After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 592 Domestic Substitution Must Strive for Excellence!
"Foreigners can't be relied on; in critical moments, you have to rely on yourself!"

Zhou Haoran has had this feeling more than once recently.

It's like the financial war in the Hong Kong stock market.

Besides international capital, many other forces have also joined them. Traitors are actually a minority, and their power is small; they can't stir up any trouble. Those who can stir up trouble are the securities companies that are legitimately registered with the Hong Kong government.

Those foreign securities companies!

They colluded with international capital to launch an attack on Hong Kong stocks.

Just yesterday, in the last few minutes before the market closed, just as the day's battle was about to end, several foreign securities firms suddenly launched an attack, causing the Hang Seng Index to plummet by 200 points in one minute.

It's similar to a sneak attack from behind.

The same applies to this RF chip distribution deal.

When the initiative is in the hands of others, it is easy for one's own side to fall into a passive position.

Zhou Haoran had a good attitude. "Philips wants to acquire a Swedish company, and no one can stop them. Anyway, there's a penalty for breach of contract. If they really want to cancel the agency rights... collecting a penalty is fine too."

"Huh?" Ji Yingyang's eyes widened. "What about the transportation card program?"

Zhou Haoran sneered, "Such a big country, can it really be controlled by a foreign company?"

Ji Yingyang said, "The transportation smart card is expected to be officially launched next year. Once it starts here in the port, I estimate that many first-tier cities will follow suit. We should ensure that this project goes smoothly."

"Easy to say."

Zhou Haoran hadn't placed all his hopes on a Swedish semiconductor company.

He has two contingency plans.

The first contingency plan is to utilize the research achievements of our alma mater.

The radio frequency chip for smart cards isn't particularly technologically advanced. Once Fudan Microelectronics successfully develops it, a domestic alternative will be available. Only with a domestic alternative can transportation smart cards achieve nationwide adoption.

If we rely on imports, transportation cards can only be promoted in wealthy first-tier cities.

Second contingency plan.

It's okay if our alma mater's research results are slow to come out.

Zhou Haoran had previously dealt with the smart card team at the University of Tokyo. They used radio frequency chips produced by Tokyo Electron, which were of good quality. He even obtained all the compatibility test results from the University of Tokyo team.

It can also be used as a substitute!
Zhou Haoran said, "I've been paying attention to this for a while. I'll go back to the university and meet with the R&D team there. Without me, it might take them another year or two to successfully develop it. Now that I've stepped in, things will be different. The smart card project has been running for so long, they have firsthand information from the whole process, which might shorten the development time!"

Is it made in China?

Ji Yingyang's eyes lit up.

"In the long run, we still need to localize production, but whether we can succeed is uncertain." Zhou Haoran is now the leading expert in smart cards in China and has authority in this field. "Don't worry, Philips can do whatever they want, there's no need to beg for favors. Wait for my news!"

I went to school.

See Professor Gao Xiangwen.

Learn about the progress of his radio frequency chip research and development.

Slightly disappointed.

Still a long way to go!
“Professor Gao, we need to hurry!” Zhou Haoran said earnestly. He seemed to be the professor, while the scientist opposite him looked like a student. “Smart cards are becoming more and more common. I can even predict that the sales volume of smart cards in China may reach 1500 million next year.”

"so much?"

Gao Xiangwen was taken aback.

"It's more than that! These 1500 million smart cards all use imported RF chips and have matching reading devices. That's over $1 million in foreign exchange." Zhou Haoran lamented, "This is such a waste!"

Professor Gao Xiangwen was encouraged.

After all, only with a market can there be profit.

Even scientists dream of getting rich.

"We currently have a technical bottleneck that we haven't overcome. If we can overcome this hurdle, we can greatly shorten our research and development cycle."

Professor Gao was getting impatient.

Zhou Haoran put a lot of pressure on him, "You need to hurry! Many industries and sectors in the country have a demand for smart cards, but cost limitations make widespread adoption very difficult. Whether domestic alternatives can be achieved depends entirely on your team!"

"Definitely!"

Professor Gao Xiangwen did not treat him as a student either.

It's become somewhat known in schools now.

Ordinary students and teachers may not know, but those in the inner circle have vaguely heard about it... Zhou Haoran, the genius PhD from the School of Computer Science, seems to be not only a technical genius, but also a business genius, and even a successor of intangible cultural heritage.

I heard that he represented the port's business community and went south to the Hong Kong government to engage in a decisive battle with international capital!
With this identity, Zhou Haoran made the arrangements much easier, saying, "Professor Gao, there must be more than just your team developing radio frequency chips in China, right?"

Professor Gao Xiangwen was quite confident and said with a smile, "There are many teams making progress, but from what I've heard, their progress is too slow, less than half of ours."

"We can't be careless!" Zhou Haoran said, explaining the business logic: "If your team succeeds in developing the product and enters the market first, you can be the first to try it. Even if competitors join later, due to the inertia of first-mover advantage, the industry leader can often get 60%-70% of the market share."

"So that's it!"

Gao Xiangwen didn't understand these things, but he trusted Dr. Zhou's judgment.

"Therefore, time waits for no one!" Zhou Haoran seemed even more anxious than him, saying in a half-serious, half-threatening tone, "If another team beats you to it and develops a domestic alternative, you won't be able to claim the title of 'first,' and your market recognition will drop significantly, making it difficult to exceed 30% market share. Professor Gao, you represent not only the country, but also Fudan University!"

This is not enough.

After offering Professor Gao some encouragement, Zhou Haoran turned around and went to find the school leaders.

This time they'll be taken seriously.

The principal and three vice-principals all showed up to see him, being both proactive and enthusiastic.

Zhou Haoran didn't mention the Hong Kong government's market rescue plan, only saying it was a state secret. He added that the national team and international capital were currently engaged in a major battle, which wasn't over yet, and therefore "military intelligence" couldn't be leaked, so he couldn't say more.

I only mentioned the radio frequency chip; we need to urge Professor Gao Xiangwen's team to hurry up!
Fudan Microelectronics is a university-industry collaboration. Once the research and development is successful, this project could bring Fudan at least several hundred million yuan in revenue each year.

Actually, that's all being conservative.

In its previous life, Fudan Microelectronics achieved instant success with the development of radio frequency chips, becoming a well-known semiconductor company in China. Relying on its core business of smart cards, its market value reached tens of billions.

This concerns the interests of the school.

The university needs to put some pressure on Professor Gao.

After leaving the school leaders' office, Zhou Haoran finally had time to go to the School of Computer Science, where he met his mentor, Dean Cheng, several familiar professors, and the lukewarm campus forum team that had fallen far short of expectations.

After going around in circles, I finally saw Dongfang Lang.

"What day did you return from the Hong Kong government?"

Zhou Haoran was too busy in the south to pay attention to him.

“I’m back already!” Dongfang Lang didn’t have a good impression of the Hong Kong government. “People there are a bit arrogant and disdainful. I can’t speak Cantonese, and even the waiters’ attitude towards me changed.”

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Then speak English! If you speak English, I'll be much more enthusiastic towards you."

"It's not like we're going abroad, why do we need to speak a foreign language?"

Dongfang Lang has always been a very strong-willed person.

Zhou Haoran said dismissively, "The upper class won't discriminate based on whether you speak Mandarin or Cantonese. Why are you taking it so seriously with those ordinary people from the lower class?"

Dongfang Lang curled his lip, "What high society? High society is just low society."

"extreme!"

Zhou Haoran went with him to his newly opened on-campus hand-grind coffee shop for coffee.

"Didn't you give me a list before..." Dongfang Lang said angrily, "because I can't speak Cantonese, the price will be increased by 20%!"

"What list?"

Zhou Haoran was completely confused.

Dongfang Langdao said, "The Hong Kong government has a list of female celebrities and artists with clearly marked prices. I called to ask, and damn it! Just because I'm from the mainland, the price has to be raised."

"You actually asked?"

Zhou Haoran thought this kid was really disappointing.

That list was given to him by his boss.

It was mainly to serve Jiang Feibiao.

Top female stars don't engage in short-term speculation.

We can't afford to play the long game.

That means you can only choose actresses from the second or third tier, which are much more affordable, sometimes costing only tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars a night. The transaction price is roughly 100-200 times that of top-tier escorts.

Dongfang Lang said, "I'm just asking. I didn't play any games. With that kind of money, how many female college students could I have dated!"

"That's all you're good for."

Zhou Haoran despised him.

Then we got down to business, which was still about radio frequency chips.

I explained to him the potential risks associated with the agency agreement, as well as the enormous potential of smart cards and the current opportunity to monopolize the market. I encouraged him to maintain contact with Professor Gao and urge him to explore any commercial avenues that could facilitate development.

"You think too highly of me, don't you?" Dongfang Lang smiled wryly. "I don't know anything about technology."

Zhou Haoran sensed that this kid had quite a few tricks up his sleeve, and said, "Give it a try. I can't keep going back to school all the time, so you keep an eye on him!"

"Hmm." Dongfang Lang nodded, then remembered something, "Oh right, about Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei before."

"You've taken a liking to it?"

Zhou Haoran was very surprised.

"No."

Dongfang Lang was very embarrassed.

Zhou Haoran laughed heartily, "I thought you were omnipotent!"

Dongfang Lang said helplessly, "That's why I'm sending you. She's a big star now, and she's got high aspirations. If you go, I guarantee you can win them both over."

"Not interested in!"

Zhou Haoran shook his head.

Where is Jin Suo?

Dongfang Lang looked at him with a smile.

“Jin Suo…” Zhou Haoran raised his eyebrows a few times, then shook his head, “The entertainment industry is a big dye vat, and pure lotus flowers can’t grow there.”

Dongfang Lang said, "Jin Suo is only 17 years old this year."

"Oh?"

Zhou Haoran's eyes lit up.

Seeing that he was indeed interested, Dongfang Lang chuckled, "I asked around, and Jin Suo really does have a chance. She's still a student, studying at a school in the harbor!"

"At the harbor?"

"Yes, Xie Jin Performing Arts School. Wait for my news. I'll let you know when she finishes filming 'Princess Pearl 2' and comes back to attend school!"

(End of this chapter)