Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 594 Yu Taihe's Worries
Around noon, Yu Taihe was idly scrolling through his phone.

He unintentionally discovered the MMK34 material a few years ago, which led him to the pinnacle of his life, where he gained immense wealth and status, becoming one of the directors of several materials research institutes under the Zhiyun Group, primarily responsible for the subsequent research and development of room-temperature superconductors.

However, the subsequent research and development work did not go smoothly!

Based on the technical approach of MMK34 material, he actually developed a superconductor of the same category, with slightly different technical details, but its superconducting temperature under normal pressure is still below minus twenty degrees Celsius... This is not very meaningful.

The superconducting temperature has not increased much, and even the mass production cost has not decreased. Several successful studies may seem like technological breakthroughs, but in reality, they are meaningless.

Of course, it also has its uses, namely, it allows Yu Tai and other superconductor researchers to better understand and thoroughly grasp the technical characteristics of MMK34 material classification, and to figure out why and understand the technical principles.

However, the difficulty of developing a better superconductor based on the MMK34 technology path has become extremely high, and no substantial technological breakthrough has been achieved so far.

In the morning, his team's year-long project on a new type of superconductor, which involved a huge amount of manpower and resources, completely failed. In the final round of physical experiments, they still failed to synthesize the expected superconductor... The repeated failures of the experiments proved that the technical approach of the project was completely wrong.

The technical approach is not feasible, which means that the huge initial investment and time have all gone down the drain!
If the investment in just this one project fails, it will amount to at least a billion yuan!
The failure of one project can result in a loss of over a billion yuan, and he has more than a dozen similar superconductor projects under his management, but none of them show any hope of success!

This made Yu Taihe somewhat irritable... You have to understand that the annual expenditure of his materials research institute is not a small amount, and the lack of results is a real problem. Although the technical committee above did not say anything, they comforted him that failure in materials research is normal, and that he should not worry and should take his time.

But he was in a hurry!

If a research institute invests heavily but fails to produce results in a long time, it will inevitably be questioned.

Ultimately, the only solutions to the questioning are either replacing the person in charge or cutting funding.

He wasn't worried about being replaced, after all, he was a core technical staff member who developed the MMK34 superconducting material, and his position was very secure.

The problem is that he's worried about budget cuts!
For Yu Taihe, a high-level technical team leader, research funding is his lifeline... Without funding, how would he support his team? How would he conduct experiments? How would he demonstrate his value?
There's no use rushing the development of materials; we can only keep enduring this situation!

If I'm not in a good mood, after reviewing the last failed experiment, I'll stay alone in the office, not working, just scrolling through my phone or simply spacing out. I even have my assistant bring me lunch so I can eat it right there in the office.

Feeling bored, he scrolled through his phone until he came across a social media report about Nanmen Aerospace launching the No. 7 rocket.

At 11:40 a.m. today, Nanmen Aerospace successfully launched its No. 7 rocket. After the first and second stages separated, the Bailong Space Shuttle, carrying dozens of satellites from the Zhiyun Satellite Network, continued its ascent to carry out its mission.

The first stage rocket then entered the return-to-base procedure!
After returning to the designated recovery site, the Long March 7 first-stage rocket was successfully caught and recovered by the massive boom!

Watching the video of the Long March 7 rocket being held in place by the cantilever, Yu Taihe felt a little envious... Look how smoothly Nanmen Aerospace's technology development is progressing; their first launch experiment was a success.

Then look at my own research on superconductors, which has failed time and time again!
It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy!
He casually clicked on the comments section, which already contained tens of thousands of comments, all of them congratulations and praises. Yu Taihe was a little envious... He wanted to be congratulated and praised by countless people just as much!
Unfortunately, he works on superconductors, and even if he makes great progress, he can't make it public... It's hard to say in his lifetime, but at least in the short term, he's unlikely to receive such congratulations.

Just like the previous MMK34 material, although it brought him great wealth, and he was even personally taken by Xu Shenxue to the capital to report on his work, and received praise and rewards from his superiors, everything was done in secret!

Last year, he attended a secret award ceremony where he and the head of Zhiyun's superconducting quantum computer project received awards.

Although Xu Shenxue personally accompanied him, and the people attending the ceremony were all of great importance, this was a scene that ordinary scientists would never even dare to imagine in their entire lives.

But how should I put it... it just wasn't quite right, there wasn't a scene of cheering crowds!
Even the award ceremony itself has become a classified matter, and it will take at least several decades to declassify it, at least until the large-scale application of room temperature and pressure superconductors can no longer be kept secret and it is officially made public.

Although Yu Taihe successfully produced the MMK34 material, he was just an ordinary person. In fact, he also wanted to enjoy being cheered by the crowd... Unfortunately, his research did not allow it.

Who told him to be a superconductor engineer... It's one thing to be an engineer, but he actually produced the top-secret MMK34 material, which meant he was destined to remain hidden from public view.

Of course, although it was a pity, he wouldn't do anything reckless and expose anything... After all, he also cherished his own life... Even if he was ignorant, he could imagine that if the news of MMK34 were exposed, he, as a core researcher of the MMK34 project, would be on the kidnapping list of intelligence agencies around the world in no time... and at least in the top ten.

To put it more optimistically, only Professor Lin Andong and Professor Wang Binyao, two recognized eccentric scientists, probably receive better treatment than him!
Who wouldn't want a superconductor that operates at room temperature and pressure?

Incidentally, according to information relayed by Galaxy Security, Professor Lin Andong's name has been on numerous assassination lists for many years... He is the second most sought-after assassination target for many intelligence agencies, second only to Xu Shenxue.

To take math to this level, Lin Andong is truly something else...

There's no way around it. Although ordinary people may not be aware of it, those in the top circles all know that it was Professor Lin Andong who developed a series of core underlying algorithms for artificial intelligence under the Zhiyun Group!
If we could kidnap him and force him to reveal these core underlying algorithms, then we would instantly possess the top-tier artificial intelligence technology of the Zhiyun Group.

If they could assassinate him, the future development of Zhiyun Group's artificial intelligence technology would face huge problems... They didn't believe Xu Shenxue could find another Lin Andong.

However... Lin Andong's security treatment is at the same level as Xu Shenxue's, and he is a shut-in who is obsessed with mathematical research and rarely goes out throughout the year, so they simply cannot find an opportunity.

Honestly, assassinating him would be harder than assassinating Xu Shenxue... at least Xu Shenxue would still be traveling around the country, frequently going on inspections and attending meetings.

Yu Taihe felt that if the news about the MMK34 material were released, he would most likely enjoy the same level of security as Professor Lin Andong... A bunch of people would rush over to kidnap him or assassinate him.

In comparison, the current life is more stable. Although there is security personnel following me, which affects my daily life, the impact is not too great. It's not like I have to be accompanied by hundreds of security personnel every time I go out!
Even for the sake of his own life and daily life, Yu Taihe still hoped that the news about MMK34 could be kept secret for a longer period of time.

Fortunately, the group's security department has been very effective, and they have kept the MMK34 news very secret until now!
The outside world only knows that Zhiyun Group has developed some kind of cutting-edge material, but what exactly it is is still unknown.

I heard they even developed some kind of carbon nanotube material and a space elevator project to cover up their scheme and completely confuse the intelligence personnel on the other side.

To keep the MMK34 material secret and to divert the attention of hostile intelligence personnel, the Zhiyun security department even set up a so-called secret laboratory specifically for carbon nanotube materials and the space elevator project...

Moreover, they actually assembled a large group of researchers to study carbon nanotube materials, creating a fake that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

The tighter the security measures were in place for this secret carbon nanotube laboratory, and the more people they arrested, the more they believed that Zhiyun Group must have developed some extraordinary carbon nanotube material and was really trying to create something like a space elevator!

Otherwise, why make such a big fuss? With so many security personnel surrounding a secret laboratory, not to mention anything else, the cost of maintaining this level of security alone is an enormous sum.

Without some huge, cutting-edge technological achievement hidden inside, who would believe it!

It couldn't be because I was bored and just wanted to tease them...

The scene was so impressive that Yu Taihe had to admire the security team; they had a really creative mind and were incredibly professional!

Fortunately, the presence of such a professional security team allows Yu Taihe and his team to focus on their research without much external interference, and even to some extent maintain a normal lifestyle.

Yu Taihe and his team's research on security is based on the hard work and sacrifices of many staff members from Zhiyun's security department and external security agencies!
Otherwise, Yu Tai and his gang would have been wiped out long ago!
------

On Qiongzhou Island, Xu Shenxue watched as a large number of researchers conducted preliminary tests on the Long March 7 rocket, which had just completed its cantilever recovery!
The first test flight of the Long March 7 rocket was a great success, almost flawless... The first stage rocket successfully sent the Long March 2 space shuttle to its intended orbit and separated it. The Long March 2 space shuttle will then carry out the subsequent altitude climb, satellite release and final return on its own.

The first stage rocket turned back home, and the huge first stage rocket was successfully recovered using a cantilever recovery method!

When the massive cantilever clamped the tens-of-meters-long Long March 7 rocket, Xu Shenxue in the command center, along with everyone else, applauded and congratulated the many staff members on site.

The Long March 7 rocket is of great significance. It is the next-generation, low-cost, reusable rocket planned by Nanmen Aerospace. It uses a new type of Bifang B liquid oxygen methane engine, which has greater thrust and lower cost.

The cost of its fuel, methane, is only about one-third that of kerosene... This means that a large amount of money can be saved on fuel alone.

Meanwhile, the technology of liquid oxygen methane engines is more reliable and the manufacturing process is simpler, which means that the manufacturing cost of the engine itself will also be reduced to a certain extent.

At the same time, the liquid oxygen methane engine has another advantage, which is that it is more suitable for reuse than the liquid oxygen kerosene engine... Although the liquid oxygen kerosene engine can also be reused, and Nanmen Aerospace is using it quite well.

However, some inherent technical defects are difficult to completely resolve, which also affects the repeated service life of the engine!

Liquid oxygen-methane engines, on the other hand, have a longer service life... which means that the average cost per use is lower.

The aforementioned cost reductions ultimately resulted in the Long March 7 rocket, which uses the Bifang B liquid oxygen-methane engine, having significantly lower launch costs compared to the Long March 5 and Long March 6 rockets!
Incidentally, liquid oxygen methane engines have another advantage: methane production is simpler and the raw materials are more widely available. With current technology, methane can be extracted from local resources on many planets, including the Moon.

This means that, once technology advances to a certain level in the future, Nanmen Space's lunar base plan will be able to obtain methane fuel locally on the moon, without having to transport it all the way from Earth. This is quite important for future interstellar travel and transportation.

In addition, another major technical feature of the Long March 7 rocket is its cantilever recovery system... This means that the rocket does not need to carry a heavy recovery support frame when it launches into space. This weight can be used to increase fuel or payload... Ultimately, this leads to a significant reduction in launch costs.

The Long March 7 rocket's many technical features all revolve around one point: reducing launch costs!
And the final Long March 7 rocket did not disappoint the expectations of the large number of people at Nanmen Aerospace!
"According to our calculations, if we adopt the reusable launch mode for the Long March 7 rocket, its launch cost will be controlled at around $400 per kilogram. With the continuous optimization brought about by technological advancements and the further reduction in manufacturing costs due to technological maturity, we expect to reduce the launch cost of the Long March 7 rocket to $300 per kilogram!"

"In contrast, the Long March 5 rocket, in its reusable mode, uses a two-stage, non-recoverable rocket, and the launch cost per kilogram is $1,500!"

"The Long March 5 rocket's reusable mode, using the recovery method of the Bailong 1 rocket, has a launch cost of one thousand US dollars per kilogram. This launch mode is also our current main launch mode." "Now, our Long March 7 rocket can further reduce the launch cost to four hundred US dollars per kilogram, and in the future, it can be reduced to three hundred US dollars per kilogram!"

"Such low launch costs will strongly support the construction of the Zhiyun satellite network, the space station program, and the lunar base program!"

Xu Shenxue couldn't help but beam with joy when he heard about the launch cost of four hundred US dollars per kilogram!

This data alone might not give you a clear picture... but when compared to the launch costs of traditional rockets or space shuttles, it becomes much clearer.

The launch cost of the US space shuttle was tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram... This is extremely bizarre. The Americans moved the space shuttle because the launch cost was too high.

The cost of disposable conventional rockets for space agencies around the world ranges from several thousand to ten thousand US dollars per kilogram. In countries with higher costs, the cost may be several thousand to ten thousand US dollars, while in countries with lower costs, it may be as low as three or four thousand US dollars.

However, no matter how much effort is put into it, the launch cost of a disposable traditional rocket remains at several thousand dollars, which is difficult to reduce... After all, a rocket is only used once, and it is difficult to significantly reduce the cost no matter how it is controlled.

Four hundred dollars versus four thousand dollars... that's a tenfold cost difference!

This demonstrates Nanmen Aerospace's strength in the commercial space sector... Relying on its significant cost advantage, Nanmen Aerospace often offers much lower prices than its competitors when bidding for commercial launch contracts.

For a launch mission, other space agencies or companies might quote $80 million, while Southgate Aerospace would typically quote $50 to $60 million.

Moreover, Nanmen Aerospace launches hundreds of rockets every year. They have rich experience and mature technology, which is enough to ensure the safety of mission payloads... Don't be fooled by the occasional explosions that Nanmen Aerospace causes.

But most of them were actually explosions of various experimental rockets... They were conducting experiments with the intention of causing explosions.

Sometimes, they'll even cause an explosion during the recovery phase. This is when they get a first-stage rocket that's nearing the end of its lifespan, and they can use the opportunity to conduct experiments and collect data.

So don't be fooled by the frequent explosions at Nanmen Aerospace; their commercial launches are remarkably safe. In all their years in the industry, they've launched hundreds of rockets, with only a few incidents causing payloads to fail to reach their intended orbits.

In such cases, the insurance company under Nanmen Aerospace will also provide compensation, resolving the customer's concerns.

This dual advantage of technology and price has allowed Southgate Aerospace to almost monopolize the global purely commercial launch market... Only some non-commercial launch orders are excluded and are taken by space exploration companies or traditional space agencies of various countries.

Reusable rockets are inexpensive, which is why many commercial space companies and even traditional space agencies, besides Southgate Aerospace and SpaceX, are developing reusable rockets... the cost difference is several times.

If we go further and use a liquid oxygen-methane engine with a cantilever recovery system like the Long March 7 rocket, the cost difference would be more than ten times!
With the adoption of the Long March 7 rocket, Xu Shenxue's future space programs will have a better means of transportation. For example, in the lunar base project that has already begun, the Long March 7 rocket will bear the main launch and transportation costs.

Compared to using the Long March 5 and Long March 6 rockets, the launch cost can be reduced by at least half!
Xu Shenxue is really looking forward to it!
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.

After returning from Qiongzhou Island, Xu Shenxue did not stay in Shenzhen for long. The next day, he took several scientists from Nanmen Aerospace to Beijing for a meeting, mainly to discuss the follow-up handling of the 'Cloud' interstellar planet.

However, the meeting didn't yield any results. Everyone was hesitant; they wanted to do it, but were afraid of causing big trouble.

Ultimately, the only option is to first prepare the technical aspects, such as developing a launch plan, building a detector, and getting all the technical preparations done first... Then, we can gather opinions from more top experts and brainstorm before deciding whether or not to proceed.

After returning from Beijing, Xu Shenxue put the 'cloud' interstellar object aside for the time being, focusing on the technical preparations first and seeing how things went later.

After running around for several days, Xu Shenxue returned to Shenzhen in December!

At this time, Xu Shenxue received another message from Galaxy Security: Galaxy Security was currently fighting with an unknown hostile force.

The conflict, which started in South America, has spread to multiple locations around the world.

Although Galaxy Security uncovered several security companies involved in the mission, they found that these were all newly established companies, and the people behind them could not be identified anytime soon.

For someone to do something like this, they're definitely hiding somewhere, making it extremely difficult to find them...

Xu Shenxue's attitude toward this was to continue the investigation... to find the enemy, since there's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

No matter who the other party is or what their conspiracy is, we must find them out and strike them hard.

Otherwise, people would think that Xu Shenxue is timid and afraid of trouble.

In this small world of Earth, you can't give people the impression of being timid and cowardly, or all sorts of troubles will follow.

To support Galaxy Security's investigation, Xu Shenxue provided Galaxy Security with an additional large sum of money.

Some of its subsidiaries, such as Dongning Technology, also provided various secret equipment, especially the Black Swallow stealth reconnaissance drone provided by Dongning Technology, which is very useful!

The Black Swallow 3 stealth drone is relatively small and easy to carry covertly. Once airborne, it is difficult to detect because it is a stealth aircraft, making it very useful for covert surveillance and investigation.

Galaxy Security has found through actual use that this drone is not only very useful for battlefield monitoring and commanding drones, but it is actually even better for simply performing monitoring and reconnaissance missions!
After secretly taking a Black Swallow 3 drone to a mission area and launching it, it can monitor and collect information from hundreds of kilometers away... It's very useful.

------

In December, Zhuyun Group, which had been quiet for several months, once again ignited global public opinion!
After entering December, Zhiyun Group officially held its winter press conference, where it launched a new generation of intelligent robots.

The new generation of intelligent robots has optimized some technical details and battery life on some models.

In particular, the new generation of intelligent robots uses the EYQ6 chip manufactured with a five-nanometer process. Due to its more advanced process technology and better architecture design, the EYQ6 chip gives the new generation of intelligent robots more computing power, enabling them to better perform various tasks.

The new generation of intelligent robots has made significant technological advancements.

While the technology has been improved, the price of the new generation of intelligent robots has not changed much, maintaining the same price as the previous generation, which shows great sincerity.

This has led to a continued surge in robot sales, and barring unforeseen circumstances, the intelligent robots under the Zhiyun Group will continue to experience rapid growth next year!
After all, it's a globally monopolized product with excellent practicality. Furthermore, through years of technological advancements and cost reductions, even entry-level robots costing over 100,000 yuan now offer quite good performance, sufficient to meet the needs of a normal family.

This has also attracted more middle-income families to include robots in their options for major home purchases... especially for many upper-middle-income families who have already bought cars and houses, buying a home robot has become their priority.

This is also what Zhiyun Group hopes to see... Zhiyun Group's marketing staff are constantly promoting various marketing concepts, such as robots being a good helper for housework for female homeowners, robots being the best option for tutoring children's studies, robots being the best way to care for the elderly and children, and even saying that robots are an indispensable part of the family.

The most common advertising slogan is: the three essential items for a modern home: a house, a car, and a smart robot!

If you don't even have a smart robot, how can you call yourself a middle-class family?
Anyway, they use all sorts of marketing rhetoric and bombard the world with advertisements year after year, especially with exaggerated product placements in movies and TV shows... Zhiyun robots can often be seen in many urban-themed movies and TV shows.

When it comes to advertising and marketing, Zhuyun Group's marketing department is highly professional!

In addition to its new generation of robot products, Zhiyun Group also accomplished something major this December—something that could significantly impact global research and applications in the field of artificial intelligence.

That means the APO6000 graphics card has been officially delivered to some strategic customers!
On December 18th, a Boeing cargo plane fully loaded with APO6000 graphics cards took off from Shenzhen Airport and headed straight for the United States. This was the first batch of APO6000 graphics cards ordered by Google!

The APO6000 graphics card from Zhiyun Group has begun delivery. There hasn't been much publicity, since the product launch event was already held and orders were already received. Now it's just the start of official delivery.

However, the outside world still reported on it extensively... This reporting was not even done by Zhiyun Group, but by Google.

Because after this batch of APO6000 graphics cards arrived, Google even held a press conference to introduce and promote their next-generation artificial intelligence plan.

They say they're going to invest at least $50 billion to build the world's top GPU data center, in preparation for training the next generation of top-tier artificial intelligence!

After spending so much money to purchase APO6000 graphics cards and so much money to develop artificial intelligence, shouldn't we at least show our shareholders and ordinary investors something?
Don't count on top-tier artificial intelligence; they don't have it yet, and their AI technology is far behind that of Zhiyun Group.

However, GPU data centers, which can be purchased with money, are something that investors can still take a look at.

On the day Google announced the construction of a top-tier GPU data center, Google's stock price surged!

Google took the lead, and other major high-tech companies followed suit, one after another receiving the first batch of APO6000 graphics cards and announcing their various plans in the field of artificial intelligence.

The situation is the same in the US and in China, with a large number of high-tech companies going crazy for artificial intelligence.

There's been no movement from old Europe, on the other hand...

(End of this chapter)