The meeting had already ended. The bosses of the various companies gathered around Fu Daobin to ask about the upcoming construction plans. Things were currently at an awkward stage—Hua Nation was about to celebrate the New Year.
"These bastards clearly don't want us to have a good New Year. Pulling this stunt at a time like this, they're trying to grind us into the dirt!" someone in the crowd suddenly lamented, prompting everyone else to start cursing as well.
"They obviously calculated this in advance! Doing this right before the holidays was absolutely deliberate!"
"If you ask me, we should strike back at those inhuman bastards! Otherwise, I can't swallow this anger!"
"Strike back? How could it be that easy? If we had the ability to retaliate now, would we have ended up like this? Brother Gao's factory had just ordered an EUV from AS Company, but now they refused to ship it. They unilaterally breached the contract and didn't even return the deposit!"
"What a bunch of bandits!"
Everyone had initially been delighted that the authorities were supporting them, but now, thinking about how they would continue to be suppressed by these foreign companies, an inexplicable rage flared inside them with nowhere to go.
They knew that if their technology lagged behind, they would always be at others' mercy. This was only the first time their production materials had been cut off. What about the second time? The third?
Would they eventually become numb to it?
Just as everyone was feeling stifled, they heard Luo Yao's firm voice. "The technologies we lack now will all be ours in the future."
When everyone looked at him, they recognized him as that brilliant young man from Huaji. Quite a few of them had dealt with Luo Yao at their own factories and had witnessed what he was capable of.
"Young man, you're right, but who knows how long we'll have to wait!"
"Brother, you really are smart, but the technological gap between us is simply too huge. It'll be too difficult for us to catch up!"
"We started twenty years later than they did. Catching up won't be easy!"
"Sigh, if possible, I really want to see the day we can independently manufacture lithography machines. I just don't know whether we'll ever get the chance!"
"Brother, me too. I just don't know whether I'll live to see that day."
Everyone felt increasingly aggrieved.
They wanted to work hard to catch up, yet lacked the strength to do so. And now their materials and equipment were being cut off. It was fucking humiliating!
For once, Luo Yao remained silent.
His extraordinarily high intelligence told him that trying to reason with them now would be pointless.
They already had a fixed impression in their minds: Hua Nation's technology was not good enough to stand on the world stage.
If he told them now that they would soon have lithography machines, they would surely think he was insane.
The only solution was for the authorities to produce something tangible.
After the meeting, Fu Daobin saw Luo Yao's slightly furrowed brow, and his heart skipped a beat. Is he about to unleash another big move?
Sure enough, the next second, he saw Luo Yao walking over.
"If everyone merely maintains the status quo, the domestic chip industry won't see any major changes."
Fu Daobin actually enjoyed talking with Luo Yao. Although Luo Yao was sometimes a little lacking in emotional intelligence, the ideas he occasionally threw out often inspired new thoughts in Fu Daobin.
"Why? We now have the two most critical technologies, and with our existing technical teams supporting us, we'll soon break through their encirclement. Doesn't that count as a major change?" Fu Daobin asked curiously, waiting for Luo Yao to continue.
"It's simple. We have the tools now, but we don't know how to use them. It's like a child carrying an MG4 machine gun. It looks imposing, but its actual destructive power is minimal!"
"Because a child's understanding of guns is limited to the toy pistols he has encountered. He doesn't know what else a gun can be used for, much less consider how to use the gun in his hands to gain the greatest benefit."
Comparing the veterans of the semiconductor industry to children?
Luo Yao's analogy was truly brutal.
But...
Fu Daobin did not refute Luo Yao. Instead, he followed Luo Yao's line of thought and gradually grasped the key issue.
"You mean we lack the ability to compete with other high-end chips."
Luo Yao nodded in satisfaction. Fu Daobin isn't too stupid. Communicating with him saves effort!
"The products we sell are all labeled 'good quality and low price.' Over time, factories follow that path as well."
"Because that path requires neither effort nor thought. All you need is manpower and machinery. The upfront costs are low, and large sales volumes can still bring in substantial profits."
Luo Yao disliked anything that did not require thought, but in this case, he felt it was understandable.
When the entire environment lagged behind others, everyone's only way to make a living was to take a path that others disdained.
It was just like his parents. At first, in order to support him and Luo Zhu, they could only borrow money and force themselves to open a restaurant.
His father was not good at cooking, but he still helped his mother as an assistant because the couple knew that if they did not keep the restaurant running, the whole family would be left starving.
"What we need to fight is a protracted war, not merely a brief escape from others' blockade."
"If we don't change our mindset, then even with Pangu EDA and lithography machines, our chip ecosystem will remain the same as before."
"The greatest change might only be that we can manufacture chips without being controlled by others."
"But the high-end market will always belong to others, and we will never shake off the label of 'good quality and low price.'"
"Perhaps you think there's nothing wrong with 'good quality and low price,' but what if we encounter a price war?"
A price war?
Fu Daobin's expression changed slightly. He stared at Luo Yao and asked, "Then what measures do we have to break through?"
"It's simple. It can be summed up in twelve words."
"What others lack, we have. What others have, we do better. What others do better, we innovate."
"To explain in greater detail, we need to identify the differences between us and others, then break them down."
"First, support the chip design industry, especially quantum and AI fields where foreign companies are relatively weak. In these two areas, everyone is more or less at the same starting line, so we can increase our support."
"Second, promote the completion of the semiconductor industry chain. What foreign countries have failed to accomplish, we must accomplish. In the current chip industry, everyone works separately. If one link goes wrong, both the upstream and downstream links will be affected. If we have a complete semiconductor industry chain, things will be vastly different."
"Third, expand into digital device sectors such as smartphones, new-energy vehicles, and smart home equipment. Chip manufacturing should be more diversified instead of focusing on only one line of business. Once demand in a particular sector peaks, it will be too late to expand into other fields."
"Fourth, improve compensation for technical talent and cultivate a large number of local professionals."
"Only by doing these four things well can we shake off the label of 'good quality and low price.'"
After Luo Yao finished in one breath, Fu Daobin carefully wrote everything down beside him, then reported it to his superiors.
After receiving the information and seeing that Fu Daobin had written at the end that the proposal came from Luo Yao and hoped it would be considered, the leaders quickly reported it upward through the ranks.
The news reached the capital. Led by the technology group, leaders and experts from the economic group and development and reform group were gathered to discuss Luo Yao's proposal.
"This proposal is excellent. If it can be completed, we really can break through our predicament and embark on the path of high-end manufacturing."
"The designer of this proposal clearly wants to turn technology that can be used to choke us into a trump card!"
"To be honest, this is very similar to what the leader said last time!"
"Really? What kind of genius guessed the leader's thinking?"
"The designer? He's the young man who designed Pangu EDA."
"No way, isn't he only sixteen?"
"He may only be sixteen, but his IQ is over two hundred! We absolutely must not underestimate him."
"Now that you mention it, I want him to come work in our group."
"Forget it. He joined Huaji in the first place because Huaji could provide the research conditions he wanted. Do you think he'd be willing to sit in an office every day like you?"
With Luo Yao's proposal, the meeting progressed very quickly. After the experts added their suggestions, the technology group directly submitted it to the Refined Man.
The Refined Man grew happier the more he read the proposal. In the end, he nodded and praised, "Clearing thorns and brambles, our generation will tirelessly seek the way! Vermilion Bird is not only intelligent, but also possesses a broad vision. This child is worth cultivating well!"
"You're right. Ever since Vermilion Bird appeared, the members of our chip team have gotten along much better. They no longer argue every day, and they're cheerful all the time."
The Refined Man smiled. "Now that everyone has a goal to strive for, what is there to argue about?"
"Have you heard the saying, 'Poor couples grieve over every little thing'? When a couple's life isn't going smoothly, they inevitably find everything irritating. If it's like that for a married couple, how much more so for a team?"
"While we have this momentum, let's increase our investment! We must forge a path of our own."
"Yes!"
The next day.
Fu Daobin was discussing lithography machines with Luo Yao when his phone suddenly rang.
After seeing the caller, he immediately paused his conversation with Luo Yao and ran outside to answer it. Once he hung up, he returned to find Luo Yao and said, "The higher-ups have confirmed a partnership with Huaji. They plan to establish our own chip foundry."
"A foundry that includes wafer production, chip fabrication, and packaging and testing?" Luo Yao looked at Fu Daobin, anticipation rising in his heart.
If they partnered with the authorities, it would definitely become Hua Nation's largest chip manufacturing plant!
If possible, it could even replace a foundry like Shuijidian, which had questionable loyalties.
"You guessed correctly. The foundry we're building this time will indeed cover the entire chip manufacturing process."
"This can be seen from foreign chip manufacturers. Since the manufacturing requirements for every stage of chip production are extremely demanding, no one has been able to handle all of them so far."
"But with the Pangu EDA software and lithography technology you provided, we can make up for the shortcomings in our chip production line."
"Therefore, compared with others, we have the strength to build a chip manufacturing plant that covers the entire industrial chain!"
Anticipation appeared in Luo Yao's eyes. He asked, "Has the location been selected?"
Fu Daobin suddenly seemed reluctant to speak.
Before you continue