Reinventing the Millennium

YiKe and BingXin will face severe challenges in the foreseeable future, but this will not delay the existing development plans.

Intel, Taiwan News, and Samsung have all responded strongly to the YiKe system, and the semiconductor industry conference led by the US BIS has also been quietly held several times, with close discussions around the Oriental YiKe system.

At the same time, Yu Hong, co-founder of YiKe, has arrived in Washington, waiting for consultations with several economic advisers from the White House, but to her surprise, such consultations have been postponed again and again.

Yu Hong was in Washington and could personally feel a certain atmosphere related to YiKe, and also felt a certain entanglement after meeting with lobbying leader Zhao Zhishan and some friends in the YiKe camp.

On December 17, Yu Hong, who had been waiting in Washington for a week, received a clear reply that Christmas was coming soon, so they would not open it for the time being and would talk about it after the holiday.

Yu Hong also felt the festive atmosphere of Christmas in Washington, but there was still a week left... It was probably a kind of difficult and difficult reaction for YiKe to handle.

On December 18, she had a phone call with Fang Zhuo, briefly chatting about informal contacts in Washington and the still-hot sales of Yike products.

Just as the "world's first" brought a huge impact to Washington and the semiconductor industry, the impact of Mars 8.8 and Mars 8.8 Pro on consumers was equally huge, which also boosted the sales of other products.

From last year to this year, Yike has invested in the field of smart home, which has won the taste of many consumers, and the "Gaishi" tablet has vaguely become the second sales curve, followed by Yike's cross-field entry of laptops.

From the hotel room where Yu Hong is, she can see the shining Yike billboard on the street, and below she can vaguely see the customers talking in the Yike experience store.

She couldn't help but say to the boss on the other end of the phone: "Our products are great, it would be great if we could keep improving."

This is the purpose that Yike has been practicing since its establishment, and with the precipitation of time and products, it has changed from being ignored at the beginning to a business spirit created by Yike.

"Actually, I'm still quite optimistic." Fang Zhuo replied, and then laughed, "I just hope for one thing now."

Yu Hong looked at the night view of the city in the distance and asked, "What?"

"I hope I won't be like Lee Kun-hee in the future, who is so old that he has to be hospitalized, and you guys will still bring him up when he encounters something." Fang Zhuo said seriously.

Yu Hong couldn't help laughing. When Mr. Fang was interviewed by Bloomberg before, his hidden malice and ridicule were quite obvious under the magnifying glass, but...

Almost no one blamed his demeanor, as if everyone thought that the person who once criticized friendly companies under the spotlight should do such a thing.

"Okay, keep in touch, you receive your guests, I'm going to spend Christmas in Washington." Yu Hong glanced at the time and planned to end the call.

"Be careful, run away if the situation is not right." Fang Zhuo did not forget to remind him, and then waited until the other party laughed and there was only a dead sound.

He shrugged, put down his phone, and continued to tinker with the welcome ceremony for today's visiting guests in the office.

The head of Yike treated the guests seriously, and the guests also treated this secret visit very seriously.

As the first female CEO of AMD, Su Zifeng did not receive high evaluation. Although she has made several good decisions since joining AMD in 2012, no one thinks that she can make a comeback after becoming CEO this year.

Like the biggest rival, Intel's CEO said very directly that even if Su Zifeng's technical understanding and management skills are strong, she can't pull AMD back from the edge of the cliff.

Indeed, AMD's current situation is already very bad, with its stock price falling to $2, and even this may not be the lowest.

How to get out of the predicament, or how to continue to survive, is a big problem facing Su Zifeng.

After thinking about it, she still has to focus on improving the competitiveness of the product. Unfortunately, GlobalFoundries, which cooperates with AMD, has not performed well in process technology from last year to this year, and it has become a burden for the cooperation.

At this time, Bingxin International, which has produced the world's first 16nm process, came into view.

Before this secret visit, Su Zifeng made a special call to Nvidia's head Huang Renxun to earnestly seek advice and discuss the risks and opportunities faced by Bingxin and Yike.

In the end, most of her ideas were supported by Huang Renxun, so she flew to Shanghai more firmly.

As for why she believed Huang Renxun's judgment...

This is her cousin, and he speaks much more frankly than outsiders.

Su Zifeng was extremely low-key during this trip to Shanghai. She went to Yike 23 under the guidance of her secretary. Before entering the office, a thought that flashed through her mind was actually the latest evaluation from Time magazine.

——This is a living legendary business leader.

Ding.

The door of the president's office was opened by Liu Zonghong's face recognition.

Su Zifeng had just taken a step and had not yet greeted the head of Yike when she heard a mechanical voice suddenly coming from both sides.

"Hello, President Su!"

Su Zifeng looked around in astonishment and saw two robots standing on both sides like doormen, and at this moment they were slowly bending down with the greetings.

She made a "hmm" sound, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should respond to the robot or say hello to Mr. Fang first.

"Welcome, Mr. Su, please take a seat, please take a seat." Fang Zhuo was very satisfied with the effect of the robot and welcomed the head of AMD with a smile.

Liu Zonghong closed the door and left without pouring tea or coffee this time.

"Mr. Fang, is this a product that Yike is preparing to sell? It's really..." Su Zifeng paused and commented, "It's unique!"

"Haha, it's just an internal research and development project. I think it's quite interesting." Fang Zhuo said, and then ordered, "Hey, Siri, pour me two cups of coffee."

The robot that was closer to Fang Zhuo slid in front of the automatic coffee machine, pressed the button, waited for a moment, slowly took out the coffee cup, and slowly slid it in front of Fang Zhuo.

Then it repeated the action again.

Fang Zhuo first placed the coffee in front of Su Zifeng, and then took a sip of the second cup of coffee.

This process of the robot took a long time, and some coffee liquid even spilled out, but Su Zifeng watched intently, even a little stunned.

If she was amazed by the greeting just now, her jaw dropped at the current execution.

She held the coffee cup and said in shock: "This...Mr. Fang, you..."

"It's a trick, just to tease the guests. If I change the coffee machine, it will most likely not work. The current effect can only be achieved by repeating and modifying it many times." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "That's bluffing. We have done special optimization, but it is still far from the effect we want. ”

Su Zifeng took a few sips of coffee silently and said honestly: "It really scared me... Will this be Yike's next blockbuster product?"

"It's hard to say. Well, it should be said that there is a high probability that it won't. It's quite difficult. First of all, there must be a core that can understand our real requirements. This core is not smart enough, and the product will only become a specific toy." Fang Zhuolueyi Shen Yin, "Without an intelligent core, deep learning cannot be achieved. Secondly, the fine perception of the external environment, such as vision, hearing, and touch, needs to be improved. Otherwise, more complex grabbing, movement, and operations will not be possible."

He said this and then smiled: "This is just a big toy now. To be a truly mature product requires progress in the overall system engineering."

Su Zifeng couldn't help but look back at the industrial-style robot and sighed: "Yes, keep making progress."

"This robot is quite capable of bluffing people. I sent a video of it pouring coffee to Rubin of Android, and he almost jumped to our Yike company on impulse." Fang Zhuo mentioned an interesting incident.

Andy Rubin, the founder of Android, is an avid robot enthusiast and was amazed by the performance in the video.

If Fang Zhuo hadn't revealed that this was just a joke, he would have almost flown to Shanghai.

Su Zifeng's planned opening was completely disrupted by Yike Robot. She stabilized her mood and congratulated Yike on this uncontroversial hit product.

"Mars 8.8 is really easy to use, and its achievements make people proud." Su Zifeng took out the latest version of Mars from her pocket and added, "This is my compliment from a consumer perspective."

"Thank you, Mr. Su, for being one of the 26.36 million users of our Mars series." Fang Zhuo thanked and threw out the latest sales figures.

The sales figures of Mars 8.8 and Mars 8.8 Pro in the first month after the launch were 26.36 million units. It is still the last week before Christmas and may even exceed 30 million units.

The title of No. 1 in the world and the popularity constantly driven by public opinion have helped the Mars series refresh the sales record of Yike Company every day since its release.

Su Zifeng suddenly heard the undisclosed sales volume of Yike, and the envy in her heart suddenly jumped up. She murmured: "The best-selling mobile phone in history..."

Fang Zhuo heard this comment and corrected him: "No, the Nokia 1100 sold more than 250 million units from 2003 to 2009. That is the best-selling mobile phone in history."

Su Zifeng glanced at Mr. Fang and re-evaluated: "The best-selling smartphone in history!"

"It is still the best-selling smartphone in the first month in history." Fang Zhuo added a qualifier. As long as there are enough qualifiers, he will always be the first.

Su Zifeng heard the confidence, ease and ridicule in these words, and there were only two words: "Admiration."

Fang Zhuo grinned: "Not bad."

Su Zifeng: "..."

She vaguely felt that Mr. Fang was different from what she had imagined. She thought that the Mr. Fang she met this time had a more stern and cold style, but she didn't expect, well... it's hard to say.

"Mr. Su, when you come here, I thought you would go to Luzhou first." Fang Zhuo mentioned the secret visit from the other side.

Su Zifeng said directly: "Luzhou's technology has been verified on Mars 8.8. If we can negotiate with Mr. Fang, I will be even more happy to go to Luzhou."

"Why not choose a Taiwanese reporter?" Fang Zhuo asked a question that was indeed doubtful.

Ever since Bingxin came out with 1D, it was one of the first manufacturers to inquire. However, although Bingxin is ahead of schedule this time, there are still risks due to the nature of Mainland China. Moreover, the reporter has stated that he is working overtime. Therefore, from last month to now, There are many interested manufacturers, but few actually place orders.

Su Zifeng came directly this time, which undoubtedly expressed a certain attitude.

Su Zifeng gave an answer: "Because Yike has money, Mr. Fang is also willing to give money."

Fang Zhuo: "Well..."

He didn't expect that the answer was quite lacking in depth.

"Our cooperation with GlobalFoundries is not going well, but we signed an exclusive OEM agreement. If we change manufacturers now, we will need to pay at least US$400 million in compensation." Su Zifeng did not pretend to be mysterious, "This money will become my decision A huge barrier to decision-making.”

GF was first spun off from AMD, and the two maintain an exclusive cooperation. However, GF's process is so-so. 28nm has the same solution problems as Samsung. After mining, it is eager to catch up. The current reputation of 20nm is not good.

Also, Su Zifeng just became CEO this year.

Fang Zhuo understood, unless...she could find a sponsor willing to pay.

What manufacturer is Taiji?

Can it pay to fill this hole?

No, it has no shortage of customers.

Can I take out the ice core?

Or, can we collaborate in more complex ways?

Fang Zhuo frowned slightly and then quickly relaxed, smiling: "Mr. Su is an honest person. Well, I have three questions."

Su Zifeng took a sip of coffee first, and then listened attentively.

"Is the building for sale?" Fang Zhuo asked.

When Su Zifeng heard this unexpected question, she changed her mind and gave an equally unexpected answer. She smiled bitterly and said: "It was sold last year. Mr. Fang, you are asking too late."

Fang Zhuo blinked, hey, he didn't pay attention to this matter.

He asked again: "Does ZEN sell it?"

Su Zifeng's expression changed slightly and she shook her head firmly: "Mr. Fang, this is not for sale."

ZEN is the x86 processor core developed by AMD, and it hopes to rely on this to make a comeback.

Fang Zhuo also took a sip of coffee before asking the last question: "Does the company sell it?"

Su Zifeng became even more determined: "Mr. Fang, I won't sell it."

"Mr. Su, let me give you a price. Listen to it." Fang Zhuo thought about it, considering the situation of AMD, and slowly said, "As I think..."

Su Zifeng interrupted: "Mr. Fang, there's no need to say anything else!"

"So determined?" Fang Zhuo said.

"I'm afraid that you really offer me a price that I can't refuse..." Su Zifeng said helplessly, "Besides, even if you bid, Yike will not be able to successfully acquire it, and the SEC will not approve it."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be Yike as the main body. We can have more acquisition methods. If you don't mind, we can also dismember AMD. I can guarantee that you will have great independent rights and extremely abundant resources." Funds." Fang Zhuo said seriously.

Su Zifeng took a breath and suddenly felt quite stressed. Looking at Mr. Fang again, his expression seemed much colder.

This is the world's best president in my imagination.

Ambitious.

She stood up and emphasized: "Mr. Fang, I'm not here to sell the company. If you talk like this, I'm afraid I'm going to end this visit early."

"Okay." Fang Zhuo sighed and said, "So, how can a small company with a market value of US$2 billion get me to spend US$400 million to support it?"

AMD is now just a Calami, with a stock price of $2 and a market value of $2 billion.

Yike and Bingxin are facing changes. If there is nothing too exciting, he doesn't want to cause trouble now. At most, he can let the MIGA fund buy stocks for financial investment purposes.

"AMD can provide long-term cooperation." Su Zifeng said.

"Long-term cooperation?" Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "How long-term? What if AMD is forced to interrupt its cooperation with Ice Core?"

"If there are such non-force majeure factors, AMD will actively help lobby and actively speak out for Yike and Bingxin. Even if the cooperation really has to end, AMD will be Bingxin's last foreign partner." Su Zifeng said seriously Said, "We are very optimistic about the technical level of ice core at 16nm. In fact, if we can continue to evolve at this benchmark, this will be enough for many years."

Never mind it, AMD needs to survive now.

Ice Core not only comes up with 16nm, but at the same time, the team headed by Hu Zhengming and Liang Mengsong is responsible for FinFET technology, which will inevitably continue to optimize FinFET.

Intel is about to launch a 14nm Core over there. AMD's flagship product this year is still the 32nm eight-core FX-9590. The notebook is slightly better, the 28nm Kaveri-based quad-core 7600P.

This is so different from Intel!

Next year, in accordance with the cooperation with GlobalFoundries, we will only use HKMG's 28nm. It is stronger than this year, but it will be worse than its opponents.

Su Zifeng is really fed up with GlobalFoundries, but she just sold the building last year and is still losing money this year. She can't tear up the foundry contract easily. Bingxin has a strong technical team and Yike has abundant funds. Now the two have joined forces. Facing trouble...

At this time, AMD has established a framework for in-depth cooperation and will soon be able to improve its product capabilities.

As for geopolitical risks, let AMD survive first, and then see how the Yike Department mediates. If it can mediate for two years, it will be profitable.

If the cooperation is really ended in a short period of time, at least the money for breach of contract with GlobalFoundries will be paid, and we will talk about the rest later.

Su Zifeng has emphasized internally more than once that AMD now needs to focus on products and reduce financial leverage, and this is a change that Yike can bring about in a short period of time.

In addition, Yike now also has its own notebook, which is also a cooperative project.

AMD, as Mr. Fang said, is just a company with a market value of 2 billion US dollars. The bigwigs above are fighting each other, so we should seize the opportunity to develop more.

Fang Zhuo touched his chin, which was interesting. AMD sold buildings and factories, and it has long been the style of a giant company.

Su Zifeng looked into the eyes of the head of Yike and made a small request: "Mr. Fang, if possible, I really hope that Huaxia will also investigate Intel's monopoly."

Fang Zhuo was speechless: "Do you think antitrust is in our company?"

What do you mean by also...

He pulled the drawer and continued: "Investigate Intel, why don't you just bring a copy of the investigation document? I have the official seal of the bureau right now, just stamp it."

Su Zifeng pretended to stand up and was about to look at the official seal in the drawer.

Fang Zhuo: "..."

You are also surnamed Su, you do the same, right?

He said unhappily: "If Intel has a monopoly, you should just report the problem directly. What's the point of telling me?"

Su Zifeng nodded seriously: "Mr. Fang, I understand."

Fang Zhuo: "..."

He looked at the head of AMD and was sure that she really didn't understand. Yi Ke only did things occasionally, and Intel was still cooperating with Yi Ke on baseband.