Reinventing the Millennium

The Spring Festival is just a few days away, and Fang Zhuo's place is already quite busy, both at work and at home.

As Yike ushered in the full-screen era, a new wave of enthusiasm for replacing smartphones was greatly stimulated. This successfully helped the stock price rise again, allowing the company's market value to enter the US$200 billion club at the end of 2013.

Throughout 2013, the high-end market was still dominated by Yu San, but Yike maintained its growth momentum, and Apple and Samsung both fell back. Especially in October, Apple was affected by Cook's low-cost strategy, and secondary market confidence was once again frustrated. As of December, during the year The stock price fell by more than 20%, and the market value fell back to about US$296 billion, failing to hold the US$300 billion mark.

Yike’s growth this year exceeded 34%. Considering its own base, ice core-related geopolitical influences and other factors, this growth is quite outstanding.

Yike is making great progress, and there will inevitably be some activities on Fang Zhuo's side. Apart from things of this nature, the various problems of the ice core and the situation he will face in the future are always lingering in his mind.

This time Nikon is only a part of the ice core, and even if it succeeds, subsequent research and development will still be difficult.

Of course, this does not mean that we do not pay attention to it, otherwise there would not be the year-long research and lobbying of "Zuo Xiong" in Japan, nor the cooperation of the "Gasoline Man" Bald Plus version. In addition, there would be the support of American friends. Prepare a helping hand.

However, Nikon is lagging behind. Although Japan has strong technical reserves and production capabilities in areas such as high-precision optical components and lenses, advanced control systems and mechanical components, it also lacks core technologies similar to extreme ultraviolet light sources.

As a leading competitor, ASML last year acquired Cymer, which owns EUV light source technology, and cooperated with Germany's TRUMPF on research and development, further advancing its leadership in key technologies.

These have not yet been reflected in actual industrial production, but sooner or later they will have a great impact.

Responsible for these investigations and response work is the Huaxia Wafer Manufacturing Service Alliance established by Bingxin. What it can currently do is to take the lead in domestic research and development forces and conduct joint research and development with Tsinghua University, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics.

There are also teams wearing vests abroad that provide funding to universities such as Stanford and Berkeley, and share research and development results.

One by one, one by one, we can still only say that we should do our best and look at the development. After all, the challenges in the future are all-round and the entire industry chain. So far, ice core development and preparations have made progress, but there are also difficulties that are difficult to overcome. Only The extent can only be measured when there is a real collision.

The Singapore Advanced Optics Research Institute has been established. Regardless of Nikon's results this time, it will always be able to recruit some people from there.

On January 30, all the activities that were hard to refuse ended with one day left before the Spring Festival, and Fang Zhuo had to face the greetings and smiling faces of family relatives again.

He doesn't hate these things, but after hearing them repeated too much, he is more willing to be quiet in his own space.

Fortunately, this year's protagonist has shifted a bit. The head of Yike has an aura that seems to bring him distance. Fang Zhuo's son Fang Xiaoman has become the star of the show.

Fang Zhuo had no special ideas about raising children. As long as Su Wei didn't mind, he was happy to have his son act as a shield.

That night, Fang Zhuo was quietly practicing calligraphy in the study. Su Wei, who had been dealing with her son for a day, couldn't help but hide in and relax.

"Where's Xiaoman?" Fang Zhuo looked up and asked.

"His aunt is taking him with him." Su Wei rubbed her cheek, "He is a big star in the family."

Fang Zhuo said "hmm" and continued to write.

"Is the Nikon matter about to come to an end?" Su Wei asked about the current situation.

"The Nikon issue is not the focus. The focus is the process research and development led by Dr. Liang and the others. This time it is really difficult." Fang Zhuo stopped writing and became serious unknowingly, "Introducing FinFET on 16nm is more difficult than imagined."

Regarding the restrictions on EUV, Bingxin has cooperated with Intel and switched to a backup route. However, the first theme this year is the cross-generation process led by Liang Mengsong's team.

With years of accumulation of FinFET, three shifts of research and development that has lasted for more than a year, and the talents of Liang Mengsong and others, ice core is still advancing slowly.

If it were normal times, Su Wei might continue to talk about this topic, because she knows that the ice core manufacturing process is related to the performance of Yike's core products.

However, today, a rest day near the Spring Festival, she immediately changed the content: "The difficulties are all expected. I still want to see what Nikon will do."

Fang Zhuo shrugged: "Nikon can only be seriously injured or minor injured, what else? It wants to transform itself. If it doesn't go smoothly this time, it will be counterattacked."

Nikon's business is mainly divided into three areas: imaging business, which accounts for 40% of revenue, precision equipment, which accounts for 30% of revenue, and medical care, which it has tried in recent years, accounting for 15%, and the rest is some industrial measurement and other components.

What we want to spin off this time is not just the lithography machine EUV team, but also the entire precision equipment business.

Xiong Xiaoge cannot directly name the Nikon EUV lithography machine, nor does he think it is realistic to peel off such a small piece, because today's market is actually extremely niche.

There are only a few companies in the world that have demand for EUV lithography machines. Many current foundries have announced that they will not invest further R\u0026D budgets in advanced processes, which means that they do not need EUV lithography machines at all.

How does such a niche market convince Nikon to spin off the team?

And together with the precision equipment business as a whole, things went much smoother.

Xiong Xiaoge and Sun Zhengyi formed a team to treat Japanese companies, and they convinced Nikon. Although it took a long time, he felt that the process had some twists and turns, but overall it was smooth.

"Japanese companies have a lot of wool..." Su Wei said.

"Maybe they still think the funder is stupid. He is always a hero based on results. Just like Sony, if it could successfully bring the sensor company back into the group, Yoshihisa Ishida would definitely be praised now instead of stepping down sadly."

Sony's new head Yoshihisa Ishida was forced to resign after a fierce vote at the extraordinary shareholders' meeting, becoming the shortest-lived head in Sony's history.

His "newness" is still new enough. Sony already has a new head, Hiroshi Yoshioka, one of the original Four Musketeers. However, Hiroshi Yoshioka's position is not yet stable, and he only temporarily becomes Sony's CEO.

Hiroshi Yoshioka served as executive vice president before the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. This promotion is quite surprising.

However, the Sony he took over was already in deep trouble.

Fang Zhuo is not very concerned about Sony's high-level changes. However, Yoshioka Hiroshi's appointment... may really make it more difficult for Sony, because the TV business that Hiroshi Yoshioka was previously responsible for was Sony's biggest source of losses.

Would such a CEO immediately cut off the business he was once in charge of?

Fang Zhuo judged from his own point of view that it was difficult for Hiroshi Yoshioka to have such courage, and if not, Sony's bleeding would only become more serious.

If this continues, Sony will die!

"Ishida Jiajiu has less dealings with you..." Su Weixiao seemed to compliment the man in front of her.

"That's such a pity. He may not have a chance to deal with me in the future." Fang Zhuo was very sorry.

Su Wei nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, don't worry about the ice core."

Fang Zhuo was a little surprised why he suddenly turned to this matter again.

Su Wei said in a serious tone: "If the sky falls, Mr. Fang's mouth will still hold it up."

Even with antibodies, Fang Zhuo was laughed at.

He drank half a cup of tea and said with a smile: "I will have to use my mouth for a long time tomorrow morning, and Yike will have a last half-day meeting. Then, let's take a holiday and see if Nikon can follow suit."

Su Wei has extra expectations for this year's Spring Festival holiday.

The next day, New Year's Eve.

This was an informal meeting of Yike. Only Fang Zhuo, Yu Hong, Qi He, Pan Ben, and Liu Qiangdong attended. There were no foreign executives. The content was just a general chat about Yike's 2014.

Yu Hong is very busy, but she pays more attention to semiconductors and ice cores. She also has Su Wei as a channel. She knows that the process iteration of ice cores this year will be difficult, and she also has expectations for the atmosphere of this meeting.

However, as Fang Zhuoyan briefly and comprehensively introduced the situation, the atmosphere of the meeting quickly froze.

Everyone knows that Yike is bound to Ice Core, and Ice Core will cross 22nm this year and enter 16nm. If it fails to do so, not to mention giving a fatal blow to the development of Yike, it will also be a serious disadvantage.

Normally, new phones are released in the fall. If Ice Core stops, Yusan will be left with only two companies. This is also the traditional peak sales season in Europe and the United States, so the blow will be too great.

"Mr. Fang, what's going on with the ice core? If 16nm doesn't come out, what about the normal iteration of 22nm?" Pan Ben said in a cautious tone, "At the latest, when will the ice core come out? There has to be a deadline, right? "

Fang Zhuo spread his hands: "I don't know."

Everyone's mood seemed to be suppressed by this hand. Mr. Fang, please take some responsibility!

"Bing Xin, Bing Xin..." Qi He muttered it twice and did not dare to continue. He couldn't help but look at co-founder Yu Hong.

When he looked, Pan Ben also looked, and then Liu Qiangdong also turned his gaze.

As co-founders and pioneers in overseas markets, Pan Ben and Qi He came from Yu Hong's hands, and Liu Qiangdong is in charge of the Chinese market and is also indispensable for reporting. There is only one message conveyed in their eyes.

Yu Hong understood very well.

But she was also hesitant.

Ice Core has its own reasons for wanting to directly enter 16nm, and it also faces risks. The current delay is one of the risks.

However, its risks directly amplify the instability of Yike's supply chain.

Needless to say, ice core is the most unstable link in Yike's supply chain.

Today, Yike mobile phone suppliers have more than 200 companies around the world, and there is competition for every part. However, there is only one manufacturer of chip manufacturing, Bingxin.

In theory, this is unhealthy.

From a management perspective, new core suppliers should be added immediately to reduce risk.

Or, simply put, “de-ice coring.”

How much revenue does Yike make? What is the market capitalization?

What about ice cores?

Should the greatest interests be prioritized? Even if Yike insists not to add it, the ice core should not be made, isn't it still impossible to make it?

Qi He, Pan Ben, and Liu Qiangdong, this is what they want to say, but they really can't help each other to say such things all the time. They can only hope that Mr. Yu will take the overall situation into account and give advice.

"Even if the 16nm yield rate of ice core is not good and the cost is too high, we can bleed out a batch first, right? This is better than losing pellets in the autumn, right?" Yu Hong slowly made suggestions in a gentle tone.

"Hey, who knows, let's see, anyway, today I will give you a vaccination first." Fang Zhuo said calmly, "This is a possibility. You have been to Luzhou before, and everyone is already working hard. ”

Yu Hong thought quickly, met Mr. Fang's eyes, and muttered: "What if..."

"If the press conference is still held at the end of October, there are still 9 months left for the ice core." Fang Zhuo also understood what Xiao Yu wanted to say and interrupted directly, "If we can delay it a little longer, until the end of the year, it will be 11 months." Time, although I can only say 'I don't know' to you now, but I have confidence in the ice core."

Yu Hong and Mr. Fang looked at each other for three seconds, then turned to look at the three senior executives who were looking at them eagerly, and announced: "Okay, on behalf of Yike, I would like to announce that we have reached an all-round plan of 'all prosperity, all losses' with Bingxin." I believe in Mr. Fang’s strategic alliance relationship.”

Mr. Yu rebelled.

Pan Ben took a breath, Qi He sighed, and Liu Qiangdong frowned.

The so-called win-win situation, Yike has indeed gained great benefits through breakthroughs in ice core manufacturing and technology, including but not limited to cooperation with Qualcomm. As for one loss, both losses...

Even if suppliers are temporarily added, will Taiwanese journalists be willing to help competitors who are temporarily in difficulty? Is Samsung willing to let go of this great opportunity to seize the market?

Do other manufacturers have mature enough processes?

Either way, everyone will suffer. Unless the ice core is completely destroyed, Taiwanese reporters will probably regard Yike as an important customer.

After thinking about it and analyzing it this way, it is not unacceptable.

However, the atmosphere in the office is still solemn. What the boss has given is not a vaccination, but a "don't think twice about getting better in the New Year"!

"Do we still have laptops this year? If mobile phones are not enough, then we should polish tablets and laptops. This will also reduce the stock price drop." Fang Zhuo comforted everyone.

The atmosphere was soothed and became more solemn.

With the things told by the leader firmly in their hearts, the three people began to briefly mention the matters in their hands.

When it was Qi He's turn, he mentioned the hot competition between the online ride-hailing market and mobile payment.

"Dada relies on Yixin and is already second in the online ride-hailing market." Qi He talked about Dada's achievements.

When Fang Zhuo heard this, he glanced at Qi He in surprise: "Huh? Didn't Dada reach the first place?"

Qi He suddenly became a little restless.

Fang Zhuo thought for a while: "Maybe Ali is too powerful."

Why add "maybe"? Did the boss still have the last part of the sentence to say?

Maybe we are too good at it?

Qi He gave an answer: "Alipay does have many users, but Dada has only been in the market for a short time. It should be no problem for it to become the number one in the next three months."

Fang Zhuo nodded slightly. He didn't want to say anything unpleasant, but just commented: "Don't 'should'."

Qi He was solemn and his eyes were firm.

Okay, Mr. Fang, I don't "should", but... please, don't "don't know" next time.

Of course, this can be said with peace of mind. For the Chinese New Year, Mr. Fang has already given me a shot, so don’t make yourself uncomfortable anymore.