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

Galaxy Technology.

Autonomous Driving R&D Department.

Wang Donglai is holding a meeting with the R&D staff here.

While Galaxy Technology wasn't the first company in China to research autonomous driving, it boasts the best research results and the fastest development.

In particular, Galaxy Technology, backed by Tangdu City, directly conducted on-road pilot projects in Tangdu City.

This is an advantage that other companies cannot match.

After all, no matter how much you imitate, it's not as useful as driving on a real road.

Cutting in line, unexpected pedestrians peeking out from behind obstacles, running red lights, waiting for pedestrians—these unexpected situations are the most dangerous and also the most challenging to handle.

Only when safety can be maintained in the face of these emergencies can it be considered a qualified autonomous driving technology.

Even without Wa's computing power, Galaxy Technology's autonomous driving technology wouldn't have developed too slowly.

After all, once Wang Donglai elevated the field of computer science, his programming skills were absolutely top-notch.

It was simply to train his subordinates. Wang Donglai only provided an outline of key points and then let his subordinates fill in the technical details.

In technological research and development, the worst thing is to not find the right direction and waste time and resources.

Now that Wang Donglai has set the direction and technological priorities, the work of these R&D personnel is much simpler.

Technological breakthroughs can be achieved by following the established procedures step by step.

"What problems still exist with our current self-driving technology? Please tell me!"

Wang Donglai sat up and asked the many R&D personnel below.

When Wang Dong came over, the R&D staff below were already somewhat prepared.

Immediately, Yuan Tengfei, the technical lead, said, "Boss, I believe our current technology is fully ready to be launched on the market."

"If I really have to say what the problem is, I think there is only one right now, and that is that we are still lacking a high-precision map navigation system that belongs to us."

Wang Donglai nodded and said with a smile, "This matter is very simple. The 'Grade A Test' and 'Grade A Guide' licenses have been approved by the higher authorities. We are going through the procedures and our Galaxy Navigation software will be officially launched soon."

"The operation of the Galaxy Navigation software is handled by a specially established subsidiary."

Upon hearing this news, a smile immediately appeared on Yuan Tengfei's face.

As the head of Galaxy Technology's autonomous driving technology, he is the one who most hopes that Galaxy Technology's autonomous vehicles will be officially launched on the market.

This is not just about academic discourse power, but also about an improvement in social status.

Even the most critical issues, such as the power battery and the intelligent control system, were not solved by him.

However, it cannot be denied that he was in charge of the research and development of autonomous driving technology.

His job is to coordinate researchers to refine autonomous driving technology and optimize the user experience.

Zero-gravity seats, headrest speakers, car refrigerators...

These car designs, though seemingly unrelated to autonomous driving technology, actually offer the best possible improvement for the consumer experience.

In Yuan Tengfei's mind, he firmly believed that Galaxy Technology would inevitably enter the automobile manufacturing industry.

Having such cutting-edge technology, it would be a huge loss to just license it.

This time, when Wang Donglai came to inspect and exchange ideas, Yuan Tengfei was prepared to make this suggestion to Wang Donglai.

"How do you handle navigation technology?"

Wang Donglai suddenly asked this question.

Yuan Tengfei didn't relax at all and quickly said, "Regarding navigation technology, there are several main solutions, namely magnetic point navigation, electromagnetic navigation, laser navigation, and visual navigation."

"Currently, our team prefers laser navigation because our artificial intelligence technology is more advanced, has a faster processing speed, and is more efficient, making laser navigation the most suitable option."

"However, we have not given up on visual navigation, after all, autonomous driving has extremely high requirements for vehicle safety."

"To achieve the highest level of security, we plan to use both technologies simultaneously."

"Using both vision and laser solutions simultaneously can reduce the error rate of our vehicles to one in ten thousand."

Wang Donglai frowned immediately, interrupting Yuan Tengfei's report, and asked, "How can the error rate be so high, one in ten thousand? What exactly happened?"

Yuan Tengfei's heart skipped a beat. He naturally sensed the dissatisfaction in Wang Donglai's tone and quickly explained, "Boss, this error rate doesn't just apply to vehicles, but includes minor issues like scratches."

“Scratches and scrapes are no small matter. Since we have developed autonomous driving, it is equivalent to putting the safety of consumers in our own hands.”

“Any problem, at high vehicle speeds, could lead to catastrophic damage.”

"A single oversight could cost a life."

"One ten-thousandth is still too high; it must be reduced to one millionth, or even one ten-millionth."

"You have to understand that vehicles aren't just bought and kept as pets; they're driven on the road every day, encountering all sorts of road conditions and situations."

"Safety is the highest quality requirement for a car!"

"Especially our autonomous driving technology, which is the core soul of the future car."

"Tell me, where exactly did the one in ten thousand error rate come from? Where exactly did the problem occur?"

Wang Donglai is not someone who doesn't understand technology, so naturally he wouldn't force his R&D staff to do things their way.

After criticism, we will promptly inquire about the reasons and provide solutions.

Yuan Tengfei had known Wang Donglai for a long time, so he naturally knew Wang Donglai's character.

I know that Wang Donglai is addressing the issue, not the person, and that he himself is very technically capable.

A failure rate of one in a million or one in ten million sounds very difficult, but that's for other people.

For Wang Donglai, this is normal.

Since Wang Donglai became famous, he has been breaking records and raising the bar.

Even Yuan Tengfei felt that Wang Donglai's claim of a one percent or one ten-millionth error rate was not true.

Given Wang Donglai's technical skills, a zero error rate would probably be a reasonable expectation.

Although he didn't know why Wang Donglai hadn't brought it up, Yuan Tengfei firmly believed it.

Despite having thought about it a lot, it didn't affect Yuan Tengfei's answer.

"First of all, there is the chip's computing power. Automotive chips are more about stability and reliability than high performance. After all, the usage conditions of vehicles are too complex. High temperature, low temperature, wind and sand, water vapor and many other conditions can damage the chip."

"To improve security, it is necessary to enhance chip performance, which requires taking into account the stability of the chip under various extreme environments."

"Secondly, there's our computing center. Each vehicle requires processing far too much data, and as the number of vehicles served increases, the required computing power will rise exponentially."

"Finally, when encountering unexpected situations, the program needs to respond promptly, which requires the artificial intelligence control program to provide more sensitive and precise control..."

Since Yuan Tengfei was chosen by Wang Donglai to be in charge of autonomous driving technology, he must have some real skills.

These problems, in theory, are no longer issues with autonomous driving technology, but rather flaws and areas for improvement in the overall car design.

Just like automotive chips, which need to consider both security and stability, this goes beyond what he needs to consider.

It was precisely because Yuan Tengfei anticipated that Galaxy Technology's breakthrough in autonomous driving would lead to involvement in automobile manufacturing that he proactively considered this area. After Yuan Tengfei finished speaking, Wang Donglai immediately understood Yuan Tengfei's thoughts.

"It seems you have other ideas!"

"Let's talk about them all today!"

Instead of addressing the questions raised by Yuan Tengfei, Wang Donglai asked this question.

Yuan Tengfei wasn't surprised that Wang Dong had seen through his little scheme. After a slight hesitation, he said, "Boss, could we build our own cars?"

"If we are the first to launch a driverless vehicle, it will definitely be the world's first, and we will definitely be able to dominate the market."

"With our technology, we are many years ahead of our competitors in the market, and we simply have no rivals."

As he spoke, Yuan Tengfei became increasingly excited.

He seemed to have already foreseen the explosive growth of self-driving cars, which would attract widespread attention as soon as they hit the market.

Hearing Yuan Tengfei's question, Wang Donglai looked at the other R&D personnel and, unsurprised, also saw a hint of expectation.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Donglai made a decision on the spot.

"What you said isn't wrong!"

"If our autonomous driving technology has indeed reached a point where it can be launched on the market and offered to consumers as a mature product, then we will definitely enter the automotive manufacturing industry."

"The reason is quite simple: it's a matter of determining rights and responsibilities."

"In the event of a minor collision or accident involving an autonomous vehicle, who should bear the responsibility is an important issue we must consider."

"As technology providers, if we are simply providing technology, then on the surface we shouldn't bear this responsibility."

"After all, there are many reasons for car accidents. What if there is a problem with the car manufacturing itself, a quality problem, or a road problem?"

"However, this will not dispel consumers' concerns."

"Therefore, we must have full control over the entire process, from car manufacturing, hardware to software, so that we can more clearly define responsibilities."

"When a vehicle is sold to a consumer, do the consumers have the right to use it or the ownership? These questions need to be clearly defined."

“I understand why you asked this question.”

"I am here to make a statement to you."

"As long as there is a technological breakthrough, your team's bonuses will double, and performance evaluations will be upgraded to a higher level."

"I think I should have that credibility!"

Wang Donglai said this with a confident smile.

As soon as Wang Donglai finished speaking, cheers erupted in the conference room.

The significance of Wang Donglai's words is truly immense.

The bonus is doubled, which is double the nine-figure sum!

Not to mention the permanent benefits, such as improved performance evaluations.

Basic salary, overtime pay, subsidies, red envelopes, year-end bonus... all of these add up to a considerable sum.

Soon, everyone calmed down.

After everyone calmed down, Wang Donglai answered Yuan Tengfei's earlier question.

"The chip problem you mentioned is actually quite simple!"

"We should improve where necessary. As for stability and reliability, these can be addressed; it's simply a matter of process and cost."

"Here's what you should do: you can contact Liang Song directly and tell him your specific requirements."

"Our lithography factory is already in operation, so there shouldn't be too many problems with chips!"

Only Wang Donglai could say something like that.

Yuan Tengfei knew what the solution was, but given his position, he simply couldn't push it through.

After all, according to his estimates, the increased costs from doing so would not be a small amount.

Without Wang Donglai's permission, it would have been impossible to pass.

Now, with Wang Donglai's words, things have become quite simple.

"Boss, I'm relieved to hear that!"

Yuan Tengfei said with a big smile.

Wang Donglai pointed at Yuan Tengfei with his finger and said, "Old Yuan, I didn't know you had this little scheme in you."

"Tell me, have you been waiting for me for a long time? Just waiting for me to come!"

Yuan Tengfei's little scheme was exposed, but he didn't deny it. He smiled and said, "The boss is truly wise. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to say such a thing. It's precisely because I know the boss's abilities and style that I dare to do this!"

"Haha, since you've put me on such a pedestal, Lao Yuan, I can't let you down."

"Tell me, do you have any thoughts on the new car?"

Yuan Tengfei rubbed his hands together, a slightly naive smile appearing on his face.

"Boss, I just think our self-driving technology is so advanced that it would be such a waste if we didn't have a car of our own."

"Only by designing a car entirely in accordance with our corporate culture can we better utilize our technology."

"If it's just technology, how can we let consumers know about our technological strength?"

Yuan Tengfei's statement makes a lot of sense, and Wang Donglai did not deny it.

"You've really given me a big problem!"

“Designing a car is easy, but manufacturing a car exactly as we want it is very difficult.”

"Licenses, factories, equipment, technology, markets—these are all major challenges."

"But what you said makes a lot of sense!"

“If it were a general technology, we could just license it out. But autonomous driving technology is too important, so we can’t be so hasty.”

"However, it's all too early for that."

"I'll give you a month to resolve the problem as soon as possible."

"We can only be considered to have reached a preliminary level of maturity when the error rate drops to one in a million."

"We can only officially launch it to the market when the error rate is reduced to one in ten million."

"If you want to ride in a car you designed yourself, then work harder!"

"When it's produced, the company will give you one as a special reward!"

Wang Donglai wasn't making empty promises to Yuan Tengfei, but rather trying to motivate him.

Yuan Tengfei naturally knew this as well, and his blood immediately boiled.

"Don't worry, boss, I guarantee I'll complete the task!" (End of Chapter)