America: My Time

Chapter 380 Laying Out in Asia
Chapter 380 Laying Out in Asia
In the field of communications, Dream World's servers are the best, with stability far exceeding that of other servers. Dream World has made a fortune in this area, and now it is gradually forging its own path in the field of supercomputers, possessing powerful capabilities. Combining its own advantages with its software strengths, Dream World is not only making greater progress in blade servers, but also achieving remarkable development in supercomputers.

"Dream World has already made progress. It was precisely because of the information and assistance from Dream World that Hughes Aerospace made such an insane request. If it weren't for the involvement of Middle Eastern tycoons, I'm afraid that relying solely on the funds from Japan and our own resources would not have been enough to complete the previous communications satellite network plan."

"Now that there are no problems with Dreamworld, once the modifications at Hughes Aerospace are completed, we'll notify them to visit both Hughes Aerospace and Dreamworld. However, we still need to address the issue of the three-way network connection. We can't let the three supercomputers and numerous servers sit idle; the rational use of resources is crucial. We also need to know if there have been any results from Dreamworld and Bell Labs."

"Bell Labs and Dreamworld are accelerating their research and development, but the chip speed is still not ideal. Nvidia's next-generation chip has not made any new progress. They said it will take some more time, but I believe it will be completed soon."

Nvidia has already mastered and used 16-bit microprocessors, but the development of 32-bit chips has not been as fast as expected. Nvidia has been saying that it is fast, but so far it has not been successfully developed. John is anxious, and Dream World is even more anxious. As long as Nvidia's 32-bit chip is successfully developed, it can support Dream World's graphics operating system and allow Dream World to soar to new heights.

As anxious as he was, John knew that research and development would not be smooth sailing, and he needed to wait calmly. He believed that Nvidia would not let him down. As for the development of the lithography machine, John was also waiting for the results, which would take time.

The integration of scientific research and development is the project John has been pushing for, connecting a series of research companies such as Dreamworld, Bell Labs, Nvidia, and Hughes with supercomputers and servers. This is also the beginning of cloud computing, but it will take time, and at least for now, we have not seen any results.

"That's good. How's the acquisition of Pan Am going? Have the routes to Taiwan been arranged? Do they have any other ideas? This is no small matter; we must speed things up!"

"There are no problems in Taiwan. They have agreed to almost all of our requests. However, opening up new routes requires a significant investment, and we have a considerable shortage of aircraft!"

"We'll place direct orders with Boeing for mainline aircraft, but let's not rush it. We'll make a decision after we're fully integrated. There's no rush now. Boeing has to show some sincerity for such a large order. For regional jets, we can choose Fokker. For business jets, we'll mainly use Gulfstream. We'll definitely choose our own products as long as we have them. That's the bottom line. All airlines' aircraft must be standardized. That's a regulation that can't be changed!"

Regarding the aviation situation, Carol Tomé was well aware that such standardization was the best option, as it would not only save costs but also effectively reduce workload, and Pan Am already had sufficient experience in this area.

John delegated Gulfstream Aerospace's operations in Taiwan to Carol Tomey. After gaining a basic understanding, he refrained from interfering, as detailed management was best left to professionals. The most crucial task now was the integration of Chinese-language media and entertainment. They couldn't afford to wait until the communications satellite was successfully launched while their own integration was still incomplete; that would create major problems.

After Carroll left, John continued to discuss the development of Chinese-language media and entertainment with Wong Sik-chiu. Wong Sik-chiu didn't need to worry about the matters in the United States and the United Kingdom; Paramount would handle the negotiations and the completion of those matters. What John needed to do was to reorganize the rear base so that resources in Hong Kong and Taiwan could be shared. This was not an easy task and would require a new round of integration work.

"Boss, why don't we start reforming the TV stations now? We can use the name Asia TV in both locations, just with different names. We can put the actor contracts together, which will make it easier to manage and attract more people to join us."

“Are you sure there won’t be any problems with reforming now? I’m fine with it, but the pressure of such a reform will be immense. Are you sure the morale in Taiwan won’t waver? Completely unifying artists’ contracts is no small matter. And you understand that the integration now means not only dealing with television stations, but also with film and record companies. We’ll be heading straight into the final integration phase, which will be a huge undertaking!”

“No problem, I won’t let you down!” Although the workload was heavy, the power would also be greater, and Huang Xizhao couldn’t resist such temptation. Even with immense pressure, he was confident he could complete the task. “Good, it’s good that you’re confident. Then we’ll give you full control over the integration of Phoenix Group’s Chinese-language operations. Don’t stop the expansion of the cinemas; we need to accelerate it!” This early integration, while seemingly no different from the power John had previously given Huang Xizhao, was of extraordinary significance. Early integration meant that everything would continue to revolve around the television station, and in the future, Phoenix Group’s power would also be primarily concentrated in the television station.

In the integration of Phoenix Group, the cinema chain was directly controlled by Hong Kong Phoenix Group, while Japan controlled the animation and comics business and Blockbuster's retail and leasing business. Under this segmentation, the three entities stand in a tripartite balance, each with its own center.

John had originally planned to stay in Taiwan longer to make more preparations for ASUS's expansion, but things didn't go as planned. With the Los Angeles Olympics approaching, there were also many things to deal with in the United States. Morgan kept contacting him, as if there was something to discuss, which forced John to end his trip to Taiwan early.

First, they flew to Tokyo to exchange views on quantum mining and the progress of Hughes Aerospace. Although it was brief, the Japanese were pleasantly surprised. They hadn't expected Hughes Aerospace's plans to make such great progress. This delighted the Japanese, and they were all eager to visit the United States.

In contrast, John was concerned about Japan's real estate development. He had another discussion with Sanwa Bank, explaining the Mandarin Oriental Group's expansion in the catering industry and requesting to continue obtaining corresponding loans from Sanwa Bank.

Is the Mandarin Oriental Group under significant asset pressure? Not really, at least from Sanwa's perspective. Their real estate holdings in Japan alone are more than enough to satisfy them, not to mention the numerous overseas projects under construction – all high-quality assets. As Japanese property values ​​appreciated, the Mandarin Oriental Group's resort hotel in Japan opened, and the results astonished many. Rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Yui Nihon Noya Resort Hotel were in high demand, and the luxurious renovations and lavish decor were loved by Japan's elite vacationers.

Many Japanese hotels initially viewed the Mandarin Oriental's transformation as a joke, disapproving of its renovations and designs. However, reality proved them wrong, impacting family-run hot spring hotels and demonstrating the power of the high-end market. Learning from this model is proving difficult, as rising construction costs, land prices, and labor costs in Japan have left many willing but unable to afford it.

Seeing the success of the Nihon Yuiyo Resort Hotel, no one in Japan doubted John's investment anymore. Even Akio Morita wondered if John had planned this all along. Now, the resort hotel didn't need American employees to support it; Japan alone could make it thrive.

Not only resort hotels like Xihong Nuoya, but the development of shopping malls is also progressing steadily. The opening of each shopping mall has brought considerable profits to Mandarin Oriental, making many people envious. Those guys all want to participate in this feast, but they are not as fast as Mandarin Oriental. There is a significant time gap between them, and the time difference will also have a certain impact on them. After all, opening earlier can attract more popularity.

Aman Resorts, Ocean Resort, and Castle Hotel are also under construction at an accelerated pace. These are all resort hotels under the Mandarin Oriental Group, but they are separate from Noya Yuenko. Ocean Resort focuses on island resorts, and even John's Lanai Island is managed by it. The Castle Hotel is similar. With the success of Noya Yuenko, the Mandarin Oriental Group established a tourism company in Japan. Although it is inconspicuous, its main purpose is to promote its own resort hotels, as well as European and American tourist attractions and consumption.

All these actions are in preparation for the arrival of the bubble era after the Plaza Accord. Everything we are doing now is just preparation. Even the estate that John acquired has been handed over to Mandarin Oriental for operation, and the winery is already in operation.

In John's eyes, with the arrival of the bubble era, the Japanese were spending madly overseas. Since they loved to consume so much, it would be better to keep the profits for himself. Behind the seemingly crazy investment was a meticulous plan, and now all of this was almost complete, at least in Europe.

Seeing the success of Nihon Noya, those guys in Japan also saw the market for high-end resort hotels. However, they couldn't do much. They didn't have John's amazing vision and planning, nor did they have the time to invest so much money in resorts. Moreover, they had the time to wait until the bubble burst after they completed construction. At that time, whether they could recover their costs would be a big question. The bursting of the bubble would have a huge and unimaginable impact on Japan!

(End of this chapter)