xuanwu batteries.

At the lithography factory, since this was the official start of production and so many leaders were present, if Wang Donglai hadn't shown up, he would have left these leaders with the impression that he lacked confidence in the technology.

Therefore, Wang Donglai handed over all the subsequent interviews, press conferences, and other events to Liang Song.

The press reception hall at Galaxy Technology's headquarters was already packed with people.

After all, this is a photolithography technology route that has been rejected by scientists worldwide. No one is optimistic about it, and the difficulty is comparable to climbing to the sky, both theoretically and practically.

The result is that Galaxy Technology has achieved a breakthrough with such a technology, and even achieved such high results.

More than 300 media organizations and over 1,000 journalists attended this press conference alone.

In other words, Galaxy Technology already had relevant experience, so when building its headquarters building, it took this into consideration and specially arranged such a large space.

Liang Song walked onto the stage amidst a barrage of flashing lights and began the press conference.

"Welcome everyone to witness the birth of lithography technology."

"Here, we will focus on introducing our technological advantages, as well as our accumulation and breakthroughs in the semiconductor field."

Looking at the numerous media reporters and some familiar faces below the stage, Liang Song felt as refreshed as if he had eaten an ice pop on a sweltering summer day.

The key technical parameters could not be made public, so Liang Song focused his main efforts on comparing the lithography factory and the lithography machine.

Explanations were provided regarding everything from production efficiency and costs to maintenance.

However, few of the reporters present were there to hear the technical jargon, so while they might not have been drowsy, they were certainly quite distracted.

Finally, after Liang Song finished speaking, the Q&A session began, and the reporters present became more animated.

Looking at the many reporters below the stage, Liang Song pointed to a reporter wearing a sign from the Global Times and gestured for him to ask a question.

"Mr. Liang, the technical approach of lithography factories is still questioned by numerous experts and scholars. However, no academic papers or research results have emerged in the academic community. Some people suspect that the so-called lithography factories actually house lithography machines. Would you like to address this question?"

The question posed by this reporter was undeniably sharp.

Actually, this issue was specifically arranged by those above.

Media interviews are always planned; they can't just randomly ask questions to anyone.

If they ask some sensitive questions that are difficult to answer, then it will be quite troublesome.

A slight smile curved Liang Song's lips, his eyes filled with pride, as he said, "This is truly an absurd and laughable joke."

"The person who fabricated such a rumor must be an outsider who doesn't understand technology. Otherwise, he would know that ASML's lithography machines don't have such a high yield rate on 28nm chips."

"The reason why there are no similar papers on the technical principles of lithography factories in relevant academic journals is actually quite simple: we have not seen any papers on the core processes of ASML lithography machines in academic journals."

Liang Song is not a professional diplomat, so he naturally doesn't need to think too much when answering questions from reporters.

After answering that question, Liang Song then selected another reporter to ask.

"Mr. Liang, does the establishment of the lithography factory mean that China's semiconductor industry chain has been localized? Does this violate the principles of economic globalization, global division of labor and cooperation, and international trade?"

The reporter who asked this question was from the Global Economic News.

This issue is also an extremely important accusation.

Because the current sanctions imposed by the Bald Eagle Federation on trade with China include a description of the actions taken on the grounds that China's large-scale development of the entire industrial chain has affected the global division of labor and cooperation.

"I am not an official on this issue, so my answer only represents my personal opinion."

Liang Song had a certain political sensitivity, and he naturally knew that there was a trap in this issue. If he jumped right in, he would be doing exactly what the other party wanted.

Therefore, before answering, I first said this: take emergency precautions.

"In my view, a major power must achieve complete independence and self-reliance in important core areas. Only in this way can it better protect its sovereign interests."

"The realization of lithography factory technology is a business activity of Galaxy Technologies, and its starting point has never been related to politics."

"The global division of labor has never stipulated that our country cannot achieve breakthroughs in high-tech fields. For a large country with 1.4 billion people, we must have sufficient respect for it!"

"We have always adhered to the principles of peaceful development and mutual benefit. After internal research, we are considering selling the lithography factory technology as a package in the future to help our partners build factories and provide a series of comprehensive services."

"Please remember one thing: Galaxy Technology has always been a private enterprise."

Liang Song's answer gave the reporters in the audience what they wanted.

Some reporters focused on the fact that the lithography factory could be sold, while others focused on Liang Song's emphasis that Galaxy Technology is a private enterprise.

"Mr. Liang, your company's lithography factory has a production efficiency far exceeding that of lithography machines, and the equipment and consumables in the lithography field are all domestically produced. Will the price of chips then decrease?"

Faced with this question, Liang Song answered without hesitation, with a smile, "I actually find this question very interesting."

"Many people believe that products made in China are cheap, while products from overseas are expensive."

"The reason why such stereotypes exist is that many people do not understand the principles behind this phenomenon."

"When we didn't have the relevant technology and could only import it from overseas, we naturally had to bear the high price. I don't know if everyone remembers, but air conditioners cost several thousand yuan more than ten years ago, and they still cost several thousand yuan now."

"Costs have increased significantly, but there has been no revolutionary improvement in technology. However, prices have become more favorable. This is because breakthroughs in domestic technology have transformed what were originally high-profit luxury goods into industrial products. Since they are industrial products, they should naturally have the price of industrial products."

"When Galaxy Technology achieves breakthroughs in domestic technology, it also considers profits, so we will not maliciously lower prices simply because it is made in China."

"A healthy and normal market should have a positive cycle, so I cannot give a definite answer regarding the price of domestic chips."

"Because we also have to take into account the profits of upstream and downstream companies, as well as the jobs of millions of employees."

"Without sufficient corporate profits, how can we improve employee benefits? In my opinion, the biggest advantage of localization is that we can provide more high-end employment opportunities for domestic talents."

Liang Song spoke at length about many things, all of which were influenced by Wang Donglai after he joined Galaxy Technology.

"Mr. Liang, has your company considered licensing its lithography technology, selling patents, or establishing patent cross-licensing agreements with relevant companies to jointly create a more advanced semiconductor industry landscape?"

The reporter who asked this question was a reporter from The Wall Street Journal.

Looking at the reporter, Liang Song smiled confidently and said, "We have never had any such plans regarding technology licensing or selling patents. As for cross-patent holding and jointly creating a more advanced semiconductor industry landscape, I don't think there's much connection between these two things."

"Before you ask this question, I think you should review what the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) is. In fact, our country has always been under blockade in the high-tech field, and some top-notch equipment is prohibited from being sold to us."

"It's impossible to expect others to sell your good products when you have them yourself. That kind of logic doesn't work anywhere." Liang Song naturally knew the plans of these overseas giants. Since they couldn't stop the lithography factories, they would bring them together to harvest the global market.

Wang Donglai had previously discussed this with Liang Song, so his answer at this moment was naturally without the slightest hesitation.

Soon, the press conference was officially announced to the public.

Along with the press conference, there were also numerous interviews with media reporters.

Without exception, domestic platforms were swept up in a frenzy.

Unlike the lively discussion in domestic media, overseas media seemed to be collectively silenced.

There was absolutely no news about the lithography factory on major media channels.

Although there was no news about it in the media, such a significant technological breakthrough would naturally elicit a reaction from the capital markets.

It can be said that the stock market is the place with the best information.

In the US stock market, the Nasdaq Composite Index closed down 1.98% on the day, marking its biggest single-day drop in nearly six months, entirely dragged down by the semiconductor sector.

Specifically, semiconductor giants such as Intel, Xilinx, and Qualcomm have all experienced significant drops in market value.

The worst hit were TJD and ASML, with one's market value plummeting by more than 15% and the other by 23%, resulting in a combined loss of hundreds of billions in market value.

This is the capital market: good news is a market value surge of hundreds of billions, bad news is a market value plunge of hundreds of billions.

It's all about the thrill.

The company that least wants to see the success of the lithography factory's technology roadmap is naturally ASML.

After all, thanks to exporting lithography machines, its orders are booked for several years in advance, making it a fortune.

In fact, lithography machines are not considered high-profit products.

Although the price is very high, even the most expensive and top-of-the-line models only cost around three billion yuan.

However, ASML's annual revenue is limited to the global market, only around 100 to 200 billion.

The only thing worth praising is the monopoly profits brought about by the monopoly on lithography machine technology.

According to publicly available information, net profit margins are generally between 35% and 45%.

This data is publicly available in financial reports and is highly credible.

However, ASML is a flagship product of a small country, so achieving this level of revenue and profit is naturally very comfortable for a small country with a small population.

In China, companies with annual revenue of one or two hundred billion yuan are not exactly everywhere, but they are certainly not few and far between.

But this is a high-tech enterprise, possessing cutting-edge technology, so it's different.

Now, the halo of cutting-edge technology that once shrouded ASML has been shattered by Galaxy Technology.

Aside from the disadvantages of large footprint and difficulty in relocation, lithography factories have all the advantages.

Even the yield rate of 28nm chips is higher than what ASML currently achieves.

Any technological breakthrough achieved by China will have one impact: a sharp drop in prices.

For example, tunnel boring machines, when China didn't have them, cost hundreds of millions of yuan per machine. But when China developed them domestically, the cost was only tens of millions of yuan.

For example, photoresist was expensive when it wasn't available in China, but sales plummeted after China developed it domestically.

Therefore, when the lithography technology was finally realized, everyone had a premonition that the price of 28nm chips worldwide might drop.

Even ASML's lithography machine sales will be affected.

"Damn it, this lithography factory is a completely ridiculous technological concept. How could it possibly be successfully developed!"

"This is completely unreasonable; such technology is impossible!"

"No wonder they want to ban China; their strength is terrifying!"

"It's unimaginable how far China will develop if we continue to let it grow. By then, we might not have any chance at all."

A secret meeting is being held in ASML's headquarters building.

This meeting deliberately avoided some shareholders and directors appointed by partner companies.

Because with the successful verification of lithography factory technology, ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography technology is no longer unique and does not have a monopoly.

Therefore, it's inevitable that these partner companies might harbor ulterior motives.

Regardless of whether the child was born or not, ASML's local executives chose not to trust it.

At this moment, these core executives all wore worried expressions and began to speak.

Last time, when the lithography factory proposed its technology roadmap, they launched the strongest attack.

As a result, the effect was not significant.

China persisted in building the lithography factory, and judging from the timeline, it is clear that China provided full support; otherwise, the construction speed would not have been so fast.

In fact, for ASML, the biggest impact of China's breakthrough in lithography technology is that it breaks their monopoly. Moreover, given China's approach, they are very likely to choose to dump products at low prices, which is the most fatal thing.

They know perfectly well how much it costs to produce a lithography machine.

The financial report says the profit margin is 35% to 45%, but that's just something to fool outsiders.

They simply don't dare to disclose their true profit margins.

If you have a monopolistic technology but only less than half the profit margin, that would be too frustrating.

If it's a product in a market with huge consumption, it's understandable to lower the selling price and control the profit margin to half in order to achieve higher profits.

But lithography machines are not like that; the global consumer market for them is not large.

Therefore, a product with a cost of only tens of millions can be sold for hundreds of millions.

This is why all companies crave a monopoly in the market.

In economics, there's a little-known fact: profits aren't directly related to production costs or R&D costs. The real key factor influencing profits is pricing power.

Good products are expensive because they have pricing power.

Products of slightly lower quality can only use the price of high-quality products as an anchor point to set their own prices, even if it's below their cost price. (End of Chapter)