Reinventing the Millennium

Fang Zhuo lingered in Bingxin, initially listening to everyone's opinions on the next development. By the way, he also visited Yuhu Road, which seemed to change every time he came to Luzhou.

This road has a tendency to become a legend in the industry because of its original origin, and the concentration of its own industrial chain has also given it the nicknames "Chip Road" and "Ice Core Road".

To the west of Yuhu Road is the artificial lake built by Luzhou, and to the south is the entrance to the rerouted highway, which facilitates the logistics and transportation of semiconductor companies in this area.

Fang Zhuo's visit to Luzhou was impromptu and extremely low-key. However, when he showed up in the corporate park next door, he was naturally noticed by the provincial and municipal leaders and was immediately invited to meet him.

He was not surprised by this. Logically speaking, it was not necessary to have a heart-to-heart talk with the leader every time he came over, but he could understand it. After all, the development of Bingxin was too strong.

Before taking the bus, Fang Zhuo asked his assistant. He had been asked to sort out the latest technical information on the ice core.

"Ah, Mr. Fang, there are only four thousand words now. This, this..." The assistant was very embarrassed. He received a request of 10,000 words. However, the front and rear gate plans and subsequent prospects involved in Bingxin this time were too much. The truth is the global frontier.

Fang Zhuo said gently: "It's okay. Let's talk in general. It will only be reviewed by a few leaders. Four thousand words is also great."

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief and was very grateful to the boss for his tolerance.

However, Fang Zhuo did not expect that he would not use much information during this trip, but would instead see an old friend.

It's probably not appropriate to call him an old friend, because the number of times he's met in the past few years is actually very few, so it's more appropriate to call him the old leader - the old leader who pulled Fang Zhuo to stop on the road and pay for it.

Last year, he had reached his age and had to take a back seat. This time he took the opportunity to investigate environmental protection and came to have a look. It just so happened that Fang Zhuo was currently in Luzhou.

After a brief exchange of greetings, the old leader became concerned about the development of Bingxin and asked directly: "Mr. Fang, I heard that Bingxin has encountered difficulties recently?"

"Who said that?" Fang Zhuo laughed.

"I heard it from outside. I don't know if it's true or not. Generally speaking, ice cores often encounter difficulties, so I don't know how difficult it is this time. I just happened to meet you today." The leader is still talkative.

This "outside talk" is actually a recent report from foreign media, which talked about the difficulties in the development of ice core at 28nm. It was considered half-truth and half-false before.

As a wafer foundry company, Ice Core needs to disclose information to customers.

Of course, the most important reason for these news is Fang Zhuo's instruction and promotion, which is one of the measures to deal with off-site factors.

Bing Xin is just big, not that much muscle!

Although Bing Xin has muscles, they are all developed in the gym and are dead muscles!

Regardless of whether it works or not, it is still part of the three-dimensional defense.

"There is no such thing as smooth R\u0026D. The biggest problem of ice core has always been external problems, while internal R\u0026D is a minor problem." Fang Zhuo gave an accurate response with a smile, "We are more wary of the outside world."

The old leader nodded and sighed: "You still need to be tough to make iron."

Fang Zhuo talked about some real situations he encountered during his trip to the United States.

There is no more accurate perception than what he, the leader, has seen and heard in the United States.

The old leader listened attentively and his face gradually became serious. He waited until Mr. Fang came to an end and then said: "When I return to the capital, I will talk to Lao Zhang."

Fang Zhuo naturally knew who the old leader was referring to. He had gone to the capital to find this person before about SMIC. He had been working in Anhui Province at the time when Bingxin was starting, and he had always been concerned about it.

"We are just trying to be tough on ourselves now. No matter what, we are still optimistic about the final result." Fang Zhuo briefly talked about ice core's research on 28nm technical issues.

As he said before, talking to leaders about these things can only be done in general terms.

Fang Zhuo's section ended quickly, but the situation had been conveyed in place.

The chat between the two turned to something more relaxed.

Fang Zhuo took two sips of tea and said, "I was chatting with Qiu Ciyun in the factory two days ago. I mentioned the old leader, which is a pity."

The old leader asked: "What are you regretting?"

"It's a pity that you haven't received the tax for our ice core after all. It's still two years away." Fang Zhuo said with a smile.

The old leader laughed. In order for the ice core to be implemented, he called out the condition of ten years of tax exemption. This condition will not end until 2013.

He pondered for a moment: "Back then, no matter how much I dared to think, I just hoped to become the 'SMIC 2', no, it might be the 'SMIC 3'. I never expected to see such an ice core. .”

The old leader mentioned the preparatory plan before the ice core was launched: "I still think about your 'ice drink plan' as if it was yesterday. After ten years of drinking ice, the ice core is really almost ten years old."

"We are constantly getting new blood joining us, and we are constantly being driven by technology and capital. This rush of blood will never cool down." Fang Zhuo replied.

The old leader nodded, feeling that time was both slow and fast.

He took a sip of tea, couldn't help but stand up and walked two steps in the office, and suddenly asked: "If you calculate it this way, is it close to the most advanced level in the world?"

"It's not as close as I thought." Fang Zhuoxian answered, and then seeing the old leader's expression, he added, "But it might be closer than I thought."

The old leader was a little dumbfounded and asked bluntly: "When will the ice core manufacturing process be comparable to that of Tai Ji?"

"Old leaders, we are concerned about the overall driving role of ice core in the mainland industry chain. We need to face complex and changeable situations, and we need to accumulate talents and technology." Fang Zhuo said very steadily.

The old leader nodded slightly and sat back. This is the reason.

"But it's about whether we can compete for a while." Fang Zhuo slowly changed the subject, "Maybe, maybe we can give it a try when we pay taxes."

"Mr. Fang, if you say that, then I really expect you to pay taxes." The old leader smiled and said that the sword of Bingxin has been sharpened for ten years, so it is really possible to see it reach its peak.

Fang Zhuo smiled slightly, and his recent anxiety due to Dr. Liang's verification had calmed down.

He finally talked about Liang Mengsong, a new academician, and the "Ice Core Award" that Bingxin will soon establish for mainland semiconductors.

In view of the salary donation proposed by Liang Mengsong, Fang Zhuo thought about it and decided that there was no need to include it in the scholarship, but to set up a separate award in the name of Bing Xin.

Dr. Liang is not short of money, but he still needs more reputation.

After Fang Zhuo finished reminiscing with the old leader, he talked with the provincial leaders about the technical situation of ice cores. Just as the old leader had heard, some rumors about ice core technical issues had also been noticed locally.

Because it involves technical fields, the province also has expert consultants who understand technology to listen.

However, when I heard this, I felt like my forehead was sweating a little.

"Didn't you say that Mr. Fang doesn't understand technology? He sounds quite professional." After bidding farewell to Mr. Fang, the leader heard the technical consultant's comments and was quite puzzled.

"Maybe it's the influence of the master..." Experts can only look at the technological disputes from the global frontier this way.

In this global industry, there are only five fingers involved in the specific technology of 28nm. Looking at the research and development progress, ice core is already enough to match its size.

And, there is Liang Mengsong, whose list has just been announced and has been successfully co-opted as an academician. His talent has fully blossomed in the ice core.

When the experts heard this, they felt as if they were very far away from technology.

After Fang Zhuo finished his meeting with the provincial and municipal leaders, he planned to visit the brother companies on Yuhu Road before returning to Shanghai. He also had to take time to go to the capital for the technical report.

External media, including IDC and other institutions, are talking about the technical difficulties of ice cores, but internally, at least the top management must be aware of the situation to avoid further complications.

Fang Zhuo focused on chatting with packaging companies such as Changdian about changes in the industry.

In the third quarter of this year, Taiji announced its entry into the field of advanced packaging, which attracted attention.

As a part of the semiconductor industry chain, whether Ice Core will take action in this field has also been subject to speculation recently.

Packaging is a downstream link, and technological progress has always been quite slow, and profits have been diluted. Basically, it follows the route of small profits but quick turnover. Theoretically speaking, the labor costs of foundries such as Taiji and Bingxin are higher, so it is not It is easy to compete with packaging factories on price.

However, Tai Ji is said to be very determined and energetic.

Although there is no such trend in ice cores now, there is a factor that is circulating in the industry and is also widely recognized.

If you want to talk about ice core, you can't just talk about ice core. You need to look at Yike, its department, and Mr. Fang's style of doing things.

Yike designs and manufactures ice cores. Both upstream and midstream have developed, and it seems natural to take over the downstream.

This year, just after Mr. Fang rated the most successful CEO on Twitter, he was also rated as the most successful CEO in China. One of the reasons has spread widely.

Yike and Bingxin are two examples of two companies that use their industry status to exert influence.

Will Bing Xin change from buddies to rivals?

"Ice core will not enter packaging." Fang Zhuo gave a clear answer when inviting people like Changdian.

However, perhaps due to the impact of deeds outside of semiconductors, everyone's response was not too enthusiastic.

"But we should pay attention to the technological development in this area." Fang Zhuo reminded, "Taiwan has its reasons. The specific effects of their technical routes are not clear. However, the cost-effectiveness of process upgrades is increasingly an issue. I know Samsung’s packaging is very good.”

Bingxin has a cooperation framework with Samsung and other Taiwanese players, and the technological trends in this area can be spread.

Taiwan Journal now claims to have developed a CoWoS technology that puts logic chips and DRAM on a silicon interposer and then packages them on a substrate, but it is not clear what the real effect will be.

As for Samsung, it is developing PoP packaging technology that stacks memory chips directly on top of the SoC, which can reduce the chip area and release more space.

The results of these two companies are not yet completely certain, but it can be seen where the trend of the industry is going.

"Mr. Fang, ASE is not optimistic about Taiwan Journal's choice. It may not be the right choice." Wang Xinchao, the head of Changdian Electronics, came here specially.

"How much is ASE's R\u0026D expense? How much is Taiwan's R\u0026D expense? Ice Core really has no intention of getting involved in packaging, but we are willing to work with you on R\u0026D and strengthen cooperation in technology advancement." Fang Zhuo mentioned Ice Core's Strategy.

Ice core is to drive the industrial chain, whether it is a wafer alliance or a lead investment, it is the purpose of creating a large pool.

Taking a step back, if the ice core encounters interference, the technology in other aspects will not be implicated, and there will be more room for maneuver.

Wang Xinchao smiled and said: "Mr. Fang, are you going to bring us forward together? Hey, the CoWoS from Taiwan Journal and their Yu Zhenhua, listening to his overview, this technology can only be used by a very small number of specific high-end products. If used, the impact will be limited.”

"Mr. Wang, technology is always decentralized step by step. If you, Changdian, don't have this intention, you don't have the motivation to do it." Fang Zhuo sighed, "It's really hard to say how competitive we will be in the future."

Changdian Electronics has developed very well in China, driven by SMIC and Bingxin.

"We are just a little better this year." Wang Xinchao was a little embarrassed.

"Use subsidiaries to promote it. If the progress can be made, that's a good thing." Fang Zhuo gave a notification-like suggestion.

Wang Xinchao asked: "What if the progress is not as good as expected?"

"That proves that relying on subsidiaries to promote technology is really not suitable. We can only let Bingxin learn from Taiji and Samsung." Fang Zhuo said helplessly, "It won't be a bad thing for Changdian by then. You can at least get A breakup fee.”

Shares in subsidiaries will have a certain value.

But that means that Changdian may lose Bingxin, a major customer, and gain a major competitor.

Wang Xinchao has a deeper understanding of "a model of using industry status to exert influence", which means he has to push forward even if he doesn't want to leave.

"The breakup fee sounds sad, Mr. Fang, then let's never break up." Wang Xinchao accepted the technology promotion suggestions from Bingxin and believed that the path provided by Mr. Fang was necessary to meet the friendly development status of the two parties. Through the road.

Fang Zhuo is still pleased about this. Bingxin has launched round-the-clock research and development operations. It is best for the colleagues in the mainland or Yuhu Road to cherish this time devoted to development.

On December 8, Fang Zhuo returned to Shanghai by car to prepare for the launch of Ice Core early next year, striving to buy more time for Liang Mengsong and others.

The next day, he received a call from Yike America in his office. They had negotiated the acquisition of the remaining shares of the New York building with Sony and planned to formally conclude the deal within the month.

By then, Sony America will have half a year to move out.

"You succeeded after all." Yu Hong smiled on the phone, "It can be renamed Yike Building."

"It's very good. This proves that Sony has entered a good stage of reform." Fang Zhuo said, "There is just one thing that is not working well. Didn't I say before that Sony can continue to slow down? Why did you only give half a year? Too much Are you being mean?”

Yu Hong replied: "Sony brought it up on his own initiative, probably because he didn't want to touch the situation."

After all, after many years of glory, it is really sad to hear it and excited to see it come to the stage of selling the property and getting money. (End of chapter)