Reborn in 2010, the AI ​​in my mind is too powerful.

Gao Dewei smiled and said, "Good news. According to our current testing situation, the fourth round of training will take five or six days, and after finalizing some test cases, it will be about ten days. So, in about three weeks, we will be able to produce a complete internal test report. It can cover four different scale chip designs, the kind that can be directly shown to customers."

"So, in three weeks, we can find suitable clients and start some initial practical testing?"

"Pretty much. We'll need to find several companies to collaborate with. The actual design is much more complex, with more macrocells, tighter constraints, and more intricate processes. As for time, if you can help out on time yourself, it might be a bit faster?"

Chen Yiran ignored Gao Dewei's teasing and instead thought about the date.

The US Semiconductor Show is starting in two weeks, and many design companies will still be attending.

If we can work hard for two weeks and produce something, we can bring the test data to the US Semiconductor Show. We don't need the full version; data from one or two test cases will suffice for now.

"Old Gao, let's put in a little effort. If we can finish the work before the US Semiconductor Show, I won't have to go empty-handed. Although it won't necessarily involve renting a booth, then when I meet people from SMIC again, we'll have something substantial to discuss. Besides, Hot Chips opens two weeks after the US Semiconductor Show, which is something we absolutely must fight for."

"Two weeks? The server can't be shut down. Someone has to be on it all the time to fix all sorts of problems. At the very least, Lin Zhiwei and Amit have to take turns working, and Zhang Minghui's backend adaptation pipeline has to keep up too. Well, it's good that it'll be in time for the US Semiconductor Show. We can contact a few small companies then and do some testing together."

"Okay, I'll give everyone bonuses later. Let's all tighten our belts for the next two weeks."

"Okay, you can notify them."

Overtime is extremely common in Silicon Valley. After all, the United States is not like Germany, where working overtime is a crime; it has a relatively well-established overtime system.

Generally, if you work more than 8 hours a day, you should be paid 1.5 times the normal rate. If you work more than 40 hours a week, you should also be paid 1.5 times the normal rate. Also, if you work 7 consecutive days, regardless of how many hours you worked in the week, the seventh day will be paid 1.5 times the normal rate.

Of course, such tedious calculations are very detrimental to the development of startups.

Therefore, the United States also has various exemptions for employees, generally those who receive an annual salary and meet certain conditions, and who are not paid overtime.

In California, for example, if a tech company meets the requirements, the relevant employees are exempt computer professionals.

Of course, there are some conditions. First, the hourly wage must not be less than $38, which translates to a regular annual salary of around $8.

The main job duties are limited to software and hardware design, analysis, development, and testing. These are described as highly intellectual, continuous tasks requiring independent judgment.

Therefore, in Chen Yiran's FlowEDA, only Catherine, who does odd jobs, needs overtime pay; everyone else can be used to their fullest extent.

Of course, pushing employees to the brink is a low-level tactic, usually only the worst companies do that. They typically talk to employees about their entrepreneurial journey, claiming that receiving equity is their compensation.

A more normal company won't pay extra, but it will provide various benefits, such as a high-quality office environment, free and delicious meals and snacks, and various relaxation facilities in the office. They will even put up beds in the lounge and hold parties to try to keep employees in the company.

This is what Facebook and Google did in their early days. They basically made employees treat the company like home. If employees were willing, they didn't even need to rent a house, as the company provided meals and accommodation.

The most humane companies are those that have become successful, like Facebook and Google. They don't pay overtime, but they offer project bonuses and all sorts of benefits.

Of course, besides these three, there are also companies like Foxconn's US branch, which strictly adhere to corporate culture, treat people like animals, and don't even offer empty promises.

After all, Foxconn can provide three different types of employee meals even when holding a meeting in China. Apple's outbound employees get fancy boxed lunches, Foxconn's American employees get an apple, but Foxconn's Chinese employees don't even get half a steamed bun. (Real case)

Chen Yiran still had some sense of shame, and besides, he wasn't short of money.

He then pulled everyone into the hall and began to encourage them. He first wrote 1.05 on a small board, and then began his leadership speech.

"Latest results for our layout engine. The best publicly available score in the industry is 1.12, while ours is 1.05. Using our technology to make chips can reduce the chip area by 5% to 7% compared to the most powerful commercial products currently available. This can save chip companies tens of millions of dollars a year."

It's fair to say our first phase was quite successful. The next two weeks will be a sprint to complete all the remaining test cases. Time is money, life, and opportunity. In two weeks, I'll be going to the US Semiconductor Show, and I need to have something truly impressive to show our future customers, so they can cooperate with us in the next stage of real-world design testing.

Amit stood up immediately in response, patted Lin Zhiwei on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's schedule the server timetable."

Others responded in kind. Of course, there were many C++ employees here, but in reality, there weren't many opportunities to work overtime. At most, one person would be sent to sleep at the company to be on duty each day.

Han Yu, a new employee who had only been with the company for a week, was already recognized as a seasoned foodie. She started by compiling a list of dishes everyone wanted to eat, aiming to filter for takeout restaurants, though ultimately, she would most likely choose Chinese food.

After all, every vote ends up with Chinese and Indian food competing, but because there are 8 Chinese people in the company and Catherine also supports Chinese food, the 3 Indians have lost every time they vote, and now their tastes are even becoming a bit more Chinese.

Zhang Minghui pulled Zhou Tianyou to squat in front of the whiteboard and prioritized the four test cases according to their design scale and macrocell density.

ISPD 2006 consisted of eight designs. Adaptec 1 had already been completed. Of the remaining seven, three of the most representative ones had to be selected. The four projects were divided into two groups, A and B, on paper. Group A was the main focus, and Group B was the backup.

Within ten minutes, everyone had arranged their own tasks, demonstrating maximum initiative.

Chen Yiran whispered to Gao Dewei, "Look, look, it seems like we don't need to do this. I'd better go back home and work from home."

Gao Dewei rolled his eyes at him and said, "Are you working from home? Working from home means you can wait two days to reply to messages. Sigh, fine, you can go back now. I'll keep an eye on things here, but if there are any problems, we'll call you directly so you don't miss your messages."

"Okay, I'll give you a bigger bonus later."

Chen Yiran planned to linger at his workplace for another half hour before heading home, but plans don't always go as expected. Just as his lunch delivery arrived, he received a call from Hannah.

There's a bug on the preserved egg.

"Huh, what kind of bug?"

"I don't know. It was small, round, and embedded in his skin. I felt it behind his ear. I looked it up and it seems to be a tick. I did apply insect repellent to him."

Chen Yiran breathed a sigh of relief. Ticks weren't a big problem; even a child like Pidan had been bitten by them in his past life.

These nasty bugs are disgusting. Unlike fleas or other small insects, they don't just get on your body, get poisoned, and fall off.

He's got it in his mouth, and even if he dies, it might not fall off.

"Is that bug still alive?"

"I don't know, and I'm too scared to touch it. It seems to be stopping. You should come back quickly and take Pidan there to get checked out."

Chen Yiran knew that Hannah wouldn't dare say the word "pet hospital." Pidan was incredibly timid; hearing that word would definitely make her tremble. Now that he wasn't around, she might very well wet herself in fear.

"Okay, I'll be right back."