Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

The final of the Jiangsu Provincial College Student Entrepreneurship Competition was held in the academic lecture hall of Jinling University.

By nine o'clock in the morning, the hall was already packed.

The first three rows were the judges' seats, with neatly arranged dark blue name tags: academicians and deans from universities in the province, directors from the provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, partners from venture capital institutions, and technical directors from two provincial state-owned enterprises.

There was a solemn atmosphere in the air, unlike any other campus event.

Backstage, Jiang Haoran stood in a corner of the preparation area, silently reciting the key data from his speech for the last time.

He wore a well-fitting dark gray suit today, without a tie, and the top button of his shirt was undone. His eyes behind his glasses were calm, showing little sign of pre-match tension.

Beside him, Li Jiangshan was unusually wearing a white shirt; Zhou Mingyu looked calm as he adjusted the microphone for Jiang Haoran; Bai Xiwei quietly checked the PPT page turner, her fingertips steady.

Wang Qiming, serving as the technical support, was also backstage, repeatedly checking the sample box that would be demonstrated later: three small sections of diamond wire of different diameters were carefully fixed in the black velvet slots, gleaming with a subtle metallic sheen under the light.

"Group 3, Jinling University, 'Kirin Technology - Localization and Intelligent Cutting Solution of Diamond Wire Saw for Photovoltaic Silicon Wafer Cutting,' please prepare."

The staff member's voice came through the crack in the door.

Jiang Haoran took a deep breath and exchanged glances with the three people beside him.

Li Jiangshan nodded vigorously, Zhou Mingyu responded with a calm look, and Bai Xiwei pursed her lips slightly, her eyes focused.

The four walked towards the waiting area.

Through the gap in the curtain, you can see that the project being presented on stage is a campus cultural and creative platform. Several students are dressed fashionably, their PPT is dazzling, and they are talking about the "new ecosystem of social e-commerce for Generation Z".

On the judging panel, several judges who appeared to be scholars nodded slightly, but most of the judges with industry backgrounds remained expressionless.

Ten minutes later, the host announced the program.

Jiang Haoran lifted the curtain and walked onto the stage.

The lights instantly focused, and the sea of ​​heads and countless gazes from below pressed down on them simultaneously.

He walked to the center of the stage and bowed slightly towards the judges' panel.

"Good morning/afternoon, esteemed judges. I am Jiang Haoran, a senior majoring in finance at Jinling University, and the founder of Kylin Technology."

The sound was transmitted clearly and steadily throughout the venue through the microphone.

The giant screen behind him lit up, and the first page of the PPT had no fancy animations, only a line of bold text: "Domesticization and Intelligent Cutting Solution of Diamond Wire Saw for Photovoltaic Silicon Wafer Cutting", followed by a simple subtitle: "Breaking the Foreign Monopoly and Helping to Reduce Costs in Photovoltaics".

The second page directly addresses the core pain points.

Currently, my country relies on imports for over 90% of the high-end diamond wire saws used for cutting photovoltaic silicon wafers.

Jiang Haoran turned to the side, the red dot of the laser pointer landing on the key data in the chart. "Imported products are not only expensive, but their cost per kilometer is three to five times that of ordinary domestic products. More importantly, their supply cycle is long, and their technological iteration is subject to others."

He switched pages, which displayed a complex supply chain diagram.

"Diamond wire saws directly determine the cutting quality, yield, and thickness of silicon wafers. They are the bottleneck that hinders the entire photovoltaic industry from reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and from developing thinner and larger wafers."

There was a slight commotion in the audience. Several judges who had seemed somewhat tired sat up straight.

Jiang Haoran continued, speaking at a measured pace: "Our solution has two levels."

The screen then switched to a technology roadmap: "First, breakthroughs in materials and processes. Through independently developed composite coating technology and precision wire diameter control algorithms, we have achieved uniform distribution of diamond particles and wire diameter fluctuations within ±0.2 micrometers. This indicator has reached the international first-class level."

He gestured to Wang Qiming.

Wang Qiming stepped forward and handed the sample box to the nearest staff member, who then passed it to the judges' panel.

Several judges with technical backgrounds immediately put on their glasses, picked up the thin wires from the box, and examined them carefully against the light.

"Second, intelligent cutting integration."

The PPT presentation showed the equipment schematics and workflow diagrams. "We have embedded adaptive control algorithms into the cutting equipment to adjust the tension, speed, and cooling parameters in real time according to the silicon rod material and diameter. The goal is to reduce silicon wafer warpage by 30% and increase the wafer yield by 5 percentage points."

The defense session has begun.

The first person to ask a question was the deputy director of the Equipment Industry Division of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, a woman in her forties with a serious face.

"Jiang, regarding the 0.2-micron fluctuation in wire diameter you mentioned, is this data from the lab or stable mass production? Also, in the cost calculation, what is the progress of domestic substitution for the core micronized coating raw materials?"

The questions are sharp and get to the heart of the matter.

Jiang Haoran replied without hesitation, "Thank you for the question, teacher. 0.2 micrometers is the average value of our current pilot production line's data from ten consecutive batches, each batch spanning 5 kilometers. To achieve stable mass production, we still need to further optimize the fluid uniformity in the scaled-up electroplating tank; this is our key focus for the next stage."

"Regarding micronized raw materials, we have established a joint development mechanism with two leading domestic micro-nano materials companies. Currently, the key indicators of our laboratory samples have reached 92% of those of imported products, and we expect to complete pilot-scale verification within six months."

The answer was well-organized and supported by solid data.

Following this, a partner from a venture capital firm asked, "Marketing strategy? How do you get major photovoltaic manufacturers who have long relied on imported products to switch their trust to your student team's products?"

"We'll take a two-step approach." Jiang Haoran adjusted his posture slightly and faced the questioner more directly. "The first step is to use our 'cost advantage + rapid response' to penetrate the market of price-sensitive small and medium-sized silicon wafer manufacturers, and build a reputation and a database of practical application data."

"The second step is to conduct targeted joint development with one or two leading manufacturers who are willing to upgrade their technology, and let the actual cutting data and cost reduction effects speak for themselves. We have already reached preliminary testing agreements with two medium-sized silicon wafer companies in the province."

He paused, raised his voice slightly, and scanned the room: "We know very well that building trust is not something that can be done overnight. It requires repeated verification of excellent products and for us to demonstrate solid technical capabilities that can withstand any scrutiny."

"But we believe even more strongly that in the photovoltaic industry, which is highly market-driven and extremely sensitive to costs, it is an inevitable industry trend that our products will gain an advantage in core performance and price."

These words go beyond simply showcasing technical parameters or explaining business models; they clearly outline a vision and confidence that stands at the forefront of industrial transformation.

In the center of the judges' panel, a middle-aged man in a dark suit with a composed demeanor had been listening silently without uttering a word.

At that moment, his sharp and deep eyes lingered on Jiang Haoran for a few more seconds. The name tag on the table in front of him was simple yet weighty: "Suzhou Securities Regulatory Bureau, Bai Jingming".