Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 565 Tsinghua and Peking University Lectures
On March 10, Xu Shenxue finished his trip to Shanghai and then headed to Beijing.

In Shanghai, he led Bao Yongyan and other senior executives of Hailan Auto to hold talks with several investment institutions to discuss the listing of Hailan Auto.

The result was neither good nor bad, but everyone is looking forward to Hailan Auto going public.

However, there are still significant disagreements regarding valuation. The current agreed-upon price is 400 billion yuan, but Xu Shenxue, Bao Yongyan, and other senior executives of Hailan Auto believe that this valuation still fails to reflect the true value of Hailan Auto.

Hailan Auto is not an ordinary car company, but a comprehensive high-tech intelligent mobility company with a production and sales volume of 2.5 million vehicles, aiming for 3 million vehicles, and annual revenue of 110 billion US dollars.

Its positioning has never been that of a car company, but rather a genuine high-tech enterprise focused on intelligent mobility.

It also possesses globally monopolistic autonomous driving technology, including the world's only L3 level assisted driving and the even higher L4 level autonomous driving technology.

The Hailan 4.2 advanced intelligent driver assistance system is the most advanced autonomous driving technology in modern times, giving it a significant lead over other companies.

With the world's only hybrid oxide polymer solid-state battery, the Poseidon Battery, boasting an energy density of 700 watt-hours per kilogram and exceptional safety, it has become a shining star in the energy sector. Not only is it used by Hailan Automotive, but it is also supplied on a large scale to robots from Zhiyun Group and the X14 low-altitude drone from Xiaojiang Technology. In the future, its application scope will be further expanded to include various portable smart terminals of Zhiyun Group, such as the S-series mobile phones.

Incidentally, it also possesses the world's most advanced lithium iron phosphate battery and semi-solid lithium battery technologies... Currently, apart from Hailan Auto, other automakers purchase their semi-solid batteries from Ningdai Battery, but the semi-solid battery technology in Ningdai Battery also originates from Hailan Auto!
With world-class LiDAR technology, Hailan Laser's LiDAR products, besides being used by Hailan Automotive, occupy 80% of the global LiDAR market. Eight out of ten LiDAR systems used by other car brands are Hailan Laser products.

It also possesses some of the world's top automotive motor technology, intelligent automotive manufacturing technology, and other core technologies in the automotive field that are often overlooked but are actually very important... While Hailan Auto may not have a monopoly or be in a class of its own in these areas, it is still at a world-class level.

The more than $20 billion annual R&D expenditure of Hailan Automotive is not wasted; it has yielded tremendous technological achievements.

In Xu Shenxue's plan, Hailan Auto actually holds the same strategic position as Zhiyun Group.

Even though its current R&D investment is huge, and the investment in building solid-state battery production lines and establishing new automobile production plants is also huge... At the same time, the automobile business belongs to a special industry and is affected by the huge uncertainties in overseas markets... A series of factors such as US sanctions and difficulties in entering the European market have affected it.

Hailan Motors doesn't deserve a valuation of only four hundred billion US dollars!
In Xu Shenxue's view, those investment institutions lacked 'respect' for technology... so it's necessary to give them a little shock this summer.

This amazing event will be the new car launch in May... At that time, the Hailan car equipped with solid-state batteries will be fully launched.

After the press conference and the first batch of sales data are released, Xu Shenxue will have a proper talk with these investment institutions!
If that still doesn't work, then Xu Shenxue will stop playing along and start investing directly through the numerous investment funds he controls.

Anyway, Xu Shenxue controls quite a few investment funds, and if they pool their resources, they can raise a considerable amount of money. This would then attract a wave of ordinary investment institutions and individual investors, and the listing plan would be basically secured.

However, this would also affect Xu Shenxue's plans in other industries.

Xu Shenxue has many businesses and many places to spend money. Hailan Auto is not the only one waiting to spend money!

Considering the availability of funds, Xu Shenxue prefers that Hailan Auto obtain funds from these investment institutions in order to maintain the current massive capital investment in Hailan Auto.

Hailan Automotive is now a money pit... In addition to the huge R&D expenses of more than 20 billion US dollars every year, the construction of solid-state battery production capacity and the expansion of vehicle production capacity are also very expensive.

Building new brands and opening up more markets is also very expensive.

Developing a new robotics business is also a huge expense... Hailan Auto plans to use the underlying artificial intelligence algorithms of its own autonomous driving technology to try to create a robot with artificial intelligence. Hailan Auto's senior technical staff believe that this technical route is feasible.

However, making it actually is technically challenging and requires a huge amount of funding, with initial R&D investment estimated at least one or two hundred billion US dollars.

As for directly obtaining robot technology from Zhiyun Group... that's impossible.

Although Hailan Auto and Zhiyun Group share the same parent company: Liuhe Investment, and the same boss, Xu Shenxue!
However, these two companies are separate operating entities, each with a large group of shareholders and management, and their operations affect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.

Even if Xu Shenxue wanted to do that, it would cause huge dissatisfaction... The robotics business is the core business of Zhiyun Group's future. Even if Xu Shenxue is the big boss, he cannot directly take away the exclusive technology in Zhiyun's core business and use it in another company. This is called the transfer of interests by the major shareholder.

This will harm the interests of hundreds of thousands of employees of Zhiyun Group and a large number of investors worldwide.

The management and shareholders of Zhuyun Group will go crazy...

Hailan Auto wants to develop robots, just like Weiku Electronics wants to make virtual equipment. They can only do it themselves... At best, they can use the supply chain, but don't expect them to have the core technology.

However, Hailan Auto also possesses very good underlying artificial intelligence technology, although it was initially acquired from Zhiyun Group... At that time, Zhiyun Group sold its autonomous driving technology team to Hailan Auto, and in the process, Hailan Auto also obtained artificial intelligence technology.

Although it's not as advanced as the AI ​​technology from Zhiyun Group, Hailan Auto has continuously updated, optimized, and iterated its technology, developing its own core AI technology, which is quite impressive overall.

They want to use this technology to develop their robotics business!

Hailan Auto spends money everywhere, otherwise they wouldn't be thinking about going public to raise funds.

To increase annual production and sales from over two million vehicles to tens of millions, and to expand into the robotics business, requires a massive amount of money!

To secure more funding, a valuation needs to be built up first, and to achieve a higher valuation, the new car launch in May will be crucial.

Xu Shenxue is looking forward to the scene of Hailan cars equipped with solid-state batteries dominating the market starting this summer!
After concluding their trip to Shanghai, Xu Shenxue and his entourage flew to Beijing.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Xu Shenxue's main objective was to inspect the semiconductor manufacturing base of Zhiyun Microelectronics in the city!
Zhiyun Microelectronics has also set up a semiconductor production base in Beijing. Although it is not as large as the three main bases in Tongcheng, Shenzhen and Jiangcheng, it is about the same size as the base in Shanghai.

Zhiyun Microelectronics' main semiconductor manufacturing bases are the three core bases in Tongcheng, Shenzhen, and Jiangcheng, plus some small and medium-sized bases in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Sichuan, and other places, which together form Zhiyun Microelectronics' huge semiconductor manufacturing industry layout.

Zhiyun Microelectronics' Beijing production base currently mainly consists of a 14-nanometer process node (12-14) factory and a 28-nanometer process node (28-45) factory.

In addition, there is a mature flash memory chip factory that specializes in 48- to 90-layer processes. This factory has a large production capacity, reaching 60,000 wafers per month, and is an important flash memory chip factory in Zhiyun Microelectronics supplying the northern market.

Finally, there are some supporting factories such as conventional packaging plants and silicon wafer manufacturing plants.

Although these factories are considered to be mature process factories within Zhiyun Microelectronics, this maturity is relative to Zhiyun Microelectronics itself... Externally, these Level 3 semiconductor factories are still genuine advanced process factories with very good output value.

Although we seem to have entered the 7-nanometer process era, only a few chip products are qualified to use it.

Most chips actually use the 14-nanometer process (10-14) or even the 28-nanometer process node.

Therefore, the capacity utilization rate of Zhiyun Microelectronics' Beijing manufacturing base is very high, reaching over 95%... This capacity utilization rate basically means that, apart from the necessary equipment warranty period, production is carried out in a 7*24 continuous operation mode.

The engineers in the factory work in three shifts... and a large group of PhDs also have to take turns working the night shift.

This is one of the reasons why PhDs are used like beasts of burden in the advanced semiconductor industry. This industry adopts a production model where people take turns resting, but the equipment never rests!
After all, semiconductor factories that require huge investments must ramp up production in a short period of time and strive to recoup their huge initial investments within a few years... We can't expect factories that require investments of billions or even tens of billions of dollars to operate only eight hours a day!

Once those top-of-the-line lithography machines and other advanced lithography equipment are running, each one is a money-printing machine. Unless there is necessary equipment maintenance or a malfunction, it is impossible to stop them.

If the equipment doesn't stop, then the engineers will have to work in three shifts!

If a factory with a shortage of manpower can't operate on three shifts, then it can only operate on two shifts... which is also very hard work!

As for the increased salary costs due to three-shift or two-shift work schedules... these salary costs are negligible compared to the massive investment in semiconductor manufacturing. Labor costs actually account for a very small percentage of semiconductor manufacturing costs... not to be ignored, but their impact is minimal.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xu Shenxue visited the semiconductor manufacturing base, but didn't look at it too carefully. He just glanced at it and got a basic understanding. Afterwards, he went to see the Zhiyun Group's R&D center in Beijing.

Zhiyun Group has a large number of employees in Beijing, numbering around 50,000 to 60,000. After all, there are many universities in Beijing, and top talent resources are abundant. Zhiyun Group has also built a large-scale R&D center here.

At Zhiyun's Beijing branch, Xu Shenxue held several meetings with the branch's management, looked at some projects, and was then called to a symposium.

This is a routine event; every time Xu Shenxue comes to Beijing, he has to make this trip.

After the meeting, with the work coming to a slightly easier, Xu Shenxue took Lin Yaxian and the three children on a trip and watched the flag-raising ceremony, letting the children experience the atmosphere of the ceremony... They were still young at the time and might not be able to express what they felt, but they will naturally have feelings when they grow up.

Next, we'll take the kids to visit attractions like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall!
It's inevitable that you'll be surrounded by onlookers and have your picture taken along the way... these are all normal occurrences.

After two days of sightseeing, Xu Shenxue accepted an invitation to attend a small lecture at Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

This lecture was relatively special; there were no outsiders participating, and no media reporters.

The event wasn't even very large, because only a small number of students with excellent academic performance and conduct could participate, thanks to school recommendations. Ordinary students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities couldn't participate at all, and they didn't even know that Xu Shenxue was at the school that day...

During his lecture, Xu Shenxue didn't talk much about business, but rather about macro-level issues.

For example, the social responsibility of entrepreneurs and enterprises.

For example, there are some anecdotes about conflicts with overseas competitors during my entrepreneurial journey!

Those who are able to attend this small-scale lecture today are all outstanding young students with sufficient intelligence and understanding to comprehend his words. Moreover, they are a group of people who will have a significant impact on various industries in the future. Xu Shenxue prefers to talk to them about social responsibility and more realistic competition.

Many of the things he said today are actually not suitable for public release!

After all, there are some things that can be said to the top elite groups, but not to ordinary people...

Because reality is too cruel and stark!

In particular, Xu Shenxue talked about some of the fierce competition with overseas companies during the process of building the semiconductor equipment and consumables industry.

Even though Xu Shenxue spoke of it in a lighthearted manner, behind each of these little stories lies a bloody reality.

This is the most elite business war on Earth... There's no deception or trickery, no conspiracies or schemes, just a naked fight to the death.

Sometimes, when Galaxy Security agents try to retrieve a flash memory chip containing core technical data and send it back, many people die or are injured along the way.

It has both its own and its rivals!
Finally, Xu Shenxue summarized his view of the competition in the semiconductor equipment industry in one sentence: "This is a life-or-death struggle; it's either me or him who dies, there is no room for compromise!"

Of course, there were some things that weren't said directly, such as: you should protect what you have, and if you don't have something, you should steal or rob it. If you can't even rob it, then destroy it... That's what Xu Shenxue did before!

The reason is simple: we cannot afford to fall behind in the semiconductor competition. If we fall behind, we won't be able to manufacture devices like mobile phones and computers, let alone things like artificial intelligence, robots, autonomous driving, and unmanned combat aircraft.

This kind of strategic competition, which involves the grassroots level, doesn't require consideration of rules or ethics.

After all, the enemy doesn't listen to rules or morals; they are even more shameless and cruel than you!
However, many things are not suitable to be said directly. After all, although the people present are all top elites among the students, they are still students after all, and we have to take some feelings into consideration. We can't be too blunt and can only hint at things through a few simple stories.

However, everyone present was intelligent, and with a little deeper thought, they could guess the brutal reality behind the competition in the semiconductor industry!

While he spoke of the harsh realities of the situation, Xu Shenxue spent most of his time discussing the responsibilities of entrepreneurs and businesses… He started by talking about Kuaipao Technology’s public-interest-oriented operations, and then moved on to his idea of ​​never significantly reducing the price of industrial robots and putting them into operation.

When Xu Shenxue talked about responsibility, he focused more on the word "employment".

Many outsiders feel that since Zhiyun Group's robotics technology is already so advanced, why not develop industrial robots on a large scale to replace low-end labor and thus significantly reduce costs?

Why doesn't Hailan Auto, with its advanced autonomous driving technology, expand its driverless taxi service on a large scale?
Why is it that Kuaipao Technology's technology is already so advanced, and Xiaojiang Technology has been developing drone delivery technology for many years with great success in its experiments, so why not deploy it on a large scale?

Xu Shenxue's previous public explanations were all over the place, citing reasons such as the technology not being mature enough and the costs being too high.

Today, these outstanding students have received the real answer from Xu Shenxue, and the answer is very simple: to stabilize low-end employment!

Xu Shenxue's development of intelligent robots, self-driving cars, drones, and other AI-based technologies is not intended to take away low-end jobs, but to create a better life for people!
During the lecture, Xu Shenxue answered many questions from the students. The overall atmosphere was quite good, and there were no clueless students... After all, the hundred or so students who attended the lecture today were all top students, and their intelligence and quality were quite reliable.

Finally, Xu Shenxue extended an invitation to them: "After you graduate, you are welcome to join us. We have a world-class stage where you can fully unleash your talents and ambitions!"
After the lecture, Xu Shenxue, along with his family and team, boarded a private plane to continue his journey to the next destination.

However, I don't spend much time in other places; I basically work one day and spend the other day with my family.

On March 20, Xu Shenxue's private plane returned to Shenzhen.

The annual spring product launch event of Zhiyun Group will be held tomorrow.

This spring launch event will not only release the SX/SXL series phones and the A series phones, but also a new generation of virtual devices.

The new generation of virtual devices has not actually changed much in terms of technology... No matter how powerful Zhuyun Group is, it cannot make significant innovations in virtual device technology in just one year.

The biggest change is the replacement of the APO graphics card with an APO graphics card in the low-priced virtualization devices. The entry-level version, priced at over 400,000, and the high-end version, priced at over 800,000, will use the APO4600S graphics card instead of the APO4600 graphics card... While the performance will be reduced due to lower density, the price will also be lower.

Most importantly, launch a new generation of cheaper, budget-friendly virtual devices!

With an expected starting price of only 260,000, the entry-level virtual rig, equipped with an APO4500M processor and 64GB of RAM, will be officially released this spring... Although this entry-level virtual rig uses a very low-end graphics card, and even hardware such as the omnidirectional treadmill and sensors have been downgraded...

The robotic arm's seating system is an optional extra, with the standard configuration consisting of only a woven fabric seating assist system, which netizens jokingly refer to as the "big shorts" seating assist system.

Overall performance is terrible; it can barely support running virtual worlds!

However, the price has also dropped significantly... If this version of the virtual equipment costs 400,000, it's garbage, but if it starts at 260,000... then it's still a great deal!

After all, even if it barely supports the operation of the virtual world, it can still run!
This is enough to make many high-income people with a little money seriously consider whether to buy one... More importantly, this will significantly reduce the investment cost of virtual experience centers, greatly increase the stock of virtual devices, and increase the number of users in the virtual world!

These are all extremely beneficial to the overall development of the virtual industry!

(End of this chapter)