Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 378 People and People

As the days went by, with the added benefit of the new version of the magic book, Zhai Da's understanding in many areas improved a little.

Learn faster, understand more thoroughly, and work more efficiently.

Although talent is not just about "comprehension ability", this change has indeed improved his efficiency. In addition, he already spent a lot of time on the silicon carbide project. With steady progress, this may eventually lead to a qualitative change.

In late September, around the 20th, I was completely familiar with all the relevant equipment, and I received approval from all the instructors (mainly Tao Zheli), and was granted permission to make individual appointments and operate the equipment independently.

Not only Zhai Da, but also Sun Ting, Ge Qiaoqiao, and Qi Lin.

When working with a group of geniuses, the least you need to worry about is surpassing them too much. In fact, as the leader, he still needs to catch up.

Afterwards, the silicon carbide team held a meeting. After systematic study, they revised some details of the previous plan and then began to divide the work completely. Except for Zhai Da, who was in charge of everything, the others began to complete their parts according to the plan.

In addition, Zhai Da also asked the human resources department, which is shared by the research institute and Yueda Catering, to try to recruit some researchers in this field. The energy and time of four people are far from enough, so more people need to be added!

Feedback a few days later indicated that it wasn't exactly effective; in fact, there was no progress at all!

In 09, before silicon carbide semiconductors were industrialized, there were only about a thousand people in the entire country working in this field, and they were mostly in universities or national-level project teams.

If you remove the middle-aged and big shots who have taken on their own projects or are doing well, there are probably only a few hundred people left.

The difficulty of this recruitment is self-evident. Headhunting companies that have worked with HR departments are all stumped, having never even heard of it.

Even if we broaden our horizons and recruit in the field of silicon-based semiconductors, we still have to recruit across provinces and the whole country. Harbin, or even the entire Northeast, doesn't have such talent. If there is, it's within universities, and they don't come out easily.

The geographical limitations that Lu Qinjian mentioned earlier have once again become apparent.

So Zhai Da approached the principal again, bringing up the same old story: joint research and development!
In the principal's office, there was the familiar lethal dose of tea leaves, and the familiar window overlooking the campus.

Zhai Da sipped his tea and explained his difficulties, but his eyes darted to the cell phone on Principal Wang's desk.

I don't know if I've recharged my account.
Principal Wang Chunguo listened attentively. He naturally knew about Zhai Da's new project, and he had personally approved the approval for those high-tech equipment.

However, the principal, who had always been committed to giving Zhai Da the greatest support, was also somewhat helpless at this moment.

"Xiao Zhai, your question is indeed troublesome. Our country's semiconductor industry has always been in a state of catching up, and we have made many efforts in the process, but since Hanxin... you may not know, let's not talk about it."

"To this day, the general layout is that we still insist on self-research in the fields of military industry and aerospace, while the civilian market is highly dependent on overseas procurement, with a self-sufficiency rate of only about 5%. Without the support of the industry, we cannot cultivate semiconductor companies that can catch up with international standards. The few good achievements are concentrated in 'design' rather than 'manufacturing'."

"The semiconductor needs of the military and aerospace industries are very different from those of the civilian sector, and are highly concentrated. Only a few projects and laboratories are funded and built by the state. Our school has some, but I have no authority to divert their manpower to support you, let alone help you recruit or poach talent. It's not appropriate."

Zhai Da breathed a sigh of relief: "I understand. So, what if I help out voluntarily without breaking the rules or interfering with the content? Senior Tao Zheli has helped me a lot, so this shouldn't violate the rules, right?"

Principal Wang didn't know who Tao Zheli was, but he still nodded and said, "This is a matter of personal choice. The school can turn a blind eye, but you need to handle the boundary issues well, such as confidentiality matters. Otherwise, it may not be a big problem for you, but it might not be for them."

Zhai Da nodded seriously.

Principal Wang looked at the student in front of him. Zhai Da's rise was far beyond their expectations and far exceeded the concept of a so-called "top scorer in the college entrance examination".

In comparison, those hundreds of top scorers from Peking University and Tsinghua University aren't even worthy of carrying Zhai Da's shoes.

Today, he no longer regards Zhai Da as an ordinary student, but rather as an outstanding junior he is nurturing.

Therefore, it wasn't a simple matter of telling Zhai Da "it can be done" or "it can't be done," but rather offering guidance:
"Perhaps you could ask your professor for help. The Chinese Academy of Sciences certainly has more talent in this area than we do, but it will still be a troublesome matter. If the Academy sends people, they will naturally get involved in your research institute, such as joint management and joint research and development."

"Ultimately, when venturing into a new field, a shortage of talent is inevitable. The best, and also the most difficult, way is to cultivate your own talent and start from scratch."

Zhai Da pondered for a moment: "Train them ourselves?"

Principal Wang nodded: "While you haven't gone too far down this path, start from a lower level and cultivate talents that belong entirely to you. This path is the most difficult, but also the most correct."

Zhai Da pondered silently for a moment, first shaking his head, then nodding: "I still don't plan to trouble the teacher with this matter; it's a bit too specific."

Zhai Da thought it was possible to get someone to come through the teacher, but this was a more detailed matter than the initial "Hongtu OS" incident which directly involved the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Because what he wanted was no longer support and introductions, but individual "people" themselves.

Are these people truly willing to leave the system and come to the research institute? And once they arrive, will they be able to integrate? What is the model for joint management and joint research and development within the Academy of Sciences?
"But I think the second half of what you said makes sense. Perhaps we should lower our expectations and cultivate our own technical talent from scratch."

“The Mechanical Core Research Institute wants to participate in this year’s fall recruitment.” President Wang nodded and said, “That’s a good thing. It’s not difficult for students from Harbin Institute of Technology to find employment, but I still hope that they can devote themselves to fields that are more promising and needed by the country. Xiao Zhai, maybe one day you will really break through the boundaries of silicon carbide semiconductors and change the market and industry like Hongtu OS.”

"Even if Harbin Institute of Technology were to offer a separate major for this, what would be wrong with it!"

Principal Wang's words were firm and resolute.

------

As he walked out of the main building, Zhai Da looked at the bright but not scorching sun.

This is the most comfortable season in Harbin, with neither too cold nor too dry, and a gentle breeze blowing.

Through his conversation with the principal, he realized once again just how difficult the path of "industrial upgrading" truly is.

Investment, technology, talent, and market.
Every hurdle is difficult, but every hurdle must be overcome.

Even a player with such extraordinary abilities as him cannot bridge all the gaps.

"However, the right things are always difficult."

The harder it gets, the more he needs to work hard and live a fresh start. Money is no longer so hard for him; his identity as a writer alone is enough for him to live a stable life. Why not take advantage of the times, go to the forefront, and be that lucky koi leaping on the wave?

Am I supposed to become a lazy bum who makes movies and races?
This is not just an agreement between him and his teacher.

It was also a promise he made to himself.

The manpower shortage can't be filled so quickly, but the silicon carbide team's efforts haven't stopped.

The lack of manpower and energy can only be overcome by personal efforts for the time being, so Zhai Dahua is spending more time in the laboratory.

However, he intentionally treated Tao Zheli to a meal and asked if any of his classmates or juniors were relatively free.

Although one should not break the rules in a subordinate position, it is good to help out in one's spare time.

Zhai Da was unable to directly provide salary.
But you can top up your meal card with money!
Tao Zheli did not refuse. He had about three to five junior classmates who could help with repetitive tasks. At the very least, they could handle miscellaneous tasks such as guarding equipment and data, which were quite easy.

In addition, Zhai Da approached Wu Yue, wanting to transfer one-third of the personnel department from Yueda Catering to establish the research institute's own personnel department.

As the scale grows larger, the shared use of resources on both sides eventually becomes inconvenient and communication becomes difficult.

The salaries and benefits of these one-third of the staff will remain unchanged. In addition to recruitment, the new salary structure previously implemented by "Yueda Catering" will also be incorporated into the research institute.

Wu Yue naturally supported this, as it was not simply a matter of the same boss transferring money from one hand to the other, but also an extension of the shared prosperity system he had devised.

The new research institute's personnel department has five people. Considering that these people do not need to do scientific research and that their bonuses are the same whether they are from Lao Yu or not, they were not sent to the research institute. Instead, an office was rented in an additional building in the industrial park.

Zhai Da explained the plans for the autumn recruitment fair, but he did not completely give up on the difficult idea of ​​recruiting experienced people from all over the country, hoping to achieve some success.

As September 27th approached, the busy and efficient days flew by. Zhai Da took leave through Jiang Xiaobai and set off for Shanghai ahead of schedule.

That was the first filming location for "Magic Talent Show".

It also stemmed from some connections with that Shanghai production company, which provided a lot of support in terms of venue; all they had to do was mention the "World Expo" next year in the program.

The 2010 World Expo was the second mega-scale global event held in China since the 08 Olympics. The Shanghai municipal government was busy for several years, and now that they heard that "Magic Talent Show" would involve overseas events, even a small favor was still a favor, so they provided some convenience.

Zhai Da asked Lu Wei if she wanted to come along, but after hearing that she would be leaving for more than ten days, Lu Wei reluctantly chose to stay in Harbin.

She needed to take too much time off, and her own research seemed to be entering a critical phase.

With the rare opportunity of a combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, she wanted to quietly study at home.

Considering that he had been traveling around the world for more than ten days, and that Xiao Mutou would only be a "human companion" there, with little chance to do anything but study mathematics or even sightsee, Zhai Da stopped insisting and boarded a plane to Shanghai alone.

He went to the city where he had lived for more than ten years in his previous life, but had never visited it after his rebirth.

(End of this chapter)