America: My Time

Chapter 381 A kind reminder

Chapter 381 A Kind Reminder
"John, your investment has yielded amazing returns again. Now many people want to enter the resort hotel market. Do you think there's still an opportunity?" Upon learning of the popularity of the Yui Nichia Resort Hotel, Akio Morita once again invited John and Naoko.

"The opportunity exists, but whether it will succeed is hard to say. By the time they complete their market research and design, how much will land prices and labor costs in Japan rise? Perhaps more than double that of Xihong Nuoya. Is such a huge investment worthwhile? When will they be able to recoup their costs? Right now, they only see Xihong Nuoya's success, but they don't see the effort behind it, nor do they see the true state of the market. Xihong Nuoya has a guaranteed minimum income; even in the off-season, my company's employees can cover the costs. Can they do that? They only see the current situation and rashly rush into an industry they are unfamiliar with. I don't think that's a good thing!"

“That’s true. The success of the resort hotel doesn’t mean anything. It’s just the beginning. There isn’t even a complete annual report yet, so we can’t see the real situation. We should invest this money in the construction of the commercial center.”

"You can't tell anything in a year. People are naturally curious. In my opinion, it takes at least two to three years to see how a resort hotel is doing. My situation is different from theirs. I paid a different price for the land and spent a different amount on construction. By the time they started, everything was different. Different times lead to different results!"

Regarding John's theory of time, Akio Morita nodded in agreement, saying that those guys only saw the immediate benefits and not the dangers behind them, which was unacceptable.

"John, I heard that South Korea is interested in participating in Hughes Aircraft's project. What's your opinion?" Akio Morita quickly got to the point. This time, his invitation to John and Naoko wasn't for something as trivial as a resort hotel. It was because of South Korea's ambitions; the Japanese wanted to know John's thoughts.

"I don't have much to say. To be honest, Hughes Aerospace doesn't lack researchers or R&D funding, at least not initially. It's impossible for them to participate. I don't like being taken advantage of, and I dislike their arrogance. I believe Mr. Morita should know about Western Energy's choice of a refinery site. The Koreans were asking for an exorbitant amount, wanting to take half the profits. Who do they think they are? They shouldn't even consider this project; I won't agree to it. Actually, if Japan hadn't participated early, there wouldn't have been a chance. After all, the involvement of Middle Eastern tycoons relieved Hughes Aerospace of financial pressure. Hughes Aerospace's biggest problem is R&D funding."

At this point, John sighed and continued, "Actually, this project was already well underway from the beginning. The satellite communication network was a test for this project. Most importantly, Dream World has now completed the computer simulation, so there are no problems with the general direction or the technical aspects. With the assistance of Dream World and Bell Labs, the progress of the entire project won't be too slow!"

Akio Morita did not doubt John's words. He knew that the Middle Eastern tycoon had provided two billion in research funding, so he did not think John would lie about this matter. Two billion in research funding was more than enough to support the research of this project, and now even Britain was interested in participating, but without any results.

"That makes sense. There are no problems with the technology or the overall direction. Success is just a matter of time."

"The Los Angeles Olympics are about to begin. If you have time, you can go to see an Olympic Games and visit Dreamworld to see the computer simulations. This will give you a direct understanding of the entire project."

Upon hearing this, Akio Morita's eyes lit up, as if he understood John's idea. He nodded and said, "That's right. This way, it won't attract attention and can effectively reduce a lot of risk!"

"The risks aren't a big deal, it's just that we don't want to attract the attention of certain individuals. Too many people involved will cause unnecessary trouble for this project. With so many people talking, no one knows what might happen. If problems arise, it will definitely delay the research and development progress, which is something no one wants to see. In any case, I need to be responsible to all of you and to Japan. I can't let your investment in research and development go to waste. After the computer simulation tour of the Dream World, if you have no questions, we need to accelerate the project's development. Several satellites will be manufactured simultaneously, and we will strive to complete part of the network in the shortest possible time."

"No problem, Japan fully agrees. I just don't know how long it will take to see results?"

"If there are no unforeseen circumstances, an experimental satellite will be launched this year, and the communication satellites will complete the network as quickly as possible, with the network completed by the end of next year at the latest. If all goes well, it will be completed in the first half of the year! As for our satellite positioning system, it will consist of at least 24 satellites, and the manufacturing alone will require a considerable investment. This will require Hughes Aerospace to fully invest in research and development, so the financial consumption will be staggering."

“Funding is not a problem. Japan can continue to invest. We will not give up as long as there are results!” “If funding is not a problem, Hughes Aerospace will also be fine. As long as this year’s test satellite is successful, we will launch four to six satellites starting next year. If everything goes smoothly, we can complete the network in six years at most. We have communicated with the Middle Eastern tycoons on this matter. They are willing to accept it and will not have any objections. I wonder what Japan’s thoughts are.”

"John, I'd like to know if Hughes Aerospace can handle four to six satellite launches a year, and whether Hughes' satellite manufacturing can keep up with the launch speed?" At this moment, Akio Morita's expression became serious, and he dared not be careless in the slightest! These are satellites, not ordinary electronic products; their quality cannot be compromised.

"Don't worry, Hughes Aerospace has the capability, and with the assistance of Dreamworld and Bell Labs, satellite development is not difficult, nor is computation. Both Hughes' own supercomputers and the supercomputers of Dreamworld and Bell Labs are working at full capacity to ensure the success of our project."

When it comes to R&D investment, these Japanese guys aren't as generous as the Middle Eastern tycoons. John hopes they'll have the $500 million in place by early next year so as not to affect Hughes Aerospace's project progress.

Although John didn't ask when the remaining 500 million yen would arrive in Japan, Akio Morita knew that after visiting the computer simulation of Dream World, the funds had to be in place as quickly as possible. Hughes Aerospace had its own plans, and if Japan couldn't accept them quickly, it would be kicked out of the game.

Satellite manufacturing requires a large investment, as does research and development, and launch. Although Hughes Aerospace has already made preparations and even begun launch preparations, all of this requires financial support. Three billion dollars seems like a lot, but it is far from enough.

Without the continuous development of supercomputers and the assistance of Dreamworld and Bell Labs, Hughes Aerospace alone could not have completed such research and development; the time and costs would have increased exponentially. It is only because Hughes is now at the forefront of satellite development and possesses an absolute advantage that it would have been able to achieve this level of funding.

Of course, with such a large investment, Hughes Aerospace also benefits immensely. At the very least, with such a massive investment, Hughes will have its own rocket manufacturing technology, its own launch site, and its own manufacturing plant. All of this will be undertaken by the project, rather than by Hughes itself.

The Japanese and Middle Eastern tycoons were well aware of Hughes's scheme, but they didn't care. All they wanted was the results, not how much Hughes Aerospace benefited from the project.

Akio Morita was well aware that Dreamworld possessed the capability to build supercomputers. It was no secret that Bell Labs and Hughes Aerospace had powerful supercomputers, and even Nvidia and Universal Online had their own. Hurricane Capital also owned supercomputers. If all these supercomputers were put into research and development, the resulting effect would be astonishing; no one could ignore their existence!

If they didn't understand the strength of Dreamworld and Bell Labs, and the strength of Hughes Aerospace, how could those guys in Japan have invested so heavily in this project?

Money talks, and John's plan was for Hughes Aerospace's GPS to be fully operational by 1990, ahead of GPS. Accuracy wasn't a primary concern for Hughes, as their civilian products weren't as complex as GPS. Hughes's goal was simply to capture the civilian market, and this success would provide further support for their next project, placing them at the forefront of technology.

"John, are you aware that South Korea also intends to use Quantum Mining's involvement in the Australian iron ore mines to influence negotiations between those mining giants regarding iron ore prices?" Suddenly, Akio Morita changed the subject again, mentioning the Australian iron ore mines, which surprised and surprised John.

"I don't know much about South Korea, and my impression of them isn't very good. If they want to use Quantum Mining's iron ore mine in Australia to negotiate with other mining giants on iron ore prices, they're just dreaming. Quantum Mining won't give them that opportunity, nor will it allow them to succeed and affect their own interests!"

(End of this chapter)