Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 665 The Blue Robot and the Desperate Google

Shortly after Yihai Technology Group put its first superconducting quantum computing center into use and applied it to the 'Mortal' virtual game.

Hailan Automotive Group also announced that its first superconducting quantum computing center has been completed and put into use. This superconducting quantum computing center will be used for artificial intelligence training in order to develop better autonomous driving technology and intelligent robot technology.

The current understanding of superconducting quantum computers is that they are used for artificial intelligence training.

Instead of using advanced superconducting quantum computers in the gaming field like Yihai Technology Group, it seems rather strange.

Such a high-end product is something many companies would love to have, but your Yihai Technology Group is using it as a game server... that's a bit of a waste.

In response, senior executives at Yihai Technology Group scoffed: "What do you mean by 'wasting resources'? Do you know how much revenue 'Fanren Virtual Game' generates in a year? It's several tens of billions, and it's still growing rapidly. If everything goes smoothly, it might reach a scale of hundreds of billions next year!"
What kind of AI products are you developing that can earn me a hundred billion a year?
Leaving aside Yihai Technology Group, Hailan Automotive Group has made a significant investment in using its superconducting quantum computing center for artificial intelligence training, and has even publicly announced that it is for algorithm training of intelligent robots.

This has raised expectations for Hailan Automotive Group's intelligent robot business... Hailan Automotive Group's stock price rose by three percentage points after the news was released.

The main reason is that investors see hope in Hailan Automotive Group's potential to truly launch intelligent robots.

Since Zhiyun Group first released its intelligent robot, many companies have been developing intelligent robots, but they are basically stuck in the field of algorithms... Many companies can make some robot dogs, or even humanoid robots, but the robots they make are too stupid.

Because they either use algorithms they developed themselves or algorithms that are released for free by Zhiyun Group, the robots they create are not smart enough.

Compared to the intelligent robots of Zhiyun Group, this one is like a complete idiot, and a stiff one at that. Except for a few special fields, it has almost no practical value, especially in daily use.

This includes Google, a company with some technological expertise in artificial intelligence that developed robots that are unusable.

Currently, the company widely recognized as the second to launch intelligent robots is Hailan Automotive Group…

It must be made clear here that although Hailan Automotive Group and Zhiyun Group are both major shareholders of Xu Shenxue, and Zhiyun Group even holds a portion of Hailan Automotive Group's shares, they are still two independent companies... This does not mean that Hailan Automotive can directly use Zhiyun Group's artificial intelligence technology.

The artificial intelligence technology of Hailan Automotive Group was acquired along with the autonomous driving business unit of Zhiyun Group in its early years, and then the company carried out its own research and development and upgrades based on this set of artificial intelligence technology.

While the AI ​​algorithm expert team at Hailan Automotive Group may not be as strong as the AI ​​research institute at Zhiyun Group, it is still quite capable. Therefore, the core AI algorithms they have upgraded and developed over the years are quite good.

Although Hailan Automotive Group's artificial intelligence technology still lags far behind that of Zhiyun Group, it is still a genuine and advanced form of artificial intelligence compared to other manufacturers.

Therefore, when Hailan Automotive Group announced its entry into the field of intelligent robots several years ago, investors had great confidence in it.

At this point in time, if a second company is able to create intelligent robots, it will most likely be Hailan Automotive Group.

And Hailan Automotive Group has not let down its investors!
In May, the annual press conference of Hailan Automotive Group was officially held.

In the first half of the press conference, Hailan Automotive Group released upgraded versions of several models... There weren't any major changes; they were all routine upgrades, and no groundbreaking models were released.

Currently, Hailan Auto has a fairly reasonable product lineup in the passenger vehicle sector, ranging from the large luxury sedan Hailan SLC, the large luxury SUV Hailan SEV, the entry-level sports car series Hailan SEC, and the supercar series Hailan SR. These models are priced from 700,000 to 3 million yuan.

Then there's the high-end mid-size sedan, the Hailan SLMC, and the high-end mid-size SUV, the Hailan MEV, with prices ranging from 400,000 to 700,000 yuan.

Next up are the entry-level sedan, the Hailan YEV, and the entry-level SUV, the Hailan HEV, with prices ranging from 250,000 to 400,000 yuan.

These models have achieved full market coverage in the mid-to-high-end segment for both sedans and SUVs... As for the low-end market, the Hailan Auto brand does not handle it; that is handled by the Ella brand.

Hailan Auto, with its comprehensive model lineup, released so-called new models this year, but they are actually just regular upgrades with minor modifications... The core components remain basically unchanged.

In order to control costs, low-end models not only do not use the most advanced EYQ7 chip with N4 process, but they also do not use the previous generation EYQ6 chip with N5 process... Instead, they continue to use the mature 7-nanometer EYQ5 chip... They claim that automotive chips need to be mature and stable, but in reality, they just want to control hardware costs!
The main issue is that both the EYQ and ZY series chips are quite expensive; advancing to the next generation would significantly increase costs.

Otherwise, Hailan Auto wouldn't have done this... After all, it's always good to have more computing power in advanced chips.

For intelligent electric vehicles like Hailan Auto, which are based on artificial intelligence technology and driven by autonomous driving, computing power is a very important data source.

Older chips simply have low computing power, no matter how you try to justify it...

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At the launch event for Hailan Auto, Bao Yongyan introduced a host of upgraded models from the regular series before moving on to the main event, which was also the focus of attention for many attendees and online viewers: the intelligent robot.

It's no secret that Hailan Automotive Group is developing intelligent robots; they've been doing it for several years now and occasionally bring it up, painting a rosy picture for investors and supply chain manufacturers.

Prior to this press conference, Hailan Automotive Group had already hinted that a major product would be launched at this year's event.

What major product? A new model is unlikely... Hailan Auto's product line is already very complete, and we haven't heard of Hailan Auto developing any special or unique models before.

There was a lot of anticipation that Hailan Auto would develop an affordable car priced under 200,000 yuan, but Hailan Auto has never announced such a plan and has even officially denied it several times.

Hailan Auto focuses on high-end luxury models; they don't produce low-end vehicles.

Other types of vehicles, such as pickup trucks and commercial vehicles, are too niche, and even if they were produced, they wouldn't be considered groundbreaking products... Furthermore, Mit, a rebadged brand of Hailan Auto, had already released a pickup truck version in the Americas, which sold quite well in the United States and Mexico.

Other types of products are unlikely, since Hailan Automotive Group's main business is car manufacturing, and its secondary business is auto parts business; it has very few other business lines.

The new field that Hailan Auto has publicly stated it will be involved in, and is actually doing, with a significant investment, is intelligent robots.

Therefore, when Hailan Auto announced that it would release a major product this year, many people speculated that Hailan Auto might be releasing an intelligent robot.

At today's press conference, Bao Yongyan did not disappoint the large group of investors, merchants, and netizens... They did indeed launch Hailan Automotive Group's first intelligent robot: Haiguang.

There are three models: HG01, HG02, and HG03.

The HG01 is a bipedal humanoid robot covered with silicone skin. It has both male and female sub-models and is the core flagship robot model of Hailan Automotive Group in the field of intelligent robots.

It uses a combination of EYQ7 and ZY40 chips for computing power, paired with a large-capacity solid-state battery, and its soul is the intelligent robot artificial intelligence developed by Hailan Automotive Group itself: HGAI!

Supported by the HGAI artificial intelligence algorithm, and equipped with various specially trained and developed motion models and language interaction models, the HG01 robot walked onto the stage on its own and greeted the audience.

Then a series of demonstrations began, including various movements such as sprinting, jumping, and climbing, and his athletic ability looked quite impressive.

In more critical home service scenarios, the robot also skillfully demonstrated common household chores such as tidying up clutter, hanging clothes, folding clothes, sweeping, mopping, and clearing the table.

This series of mobility and household chores capabilities seem to be comparable to those of the robots from the neighboring Zhiyun Group... at least on the surface.

Interestingly, the functional mode of Hailan Automotive Group's robots also imitates the advanced function mode of Zhiyun Group's robots, using a paid subscription model to unlock more advanced functions.

However, in order to gain market space under the strong pressure from Zhiyun Robotics, the marketing team of Hailan Automotive Group simply offered a free trial period for a certain number of advanced features.

Its core advanced housekeeping functions, for example, offer a one-year free trial period, after which the fee is 199 yuan per month. Unlike the advanced functions of Zhiyun robots, which are all strictly limited and not enabled by default, and can only be tried for three days before activation, with only one trial opportunity per year.

Furthermore, advanced features are more expensive. For example, the advanced housekeeping function of the Zhiyun robot costs 299 yuan per month in China…

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only 300 yuan and doesn't seem expensive... You should know that Zhiyun Robot has dozens of advanced paid functions, from housework to tutoring, caregiving, and even driving, all of which require payment. The cheaper ones cost tens or hundreds of yuan per month, while the more expensive ones cost several hundred or even two or three thousand yuan.

The cheapest entry-level version of the Zhiyun robot costs around 150,000 yuan, but if a consumer activates all of its dozens of advanced features, the monthly fee alone would be more than 30,000 yuan.

This is the price in China; it would be even more expensive overseas... The same advanced housekeeping features cost 99 euros per month in the EU, which is more than double the price in China.

The monthly subscription fees for various advanced functions are also the main source of revenue for Zhiyun Group in the intelligent robot business... and as long as users continue to use it, they can earn tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan every year.

The Zhiyun robot comes with a usage cost, and it's not cheap... If you want to use a slightly better one, you'll need to pay several hundred yuan a month for the rental fee.

Hailan Auto's robot sales model is also inspired by Zhiyun Robotics... The reasons are similar: current hardware costs are relatively high, and if the gross profit margin of hardware is to be increased, the selling price will be too high, making it unaffordable for too few people...

If there are few buyers, production will not be able to increase; if production is not high, costs cannot be reduced, and then profits will be even lower.

That's why they proactively reduced the gross profit margin of hardware, lowered the selling price, and increased sales volume. They used larger production volumes to spread the huge R&D and manufacturing costs, and later they could rely on monthly rental income from advanced features to supplement their revenue.

Unfortunately, the high cost of robot research and development, as well as the high cost of hardware, makes it difficult to reduce the cost of robots.

Even a powerful company like Zhiyun Group couldn't handle it, and neither could Hailan Auto Group.

The new intelligent robot under Hailan Automotive Group is also reasonably priced... Its flagship bipedal HG01 model, in silicone version, costs only 179,000 yuan, while its competitor, the entry-level bipedal robot silicone plate from Zhiyun Group, costs 199,000 yuan!

The intelligent robots from Hailan Automotive Group are generally about 20,000 yuan cheaper...

Unfortunately, although Hailan Automotive Group's Hailan brand is positioned as a high-end brand, it still falls far short of Zhiyun in terms of prestige.

When it comes to pricing, it's impossible to maintain consistency; we can only offer slightly lower prices... But if we go any lower, the costs are what they are, and we can't reduce them any further.

Therefore, in order to open up the market, they adopted a strategy of giving away a year of free trial time for advanced features, which is actually equivalent to giving consumers several thousand yuan more in benefits.

In addition, Aqua Auto leveraged its brand advantage to create a so-called co-branded model, launching a special skin version of the Aqua SR sports car...

If you can't compete on performance, then compete on appearance...

Therefore, the robots from Hailan Auto, especially the designs of several co-branded models, are quite outstanding.

In addition, the silicone version is available in various forms. One of them is a female robot with bipedal silicone skin, whose figure and facial features are so well made that a large group of lesbians are captivated by it...

You could ask Zhiyun Group to do this, but they wouldn't... Their bipedal humanoid silicone skin robots adopt a mediocre approach in terms of body shape and facial features; their biggest characteristic is that they have no distinctive features...

It's pleasing to the eye for most people in the world; no one thinks it's ugly, but no one thinks it's beautiful... It looks comfortable, but that's all it is.

In order to break into the market, gain attention, and attract users to place orders, Hailan Automotive Group has created many silicone skins that are designed to be extremely handsome or beautiful, the kind that are stunning to look at.

Of course, there are some flaws... namely, the micro-expression system of Hailan's robot is not very good. It only has a few expressions, so although the facial features made of silicone skin are amazing, there is not much change in expression, and it is not natural enough.

Unlike Zhiyun robots, its micro-expression system is very well done and looks very natural.

There is still a technological gap between the two sides, and it's not small... but many things are not easy to detect.

At least on the surface, the intelligent robot released by Hailan Automotive Group is a high-imitation version of Zhiyun Robot. There are some differences, but they are not significant!
Furthermore, it has been improved in appearance and is more distinctive, with different versions released for different regions to suit different aesthetic preferences.

It's also cheaper, and comes with a free year of premium housekeeping features or other premium features of equal value.

These measures have led to some people trying out the intelligent robots released by Hailan Automotive Group... especially the silicone-skinned version, which sold particularly well.

As for the wheeled version and the bipedal mechanical version of the robot, although they are cheaper than the Zhiyun robot next door, sales have not improved much...

Consumers aren't stupid... they'll naturally consider carefully before buying such high-end consumer goods that start at over 100,000 yuan.

Look at the Hailan robot over here, and then look at the Zhiyun robot next door. Most people actually quietly went to buy the Zhiyun robot.

They also knew that Hailan Automotive Group was very powerful. Hailan Automotive was the world's most advanced intelligent electric vehicle manufacturer, and its L4 autonomous driving technology was unique in the world.

but……

Zhuyun Group is even more awesome!

Consumers have more faith in Zhuyun Group's technological strength and brand reputation... even if it means paying a premium of tens of thousands!
However, for most consumers, the fact that Hailan Automotive Group has also launched robot products is a good thing, at least providing a second option.

Previously, regardless of whether you liked Zhiyun robots or not, if you wanted to buy a robot, you could only buy Zhiyun robots because there were no other options.

Now, there is a second option, which is even cheaper, and some models even look better.

As for Xu Shenxue, the major shareholder of both companies, he is happy to see healthy competition between the two companies under his control. Otherwise, if only Zhiyun Group is engaged in robotics, the management and technical personnel of the robotics division will lack motivation and are prone to stagnation!
Now, having a competing product from a sister company will at least motivate them to work harder to develop new products and adopt various new technologies to reduce costs and increase sales.

Xu Shenxue takes a positive attitude towards the competition between the two companies under his control.

To some outsiders, it seems rather strange that Hailan Automotive Group and Zhiyun Group are competing in the field of robotics. Some even speculate that Xu Shenxue may be dissatisfied with certain senior executives of Zhiyun Group and wants to suppress them.

But none of that matters. What's important is that Hailan Robotics is now on the market, giving consumers another option…

In addition, this has put tremendous psychological pressure on a large number of other companies that are also involved in robotics!

First came Zhiyun Group, and then Hailan Automotive Group. These two companies have released and sold robot products, and have created a huge market.

However, they still haven't been able to create a usable robot... The future looks bleak!
I don't know about other companies, but Google really did gather them... Their superconducting quantum computing center had just been built, and they couldn't wait to start training their next generation of artificial intelligence.

They also spent more money to purchase more superconducting quantum computers in order to obtain greater computing power.

They have high hopes for the next generation of artificial intelligence, not expecting their AI technology to rival that of Zhiyun Group, or even that of Hailan Auto!
But at least it should be usable!

Google's numerous products under development, such as virtual reality devices and robots, are all awaiting breakthroughs in their own artificial intelligence technology...

(End of this chapter)