Reborn Tycoon Rise

"Invite me to join Midea?" Although he already had this guess, after hearing Xu Zhi say it himself, Zhang Zhongmou still smiled and asked: "There are so many talents in the semiconductor industry, why me?"

Xu Zhi said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang can hold the position of vice president in a large American technology company like Texas Instruments, so he has outstanding abilities. Why wouldn't I choose such a person?

Not to mention, we are both Chinese, and communication is easy. We want to build a factory in Asia, and a professional manager who understands Asian culture is more in line with my requirements. "

Zhang Zhongmou asked: "Are you in Xiangjiang?"

"No, I plan to build a factory in Wanwan." Xu Zhi said: "Although Hong Kong has many factories, it is basically a cultural desert in the high-tech field. The Hong Kong government is not very interested in cultivating scientific and technological talents, not to mention the land price. It is expensive and industrial water is difficult to use. Wanwan is relatively more suitable, and its population and scientific and technological strength are much stronger than Xiangjiang."

Although Midea has invested in an LCD manufacturing factory in Xiangjiang, laptop computers, which are currently the largest consumers of LCD screens, have not yet been born. The main markets for LCDs are still electronic watches, calculators, and small game consoles. Although these products are large in volume, they are The screen is too small. At present, major technology companies in the world have seen the future development prospects of LCD screens and are increasing research and development. However, as far as the factory itself is concerned, it is still far behind the large factories of later generations.

Xu Zhi has already brought an LCD factory to Xiangjiang, and it is currently doing well. If the technology develops smoothly in the future, it will expand on a large scale.

Strictly speaking, LCD manufacturing also belongs to the semiconductor industry, but unlike chips, LCD is more about economic benefits. Even if Hong Kong returns in the future, the LCD industry will not suffer too much political interference, but chips are different. This is a global Europe and the United States will inevitably have strict control over this technology, which will be the core of science and technology for countless years to come. Xiangjiang is close to the mainland and will also return, so it will be rejected by the West.

Wanwan does not have these problems. Many areas are rich in fresh water resources, not to mention that the talent pool is ten times better than that in Xiangjiang, and it will suffer much less political interference in the future.

Zhang Zhongmou nodded and said: "Wanwan National University has indeed trained a lot of scientific and technological talents over the years, and currently among the Chinese in the United States, most of those engaged in the semiconductor industry are from Wanwan. It is indeed worthwhile to build this factory in Wanwan. It’s a good choice.”

Xu Zhi smiled and said: "So, Mr. Zhang agrees?"

Zhang Zhongmou smiled and said: "How big is Mr. Xu's factory? How much is the investment?"

Xu Zhidao: "Currently, a complete 3-inch wafer production line costs about US$10 million. However, this is a new production line. It is much cheaper if it is second-hand. I plan to invest US$50 million in Wanwan and buy two second-hand production lines first. , as long as the start-up and yield rate are in place, and workers and technicians can support subsequent development, two 3-inch production lines and even the most advanced 4-inch production line in the world will be introduced in the future."

"Isn't this far beyond the needs of beauty itself?" Zhang Zhongmou is a professional, so he naturally understands the issue of quantity.

Xu Zhi nodded and said: "Midea does not need so many chips at present, but it may not be possible in the future, and the fundamental purpose of establishing this factory is to accept orders from outside."

"External orders?" Zhang Zhongmou frowned and said, "Mr. Xu, the chip market has begun to be saturated, and Japanese companies are desperately expanding production capacity. At this time, most of their American counterparts are suffering from serious losses. How can there be orders for you?"

"Just because they are losing money is our opportunity!" Xu Zhidao: "The loss is caused by the low efficiency of their own factories. But as long as the cost of our factory in Wanwan is low enough, some semiconductor companies in the United States can concentrate on We will do all the research and development of chips and leave the production to us, so why worry about not having orders?”

This is the case for many technology companies in later generations, because the cost of investing in wafer factories is too high, and the subsequent operating rate must be sufficient, otherwise continued investment will be faster than driving a truck to pour dollars into the sea.

After years of competition among large-scale wafer foundries, the only ones that can survive in the 21st century are TSMC and Samsung.

In most fields around the world, R\u0026D has a detached status and is far more important than production. However, the chip industry is different. The technical content of production is much higher than that of R\u0026D. In the future, there will be many companies in the mainland that can develop chips, but no one can produce them in large quantities at low cost. This is also the tragedy of chips being stuck in the neck. The annual import of chips exceeds the value of oil imports.

However, the current era is completely different. Investment in wafers is not too expensive. As long as you enter this industry now, slowly train a large number of employees, and form your own production technology accumulation, you can gain an advantage in future competition.

"This method is indeed possible in theory. Like some OEMs in the home appliance industry, one factory accepts orders from different brands. The future possibilities are indeed unclear, but once successful, it will definitely be able to rewrite the semiconductor industry pattern." Zhang Zhongmou nodded and said .

Xu Zhi nodded and said: "So I hope a professional will be responsible for this project, and Mr. Zhang is the best candidate."

Zhang Zhongmou said: "What price is Mr. Xu willing to pay to get me to leave Texas Instruments?"

"Signing bonus of US$3 million, annual salary of US$1 million." Xu Zhi replied. The signing bonus is a one-time payment, but it must also come with many conditions, and you cannot leave your job for at least a few years.

Zhang Zhongmou smiled and said: "Mr. Xu, this salary is attractive, but it doesn't mean much to me."

"What does Mr. Zhang want?" Xu Zhi asked. In fact, he also understood that for people like Zhang Zhongmou, career itself is more important than salary. How could he be ranked third in a top Fortune 500 company like Texas Instruments? Attracted by some dollars.

"I want shares!" Zhang Zhongmou replied.

"It's not that I'm stingy." Xu Zhi explained: "This factory doesn't just exist for Midea. I have separate thoughts about it. It is unlikely to be profitable for a long time in the future. Now I’m afraid giving Mr. Zhang shares is not a benefit?”

"Not profitable? What does Mr. Xu mean?" Zhang Zhongmou didn't quite understand.

Xu Zhi said with a smile: "The semiconductor industry is extremely cyclical, and prices fluctuate greatly. When you make money, you can make a lot of money, but when you lose money, you lose all your money. It can be described by the words "the leftovers are king," but I think To persevere, you need a lot of long-term investment. Even though Japan’s semiconductor companies are booming now, they suffered serious losses in the beginning. Mr. Zhang’s request for shares now may not be a good idea.”