Reinventing the Millennium

First Google, then Qualcomm, then Morningstar.

Even though Fang Zhuo has always been good at dealing with interests from different positions, the related parties surrounding the Yike mobile phone project felt a little overwhelmed.

Accompanied by these three parties and the coy Deyi, Yike's R\u0026D center needs to process a large amount of data. However, Liang Gongwei and others from Morning Star were still unwilling to leave after staying for two days, so they had to take over a room from Mr. Fang. Morningstar team offices.

"Your people haven't come yet. When they do, how can I miss an office?" Fang Zhuo felt dumbfounded.

However, Liang Gongwei is extremely serious: "It is safe to put it in the bag, so as not to have long nights and many dreams."

Fang Zhuo had no choice but to assign an office on the spot.

The chip project connected with Morningstar was previously named "Vulcan" by Fang Zhuo. Considering the need for confidentiality, Morningstar took the initiative to suggest a project code name, calling it "绻笲", which is half of "Zhurong" .

It's not that Fang Zhuo doesn't know the pronunciation, it's gé, but he just feels that the style of Morning Star's senior management is a bit... hard to put into words.

Just when he took a breath from the judgment of various information and started to pay attention to the data after the domestic Taobao 6.18 event, an uninvited guest came to the R\u0026D center in Silicon Valley.

MediaTek Chairman Cai Mingjie led a team to visit in a hurry.

Coincidentally, Liang Gongwei of Morningstar planned to leave Silicon Valley in the evening. Unexpectedly, he just walked out of the R\u0026D center gate chatting and laughing with his colleagues. He happened to see Cai Mingjie looking at the sign below, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Mr. Cai, what are you doing here?" Liang Gongwei subconsciously wanted to yell loudly, but when he saw the smile on Cai Mingjie's face, he realized that this expression was not for him, and lowered his voice.

Cai Mingjie led the people up the steps quickly, stretched out his hands in advance to hold the right hand of Mr. Fang who showed up, and said with a hearty smile: "Mr. Liang, of course I came to Silicon Valley to tell Mr. Fang that MediaTek is a better company than Morningstar." company of."

Liang Gongwei's expression has returned to normal, but there is a hint of grievance in his eyes when he looks at Mr. Fang, "Okay, Mr. Fang, what did we agree on?"

Fang Zhuo was shaken by Cai Mingjie's right hand repeatedly, and he smiled helplessly and said: "Mr. Cai, your unexpected visit by such a great leader really upsets me. How can Yike be so virtuous as to win the favor of Mr. Cai and Mr. Liang? "

Yesterday, the R\u0026D center received a request from MediaTek to visit, which was declined by Fang Zhuo.

However, when I answered the phone today, the chairman of MediaTek was already approaching the door.

MediaTek was established in 1997, nearly 10 years ago, and is now a company with a market value of nearly US$7 billion.

There is no reason why Cai Mingjie traveled all the way to visit him as chairman, but Fang Zhuo avoided seeing him.

Cai Mingjie smiled and said: "I have long heard that there is a great talent in the mainland. First, Yike went abroad to compete with foreign giants, and then the ice core was released and opened a new chapter in the development of the mainland's semiconductors. This time, while Yike wants to enter the mobile phone market, I Cai Mingjie finally got his wish to meet Mr. Fang and have the possibility of cooperating with Mr. Fang."

This person is also a semiconductor senior, and he is in his fifties. He talks about being a "great talent" and "getting what he wants," and his attitude is quite low.

Fang Zhuo smiled and waved his hands repeatedly: "Mr. Cai is so complimentary, Mr. Cai is so complimentary."

Liang Gongwei next to him was a little anxious, but he turned around slowly, unable to speak, and there were stains of sweat on his forehead.

Later, Wei Boyun was not afraid of this and immediately stepped forward.

He smiled and said: "Mr. Fang is indeed a great talent, but what I admire most is Mr. Fang's perseverance when he is in a low position. If it were me, Yike would have to face giants like Sony and Apple. I'm afraid he would be in trouble immediately." I lost my courage.”

Wei Boyun glanced at Mr. Fang with admiration and continued: "This is even more true for Ice Core. Mainland semiconductors are weak. Mr. Cai has a good relationship with MediaTek, which is really number one in the world. If it were me, think about the gap. It’s just a submissive thing.”

"There are only two people that I always admire. One is Mr. Fang, who is perseverant, and the other is Mr. Liang, who is far-sighted."

"When Mr. Liang made the decision to fully cooperate between Morningstar and Ice Core, I still had objections. Now it seems that I was really short-sighted. Without Ice Core and Mr. Liang, Morningstar would never be in the situation that can alarm Mr. Cai today. Thinking about it like this, I can’t wait to even toast Mr. Fang and Mr. Liang three glasses of wine!”

Fang Zhuo laughed loudly, and Liang Gongwei breathed a sigh of relief.

Cai Mingjie narrowed his eyes. This Morning Star general was a bit quick-witted.

"You guys, you are really flattering me. Both Yike and Bingxin still have a long way to go. Fortunately, I always know how much I weigh. Come on, Mr. Cai, let's go in and have tea." Fang Zhuo suppressed his amusement and said, After inviting Cai Mingjie, he said to Liang Gongwei, "Mr. Liang, there will definitely be no problem with the TV chip cooperation."

Liang Gongwei knew that Mr. Fang was making excuses in front of Cai Mingjie, so he smiled and said: "Mr. Fang, Mr. Cai, you are busy, and there are still many opportunities for us to cooperate."

Fang Zhuo nodded slightly and led the team of Chairman MediaTek into the R\u0026D center.

Liang Gongwei and his party continued to walk down, but they glanced at Cai Mingjie and his party from the corner of their eyes.

When their figures disappeared, Chenxing and the others immediately stopped.

But the business car lent by Yike drove up. General Manager Yang Weiyi acted as the driver. He lowered the window and shouted to his colleagues: "Let's get in the car and go shopping."

Liang Gongwei said angrily: "Why are you still shopping? Cai Mingjie is here because of the smell!"

Yang Weiyi was shocked, immediately turned off the engine, opened the door and got out of the car.

MediaTek is Morningstar’s real competitor.

Nowadays, Morningstar still learns from MediaTek, but it has the upper hand in the field of TV chips because it works harder than MediaTek. It is easy to overlook the entrance to the development of the mobile phone field. Cai Mingjie actually came to Silicon Valley in person?

"Why is he here? How did he know this place? Who leaked the secret?" Yang Weiyi was very angry.

Liang Gongwei shook his head, suspecting that Cai Mingjie had heard about this from Baodao's numerous semiconductor connections.

Yang Weiyi asked with concern: "What's Mr. Fang's attitude?"

Liang Gongwei replied solemnly: "Cai Mingjie came to the door in person. What attitude can Mr. Fang have? They went in to talk. MediaTek has mature experience in mobile phone chip design. This is beyond our comparison. The time has come to test Morningstar."

Yang Weiyi remained silent.

After a moment, he sighed: "I was originally thinking about Zhu Rong, but now I can get the Vulcan out."

Everyone in Morning Star felt sad.

Liang Gongwei sighed: "The road to the God of Vulcan is long and difficult."

Wei Boyun immediately responded: "Mr. Liang is right, the road ahead is long and difficult, but the journey is about to begin."

Considering the importance of project development and the severity of competition, Liang Gongwei believed that Wei Boyun's position could be promoted to a higher level.

…

The conference room welcomed the fourth wave of guests in a short period of time.

Fang Zhuo was not polite to Cai Mingjie, but was a little curious about the reason why MediaTek went to war this time.

After all, the two parties had never dealt with each other before, and Yike's mobile phone project was only half a prototype.

Cai Mingjie listened to Mr. Fang's expression and said seriously: "Mr. Fang, if you say that there is no competition with Morningstar Semiconductor, then you definitely don't believe it, but to say that it is all to snipe Morningstar Semiconductor is also a big distortion. .”

Fang Zhuo said slowly: "Mr. Cai should know about the good cooperative relationship between me and Morningstar."

"Yes, Morningstar has a very harmonious cooperation with Bingxin and mainland TV manufacturers. I also know that Bingxin still holds a small share of Morningstar, but this should not be an obstacle to Yi Keduo's cooperation options." Cai Ming said Not slow, he said solemnly, "The most critical factor that made me come here this time is because I am optimistic about the Android system."

Fang Zhuo was a little surprised. He wondered whether Mr. Cai was pretending to be shocking. The Android system has not made any big moves in the industry, and the Open Mobile Alliance that Google wants to promote has not officially started yet.

"I wonder if Mr. Fang knows the current situation of mobile phones in the mainland?" Cai Mingjie slowed down slightly, "Those white-brand mobile phones in the mainland are very popular. Last year, we sold 30 million chips, 95% of which were sold to Mainland customers.”

He said confidently: "This year, this number will grow by at least half."

Fang Zhuo was not shocked. MediaTek's current market value naturally has its reasons: "I don't know much about it."

“Sometimes, I am amazed by the ideas of mainland white-brand mobile phones, those dual-SIM dual-standby, four-SIM dual-standby, powerful roar, subwoofer, marquee lights, ambient lighting, long standby time, use of dry batteries, and integrated radios. ..." Cai Mingjie said with a smile, "There is nothing I can't think of, and there is nothing they can't do."

Fang Zhuo nodded: "Huaqiangbei, Motrola, Sanxin, song Ericsson."

White brand mobile phones are copycat mobile phones, and Huaqiangbei is now the largest distribution center for copycat mobile phones in China.

"Mr. Fang, you Yike is engaged in consumer electronics. You must know that demand exists at different stages, low-end, mid-range, high-end. White-brand mobile phones are so popular, so naturally there is market demand for them." Cai Mingjie said. said.

He continued: "This demand is being taken advantage of now. If there is a free and open source mobile phone system, and if it is as described by Google, the market order under this demand will definitely be reshaped."

"I don't think Morningstar and the others came here to compete with Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, right?"

"Mr. Fang, do you think if the Android system wants to develop, should it be top-down or bottom-up?"

Cai Mingjie raised a question.

Fang Zhuo pondered for a moment and then jumped out of the preset answer: "Up and down don't seem to be contradictory."

"No matter how it is laid out, looking at the entire market for entry-level products, MediaTek is the best choice for Yike and the most powerful choice for Android systems." This is what Cai Mingjie wants to say.

Fang Zhuo didn't say anything. The popularization of Android system is of great benefit to him. And because of Bingxin, Android company, experienced channels and relationship with BOE, if Yike makes an entry-level mobile phone, it will definitely be made by the regular army. Stragglers.

However, the most significant reason for calling Morningstar here is to enhance the capabilities of the IC design process and to increase the possibility of independence.

Bingxin holds shares in Morningstar Semiconductor and some follow-up designs. It can barely be regarded as half a godson. MediaTek is different. It always focuses on its own interests.

However, after thinking about it, it's not a good idea, and it might not be a bad thing if MediaTek is there to put pressure on it.

On a more commercial level, for example, a certain company in the industry may decide to cooperate with Party B first, wait until Party B spends a lot of money to invest, then adopt other companies' plans, and then acquire Party B, which is in dire straits due to the loss of a major customer. This is not impossible to consider.

Seeing that Mr. Fang was still silent, Cai Mingjie asked, "Mr. Fang doesn't trust our technical ability to rely on copycat machines to start our business?"

This is the first time that the chairman of MediaTek mentioned "shanzhai" instead of "white brand" when he entered the conference room.

Fang Zhuo noticed some emotional fluctuations in the other party and shook his head: "Being from a cottage is not a shame. I am able to bend and stretch. Fang is my husband. I admire Mr. Cai for MediaTek's success today. I was just thinking about the completion of the Android system. "

"To be honest, the Android system is still far from being put into use. Mr. Liang and the others came here mainly for the TV chip market, and the entry-level mobile phone was just mentioned in passing."

Cai Mingjie believed 70% of the other party’s truth.

Fang Zhuo said sincerely: "Mr. Cai, I am a business person. It will take time to complete the Android system. If Yike has plans for entry-level products, MediaTek is definitely the top priority. This is technology And experience deserves it.”

Cai Mingjie moved the chips at this time: "I heard that the ice core manufacturing process has made breakthroughs in 90nm. Mr. Fang, entry-level products are the most in demand. MediaTek's sales are increasing year by year. This is the space for our cooperation."

Fang Zhuo sighed slightly in his heart. I don't know since when, people who came to his door often mentioned Bing Xin. Is his love for Bing Xin so obvious?

He smiled, talked a bit about the production capacity of ice cores, and finally reiterated the progress of the Android system, indicating that it was not yet time to truly discuss cooperation.

Cai Mingjie gave a comprehensive introduction to MediaTek’s technical team. Last year, in order to better make a difference in the field of mobile phone chips, they spent heavily to acquire an overseas team.

This reminds Fang Zhuo of Morningstar Semiconductor, which made similar moves this year.

It can only be said that, worthy of being a big or small M, the competition between these two companies is indeed quite fierce.

"Mr. Fang, I wonder if Yike's first mobile phone will use TI or Qualcomm for the chip?" Cai Mingjie finally asked about Yike's mobile phone.

"It's not confirmed yet, it still depends on the progress of the Android system. However, our prototype uses TI's 2420, and the effect looks pretty good." Fang Zhuo revealed the news.

Cai Mingjie nodded, and when it was time to leave, he revealed his ambition: "I hope that one day in the future, the name of MediaTek will be added to the options of Yike's mid-to-high-end mobile phones."

"You can't live without Hongyi. There is a long way to go. I also hope to see this day as soon as possible." Fang Zhuo shook hands with the chairman of MediaTek and personally sent them out.

Tsai Mingjie left a copy of MediaTek's research on the mainland's white-brand mobile phone market, which can be regarded as a small gift.

After the group of people left, not long after, Liang Gongwei still couldn't restrain his mood and came to Mr. Fang, intending to inquire about the situation.

Fang Zhuo did not hide his attitude: "Mr. Liang, of course I am more willing to cooperate with Morningstar, otherwise I would not have contacted you from the beginning, but the real choice of which side will depend on the performance of the chip."

Seeing that Liang Gongwei's expression was a little complicated, he asked with a smile: "If it were Mr. Liang who made the decision now, how would you choose between MediaTek and Morningstar?"

As things stand, that's a question that doesn't need an answer.

Liang Gongwei did not show any conscience and just said: "Fortunately, there is still time. Fortunately, it is not me who decides, but Mr. Fang. Mr. Fang's far-sightedness is beyond my comparison. Morningstar should strive for self-improvement and will definitely cherish this opportunity."

Fang Zhuo likes this statement. The opportunity is in front of him. Even if there is a certain standard floating range, he must be able to reach the threshold.

As for looking far ahead but not looking far ahead, from now on the morning stars will be closer to the ice core, and there will always be times when the near red ones are red.