Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 388 Stealing Masters
After breakfast, when we arrived at the office, Ren Ying handed me the file box I had been holding.

"These are the profiles of the suitable candidates I've recently selected. General Manager Wu also helped me gather some information, so it's quite comprehensive. Take a look."

This is the most important thing she wants to report today.

Chen Xuebing immediately smiled with interest, rubbed his hands together, and opened the file box with the mindset of opening a blind box, taking out the first document and examining it carefully.

He delegated all administrative management to Cai Zhijian and Wu Jiesi, as he had more important things to do.

The preparatory team from ARM headquarters arrived in Shanghai last weekend to carry out a complete corporate restructuring of ARM China.

ARM did not involve Chen Xuebing's side in this rectification, but after a week of rectification, the cooperation between the two parties officially began.

Regarding how to learn from others, Lin Bin offered some assessments, suggesting that neither Singularity nor Spreadtrum currently possesses professional talent in this area. He believes that it's necessary to broaden one's thinking and seek help from across the country.

The file box contains the key to understanding the relevant talent pool in China.

Chen Xuebing carefully examined the pages, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head.

But his expression gradually became serious.

"Yin Zhiyao? No way, AMEC focuses on equipment, not chip design. Besides, since they're in a patent lawsuit with Applied Materials, they're definitely on the FBI's watch list!"

“Wei Shaojun won’t do either. He’s the director of the Institute of Microelectronics at Tsinghua University. Every ASML lithography machine that Tsinghua’s labs purchases needs to be declared to the EU for its end use, you know? Besides, they lack practical experience in large-scale tape-out. If we could find Tsinghua, would I not have thought of it?”

“I have been following Deng Zhonghan. He is similar to Professor Chen’s team. He used to run a semiconductor company in Silicon Valley, making high-end digital imaging semiconductor sensors. After returning, he started Vimicro Electronics. Their main products are also digital camera CMOS chips. Their career path does not include CPU architecture experience.”

Chen Xuebing denied them one by one.

In their previous lives, AMEC and Vimicro were simply referred to as "AMEC" and "Vimicro," respectively. Their names were very similar, and he had wondered about them in his previous life and had investigated them thoroughly, so he had some understanding of them.

Yin Zhiyao is a Chinese-American who was formerly the vice president of Applied Materials. After returning to China, he started AMEC, which manufactures plasma etching machines, the next step after photolithography machines. According to the pattern "drawn" by the photolithography machine, plasma is used to precisely etch grooves or holes on the silicon wafer to complete the three-dimensional structure of the chip.

China's etching machines have never been held back, and on the contrary, they have always been at the forefront of the world's advanced manufacturing processes. The core reason for this is AMEC (Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc.).

Meanwhile, Zhongxing Microelectronics, founded by Deng Zhonghan, has also made great strides in the field of camera chips. A few years ago, it integrated image sensing, processing, and compression into a single chip, which is roughly equivalent to the "turn-key" of camera chips. Its technology has been adopted by international brands such as Philips, Samsung, and Logitech. Last year, it won the "First Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award" for chip design, along with Spreadtrum.

In addition, there is "Shanghai Microelectronics", a national team established in 02. It is a complete lithography machine integrator. Before its rebirth, it completed the yield ramp-up test of the 28nm lithography machine, completed the entire chain of mature process, and unlocked the 14nm FinFET process.

(FinFET: A three-dimensional "fin"-shaped transistor that solved the problem that planar transistor technology was stuck at 20nm.)
They are excellent, but that's no reason for them to help solve architectural problems.

In the chip industry, architecture is architecture, design is design, protocol is protocol, material is material, lithography is lithography, etching is etching, and packaging is packaging. There are interconnected areas, but each also has its own insurmountable knowledge gaps.

The chip design process is as follows: specification definition (defining chip functions) → architecture design → RTL coding (part fabrication drawing) → functional simulation → logic synthesis → physical design (module location) → timing verification → delivery of photolithography drawings → tape-out → manufacturing.

The manufacturing process is as follows: lithography machine for drawing pattern → etching machine for trenching → cleaning impurities → filling with metal → polishing the surface → repeating dozens of times → finished chip.

Even semiconductor foundries like SMIC cannot achieve full coverage of the manufacturing process.

First of all, it does not manufacture materials, and it is only a purchaser of lithography machines. If you want to manufacture lithography machines, it is useless to contact SMIC. SMIC can only provide application scenarios and process verification for lithography machines.

Secondly, SMIC's current technologies, such as high-voltage processes (display driver chips) and radio frequency processes (RF ICs), are not mature, and its capabilities in advanced packaging are also severely lacking. This directly leads to the poor performance of some chips, such as communication basebands. Spreadtrum would never choose SMIC if it could find TSMC, especially for advanced processes.

To independently produce any semiconductor product, one must find a precise entry point in a specific field and focus one's efforts there.

Judging from the information provided by Ren Ying, her understanding of semiconductors seems to be at a general level, that "they are in the same industry and should be able to help each other."

However, Ren Ying cannot be blamed for this.

Information about the semiconductor industry in China has always been limited, and Chen Xuebing's in-depth understanding of it only began in the last year, based on the increasing access to information resources he has and his keen interest in semiconductors.

A year ago, he was just a complete novice with a vague and general understanding of semiconductor classification.

For someone as intelligent as Ren Ying, building knowledge is much easier than for him. Chen Xuebing wasn't in a hurry; after thinking for a while, he offered his guidance:

"You need to have a comprehensive understanding of semiconductors and industry segmentation. Also, you need to talk to Wu Jiesi and bring Goto Miki back from Spreadtrum to join his market intelligence department. From now on, the data I need must be analyzed from the perspectives of international law and technology."

Ren Ying paused for a moment, then frowned and said, "But she's Japanese."

Chen Xuebing scratched his head: "From now on, we will have to make use of foreign personnel. Goto Miki is familiar with international law and has been working at Spreadtrum for the past six months. After her last trip abroad, I think she has a good understanding of the semiconductor industry and international developments. She is an indispensable talent. You can mention information security to General Manager Wu. He will take note."

He initially did not want to recruit foreign personnel into key areas, but it is undeniable that these talents are irreplaceable in current scientific and technological work, and he has now had to compromise.

"I understand." Observing the change in Chen Xuebing's attitude, Ren Ying silently made a study plan. After thinking for a while, she added, "That last piece of information should be useful."

“I saw it. Hu Weiwu from Loongson is indeed useful.” Chen Xuebing pulled out the document and nodded.

In this document, Hu Weiwu, the chief designer of Loongson, is probably the person who is best able to digest ARM technology.

2002年主持设计中国首颗MIPS架构的通用CPU龙芯1号，2004年龙芯2号通过分析DEC Alpha芯片结构，独创“动态流水线”技术，2006年龙芯2E性能达到了Pentium III水平。

The Pentium III, released in 99, is now considered a retro model internationally, roughly capable of running CS 1.6.

But the fact that they were able to build a product comparable to the Pentium 3 from scratch shows that they have a thorough understanding of the MIPS architecture and the reduced instruction set. MIPS may not be easy to use, but they can use a thicker pen to draw the same fine picture. That's skill.

Loongson has already adopted the 90nm process and is moving towards the Pentium 4.

Moreover, Hu Weiwu had a forward-looking strategic vision. According to the information, he once publicly called for "China to establish its own instruction set" and pointed out in an internal report of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that "ARM licensing is a sugar-coated trap".

Yes, this person is a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was originally established by a very famous person.

Hua Luogeng was one of the first generation of academicians in mathematics in New China.

Chen Xuebing has a painful memory of this name, almost to the point of muscle pain. When he was a child, his father spent a huge sum of 12.5 yuan to buy him the book "Hua Luogeng's Gold Medal Elementary School Mathematics" with great hope. It tormented him for eight years, from first grade to the second year of junior high school, and he still hadn't finished it.

After learning his story, Chen Xuebing harbored resentment towards him: "You're a professor of advanced mathematics, what are you doing publishing elementary school math books?"
How much pain did this book cause him?
When his father passed away, he burned the book immediately.

Looking back now, if that book hadn't forcefully instilled intelligence in him and laid some foundation in calculation and logic, he probably wouldn't understand many things now.

A smile gradually appeared on his face as he pondered.

Institute of Computing Technology—a name that is both familiar and unfamiliar.

The reason for the familiarity was the founder, Hua Luogeng, whom he had never met. Although he was furious with him, this was the kind of scientist he had always admired: promoting academic research and selflessly serving as a stepping stone for others.

The unfamiliarity stemmed from the fact that Liu Chuan, who had traveled a great distance and endured hardships to board his ship, served as the director of the institute for three years. In this period of Lenovo's history, Chen Xuebing saw nothing but the shadow of Western economics.

"Alright, I'll have President Liu contact Hu Weiwu, but he's a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology and has important responsibilities with Loongson. You need to keep looking for people. Don't just focus on domestic candidates; you can also look for international ones. As long as they can be useful, I'll take them even if they're outlaws. You can ask Professor Chen for help in this regard; he can assist. Also, quickly bring back Goto Miki. When selecting candidates, try to identify legal risks. This team is an external team, so we can disregard the risks, but we need to understand their background thoroughly."

Since Hu Weiwu is from the Institute of Computing Technology, and Loongson is also a project of the Institute of Computing Technology, everyone has the same goal, so there shouldn't be much of a problem in reaching a cooperation agreement.

However, Loongson is a key project of the 863 Program, which is the country's highest science and technology strategy. At most, other people's project teams can help with ideas, but they cannot serve them completely.

The specific operations mainly depend on your own team.

Chen Datong of Spreadtrum has shares in a listed chip company in the United States and is currently preparing to launch an international technology investment company. His connections in the international semiconductor industry can definitely be helpful.

Ren Ying hesitated for a moment, but still reminded her, "When bringing in talent, we should think more about compliance, lest we get sued and end up on the watch list too."

Chen Xuebing simply smiled and said, "ARM is British technology, not American technology."

The world order is about to be thrown into chaos.

When the subprime crisis fully erupts, the US, the instigator, will print money and flood the market with liquidity. With the world supporting it, it will be able to withstand the pressure and retain some resources to monitor other areas.

The European gentlemen who are being drained of blood are on their own.

Tech companies worldwide are laying off large numbers of employees, and more tech companies are facing bankruptcy or broken cash flow, urgently needing to monetize their technology patents to survive.

Let alone technology, even key R&D personnel could potentially flow into the market.

Established tech giants are crying out in despair; who would even notice a fledgling company like ARM?

Once the internal controllers of ARM reshuffle the deck and tacitly approve of him, it will be the perfect opportunity for him to manipulate things and run rampant.

"Do as I say, ask whoever needs help, and revise the list for me within three days."

Two days later, at No. 100 Pudong South Road, Minsheng Bank Building.

The spacious and bright office on the 36th floor offers a view of the Shanghai World Financial Center, 200 meters away. Although the top of the building is not yet fully visible under the steel frame, the main structure is already completed, making it appear towering above. Tall red tower cranes carrying steel structures shuttle back and forth in the open space between the two buildings, casting shadows on the 190-meter-high Minsheng Bank Building.

Chen Xuebing stood quietly by the window with his hands behind his back, watching the construction work across the street.

"Mr. Chen, are you interested in Shanghai's tallest building?"

Liu Yonghao brewed some tea, came over, stood next to Chen Xuebing, handed it to him, and smiled.

This young man made a huge splash as soon as he arrived in Shanghai, hosting banquets for the real estate industry and raising $240 million for a trust product. Although there wasn't much news coverage, people in Shanghai's real estate and finance sectors had heard of him. Today, he actually came to his door and mentioned the name of the China Entrepreneurs Club. He received him with a friendly attitude.

However, this person was a bit strange. When he arrived at the Minsheng headquarters, he had his secretary take him around to see everything. When he arrived at his office, he stood by the window and looked at the scenery on his own. This made him feel that this person's intentions were complicated and not as simple as the transit warehouse in Ziyang, Sichuan that Chen Chunhua had mentioned to him.

Chen Xuebing took the teacup with both hands, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I just wanted to borrow Mr. Liu's spot to get a view. Look at the top of this thing, doesn't it look like two military swords supporting a Japanese flag?"

The Shanghai World Financial Center of this day is not a bottle opener; the hole at the top is round, and the two sides are open. Its original design was the "double swords supporting the sun," which caused great controversy.

Liu Yonghao's smile immediately turned sour.

“If they don’t change the design, Shanghai has plenty of ways to deal with them.”

The shadow cast by this thing looks like the Japanese flag, which is unbearable for Chinese people.

Chen Xuebing chuckled and nodded.

I heard that the top design was taken down by my country's all-powerful fire department and forcibly changed into a trapezoid.

Their architectural design concepts are advanced and difficult to find flaws, but as long as the fire department intervenes, there is no building that cannot be sealed off.

"Mr. Liu," Chen Xuebing blew on his tea before speaking formally, "I heard that the shareholdings of Minsheng's circulating shareholders are now exceeding yours?"

Liu Yonghao frowned slightly: "President Chen, don't listen to hearsay."

Chen Xuebing looked at the teacup with a deep smile: "Tomorrow Holdings in Baotou used tractor accounts to buy Minsheng Bank's circulating shares in a scattered manner, and its shareholding ratio exceeded 4.8%, hovering below the disclosure threshold. Even I know about this, you can't be unaware of it, can you?"

(End of this chapter)