Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 452 Warning Message
The installation of the silicon carbide semiconductor plant has brought the research institute and the entire Dongyang into a new stage.

As a key national and provincial project, the semiconductor plant has attracted a lot of attention. When Zhai Da was leading the team to install equipment in the plant, the outside world’s attention never stopped.

"Minister Lu, G-Core Semiconductor has already started receiving equipment into the factory."

"Oh? When did this happen?"

"Just yesterday, I made a special call to inquire, and the first batch of equipment delivered to the factory was worth 400 million yuan. This is even with the main equipment being entirely self-developed and the cost being far lower than the market price."

Lu Qinjian took the documents and examined them for a moment: "Has the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund received the funds?"

"We strictly adhere to the 20% reinvestment rate based on actual investment. However, since the invested funds need to be calculated and audited, we conduct a summary once a quarter. The last one was at the end of May, and the next one should be at the end of August."

Lu Qinjian pondered for a moment: "I'll go back and talk to them to see if we can change it to once a month. Even if it's more troublesome, we can't let the research institute face financial pressure during the investment period."

Generally speaking, every step of such large-scale industrial and high-tech investment is a hurdle.

Project approval is one hurdle, equipment delivery is another, and so is production commencement.

Government support is gradually being increased, and will only continue once certain standards are met.

Many businesses are already struggling to keep up with the demands of the market, making every hurdle extremely difficult. They practically beg the government for help and complain about their poverty every day.

On the contrary, the research institute is doing very well in terms of funding, technology, and human resources. Unless you ask them directly, you won't hear from them for a long time.

"Furthermore, now that we've already entered the market, the China Development Bank's credit line can be increased by one level."

The young subordinate said, "Minister Lu, the current utilization rate of the research institute's quota is only 15.7%."

Generally speaking, other companies have utilization rates of over 70%.
"The funding level is a bit too low. The research institute has the financial backing of Hongtu OS, so it certainly doesn't lack funds, especially cash flow. However, it could rely more fully on policy support in the semiconductor sector, freeing up resources for other things."

After all, the China Development Bank's loans are only for semiconductor projects. Although it may seem like a transfer from one hand to the other, it actually unlocks more potential for the research institute.

"Could you check if I have time in the second half of the month? I'd like to go to Dongyang again."

After some thought, I realized that Hongtu OS is also very important, perhaps even more important than "Machine Core Semiconductor" at this stage.
"Make a three-day gap: one day in Harbin and two days in Dongyang. No receptions or meetings will be arranged."

Go check if Xiao Zhai has encountered any difficulties in Harbin while he's away.
"Yes, Minister Lu, I will try my best to arrange it."

Lu Qinjian put down the document he had just received, then rummaged through the drawer for a moment and found something new.

A statistical report on "Hongtu OS" and early warning information.

The existing smartphone market share is 33%, and the newly added smartphone market share is 65%.

Of every 100 new smartphones sold globally, 65 are from Hongtu.

The remaining 35% consists of Apple's rapid growth this year, as well as models from traditional manufacturers such as Nokia and BlackBerry that have not sold well.

Its dominant position has already become apparent. As time goes by and old equipment is phased out, as long as it remains stable, this number will completely become a "market share of existing customers".

Zhai Da initially said his ideal goal was a 70% market share, but he never expected to reach that level so quickly. This is a rare and impressive victory for China in high-tech industries in recent years, and it is also the first "product" to be distributed globally, albeit intangible.

However, the warning messages are a bit of a nuisance.

This information was provided by the security information department, which the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology receives frequently. For example, it might indicate internal strife in a country's mining area or trouble in an oil-producing country, all of which could cause fluctuations in the country's overall industry.

The one in front of us needs to be more specific.

Perhaps it's due to overseas advertising revenue taking a slice of Google and YouTube's pie; perhaps it's because someone is unhappy with Samsung's global dominance and is subtly undermining it; or perhaps it's simply because they feel such a crucial "industry ecosystem" shouldn't be controlled by a Chinese company.
Across the Pacific, two members of Congress have proposed legislation to investigate whether "Hongtu" has evaded taxes, while in the EU, officials have expressed concerns in interviews about the export of communist ideology.
That's all nonsense.
Although members of Congress can be considered insignificant, with prices clearly stated for their words—they might even perform clownish acts for a paycheck—this could also be a way to gauge public opinion and uncover underlying interests.
A trial that escalates into a bigger problem could take a long time. Of course, it could also simply disappear without a trace, but...
Lu Qinqian sighed, "Ugh, so annoying. Really annoying."

------

"Who? The mayor? Which mayor? The city relocation?"

Zhai Da was wearing a cleanroom suit, a mask, and goggles, and looked a little irritable.

The person who came to report was also wearing a dustproof suit; judging by the color, she was a woman, with "Dispatcher/Liu Jing" written on her chest.

The only way to identify the place was by the sign and color. Liu Jing was just delivering something and passing on a message, saying in a low voice, "The mayor of Qing City."

Zhai Da's mind went blank for a moment: "Qingshi City, Shandong Province? What are you doing here?"

Did I steal some of your beer?
"They said they were just passing by on their way to inspect the area, and after getting off the highway they wanted to stop by for a visit, so they just parked right at the factory gate."

Zhai Da waved his hand: "What nonsense. Just say I'm not here. The environmental requirements are high during the installation process, so visitors are not allowed."

Once you're on the highway, you can point and look anywhere.

Do you know how much effort it takes me to go in and out?

Unless my bladder is bursting, no one can let me go in and out like this!
Having probably never dealt with high-ranking officials before, Liu Jing said, "Since we're already at the door, shouldn't we have a plausible reason? Should I say you went to northern Beijing?"

"You can say I went to South Korea to join a girl group, that's fine too."

Liu Jing nodded and left: "Okay."

After a few steps, he turned back: "Mr. Zhai, which girl group? Girls' Generation?"

Zhai Da turned his head and silently gazed at her.

You definitely have something wrong with yourself.

Really.

After dealing with the little "cute," Zhai Da turned back to continue installing the "ultra-large cavity five-stage CVD system," which was the first piece of equipment he had mastered and also the most valuable step in the process chain.

Aside from substrate formation, nothing is more important. As for substrate formation, Zhai Da already had some ideas, but one must proceed step by step. When he chose the direction of silicon carbide power devices, the first 30% of the problems he faced were expensive but tolerable, while the latter 70% required starting from scratch. In order to produce results quickly, he naturally chose the latter to get started first.

Conversely, if one focuses on "substrate generation" first, given the nascent state of the silicon carbide market, even if one mass-produces more substrates, there will be no market, and one will still have to complete the second half of the process of self-production and self-sales.

Therefore, at present, the substrates are still purchased from Infineon in Germany. He signed a long-term order six months ago and became Infineon's largest customer in the world.

Bulk orders and pre-orders reduce costs to a manageable level, allowing us to connect with downstream orders and get market applications running first.

The sixth day of installation and debugging went relatively smoothly.

The only minor incident was that a truck, trying to save money, didn't take the highway and instead drove along the national and provincial roads, which resulted in it turning off and getting stuck in the dirt road.

The road administration and transportation bureaus reacted quickly, immediately calling a crane to transfer the object. Several people from the research institute also went to keep an eye on it to prevent it from being damaged by shaking.

After leaving the factory, Zhai Da took off his damp and heavy cleanroom suit. He was in a daze for a moment in the changing room. He was far from exhausted, but the bright, repetitive, and pure white environment of the factory still made him feel disoriented after a while.

Zhai Da pondered silently, realizing that he was definitely not the only one in this situation. Perhaps he could work on the signage within the factory area, adding more colors and geometric variations, but without conflicting with the numerous indicator lights and hindering information sensitivity.

This is learning by doing, learning while doing.
After retrieving his personal belongings from the locker room, Zhai Da headed outside, only to find it was raining at the main entrance on the first floor.

The sky was dark and cold, and sparse raindrops formed a string under the eaves.

A familiar figure stood at the edge, holding a large umbrella, looking up at the sky.

Zhai Da approached from behind and, as if to tease, suddenly reached out and grabbed the woman's slender waist.

Lu Wei visibly stiffened for a moment, but didn't let out the expected scream or cry.

Instead, he instantly delivered an elbow strike towards Zhai Da's face.

Zhai Da quickly raised his hand, grabbed Lu Wei's elbow, moved her half an inch away to reveal his face, and chuckled dryly, "Who taught you this move?"

Lu Wei seemed relieved: "This doesn't need to be learned, it's just subconscious."

"Your reaction is a bit too strong."

Although his strength wasn't particularly great, this elbow strike was quite frightening because it was decisive enough.

Shouldn't it be an "Ouch~", followed by crouching down with hands covering the head in defense, recognizing the person, and then playfully punching the chest with little fists?
Does "direct elbow strike" skip too many steps?

Lu Wei simply said calmly, "What if it's not you?"

Zhai Da gave a thumbs up: "That makes sense!"

"From now on, you can elbow me anytime, and I won't be the one who can't catch it."

Lu Wei nodded seriously.

"Why are you looking for me here?"

The past week has been incredibly demanding, with me sometimes having to discuss technical work with others after get off work, so we've definitely had much less time together.

The main issue is that Lu Wei cannot participate at this stage; her "entropy algorithm" application will only be promoted after the new headquarters moves in.

Lu Wei continued to look up at the sky: "It's raining. I was thinking you didn't bring an umbrella, and the factory should be quite a distance from the parking lot."

"So how did you get here?"

"Take a taxi."

Zhai Da saw through it but didn't expose it; he was definitely thinking of himself!
I understand~
While chatting, Zhai Da looked up at the sky and said in confusion, "It hasn't rained in Dongyang for a long time, but I checked the weather forecast this morning and it didn't say anything about rain."

In places without windows, you wouldn't even know if there was an explosion outside, or how long it had been going on.

Lu Wei nodded: "I checked the weather bureau's data, and there really shouldn't be any rain. This rain should come in three days."

"Can this be seen?"

"The information released by the meteorological bureau is much more detailed than the weather forecast. I have also been studying meteorology recently."

The emergence of the entropy algorithm opened up a new point of interest for Lu Wei, a path that extends from mathematics to other fields.

"So, when will this rain stop, future meteorologists?"

Lu Wei shook her head: "Weather is very complex. You can't just calculate it out of thin air. But the forecast has already been wrong once, and I'm afraid there will be more errors in the next few days. Let's go home."

Zhai Da smiled, did not refuse, and put his arm around Xiao Mutou's waist.

Although he's probably the person in the world least afraid of rain.
But who can resist an umbrella, especially for two people?
Amidst the clattering sound of the umbrella, the two stepped into the wind and rain.

"I suddenly remembered a line from my blog: 'Walking in a downpour, the umbrella is like a boat rowing upside down across the sky.' Doesn't that sound romantic?"

"It's very romantic."

"Then let the great writer test you; write the second half of the sentence."

After a long silence, Zhai Da encouraged him, "Don't be afraid, just let your imagination run wild, say whatever comes to mind."

"Little sister, you take the boat."

"Alright, that's enough. That's enough, no need to add any more embellishment."

(End of this chapter)