What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 613 Scientific Superman (2200 monthly votes in July)

The negotiations with the partners ended hastily and in an embarrassing manner. Zhao Hande, unable to bear the loss of face, decided to first reach a consensus internally.

He finally understood that Gaijin, who had access to funds and channels, was a hot commodity, and everyone wanted a piece of it!
By evening, the contents of the afternoon's meeting somehow leaked out, and the exorbitant price quoted by Tang Wen when heard on other planes was also greatly shocked.

Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), which were not originally on the candidate list due to secrecy requirements, could not resist the temptation. After all, according to Tang Wen, the funds prepared from the factory to the landing of the aircraft were at least US$25 billion, which even exceeded the development cost of the main fighter jet.

Putting aside the potential benefits of collaboration, wouldn't it be a game-changer for other aircraft manufacturers to instantly elevate them to the ranks of top-tier design firms?
Many domestic design firms deliberately diverted a lot of talent to the Third Front construction project, and many of them still remain today, so expansion is not an obstacle.

With an investment of tens of billions of yuan, second- or third-rate design firms like Guizhou Aircraft Industry Group and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group could immediately take off with all their basic infrastructure.

Moreover, local officials would be happy to give it a push, as an advanced aircraft project can directly drive the upgrading of the surrounding industrial chain!

The two future kings of the North and South were cursing Tang Wen in their hearts while simultaneously trying to find a way to secure the money. Cheng Fei, the most resourceful of them all, was the first to propose a solution:
The higher-ups are worried about leaks, so just have Factory 132 allocate a separate group of people and their territory to it, and isolate them directly from the main project!

That evening, Zhao Hande received countless phone calls and telegrams. After all, the major aircraft research institutes are national-level research units, and everyone has connections.
Besides fighter jet design institutes, transport aircraft and bomber design institutes like Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group and Shaanxi Aircraft Industry Group also joined in the fun, especially Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group, which insisted that the JH-7 fighter-bomber could also be considered as fighter jet design experience!

Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG), which developed the H-5 SH-5, and Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry Group (SAC), which worked on the Y-5 transport aircraft, also came to join the fun. Even the South China Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which developed seaplanes, came to participate.

Not only were a flurry of requests sent to Zhao Hande's desk, but soon the Shanghai Aircraft Institute, which was in charge of passenger planes, also called, saying that fighter jets were simpler to build than passenger planes and that they could build them too!
Tang Wen's casually released figures directly triggered a fierce battle among domestic aircraft manufacturers. Although he himself was not disturbed in the middle of the night, he saw that the guesthouse was crowded with people and cars when he opened the curtains the next day.

Confused, he thought some important leader had arrived and went forward to inquire, only to be recognized and immediately found himself surrounded by countless gifts and letters:

"President Tang, I'm from Guizhou Aircraft Industry Group. We're willing to listen to you completely. Whatever Geijin says goes. If you want to build the F-22, we'll do our best!"

"Shameless! Can you even make your own decisions?!"

"President Tang, we are from the South China Aircraft Research Institute, and we also support the technicians of the First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. We are located right next to Zhuhai, so it's very convenient to contact us!"

"What are you seaplane makers doing getting involved in? We are..."

"Mr. Tang..."

"..."

Tang Wen was surrounded like a wealthy dog ​​visiting a defense exhibition in later years. He only knew that he was surrounded by almost the entire domestic aviation industry. He turned around to ask for help but found Zhen Hai lying on the window with great interest, even fiddling with his camera to take pictures.

"Damn, no wonder the strategist-type ship girls have nicknames!"

It wasn't until Zhao Hande arrived with his men, his face dark, and dispersed the crowd that he was rescued from his predicament.

The former intended to reprimand the gathered crowd, but the words that came out were:
"You're laughing at me. These guys are so afraid of being poor that they're just hoping to seize this opportunity."

"You'll likely find yourself in a difficult situation if you stay here any longer. Go back now; the higher-ups will discuss which factory will ultimately be chosen for the collaboration."

……

Devil
Tang Wen originally planned to hide here and check on the progress of the Institute of Computing Technology, but little did he know that he had just jumped into another fire pit.

"President Tang, I'll punish myself with three drinks first."

"No, there's no need for that..."

"It's necessary, it's necessary."

Tang Wen sat in the main seat, opposite Ni Zhenhai who was making a mess of a crayfish, to his left were people from the Shanghai Aircraft Institute, and to his right were people from the Computer Institute.

Ren Chunqiu, who had already been promoted to deputy director, showed no anger whatsoever at their first meeting; at first glance, they seemed like old friends.

He managed to get on board the MD.11 project with lightning speed. The First Aircraft Factory had already started sending out some parts, and the Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute, with its rich experience, was still the first choice for manufacturers.

The two MD.11G aircraft assembled in Nansha District have been test-flying for three months, from Guangzhou to Shanghai, then to Beijing and the plateau. Through frequent flights, they have demonstrated their safety and high carrying capacity, and are about to be accepted by the Civil Aviation Administration and delivered to the airlines.

The First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant was the client, and Tang Wen, being the client's father, naturally deserved the highest treatment.

Meanwhile, the people at the Shanghai Computer Institute were also extremely respectful:

By acquiring several factories and establishing a semiconductor company in Shanghai, Gaijin has essentially accomplished what the local government wanted to do:

The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has a long history. Originally, the local government planned to transform the institute into a microelectronics equipment company to specialize in the research of chip production equipment such as lithography machines and etching machines, and to establish SMEE (Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment).

The plan to incubate another large semiconductor company based on SMEE has been progressing slowly due to a severe shortage of talent and funding.

Tang Wen's establishment of SSE (Shanghai Semiconductor) directly accomplished what the Shanghai authorities had planned to do several years in advance. Moreover, SSE was extremely wealthy and built the best chip production line in the country from scratch, which in turn boosted SMEE and injected a massive amount of capital into it.

This brings us to Ni Zhenhai, a tech fanatic who has a few flaws common to top talents: extreme confidence, tenacity, and principle (arrogance, stubbornness, and inflexibility). He is also relatively poor at building relationships with his team and outsiders, which is a major reason why he was easily kicked out by Lianxiang.

Upon arriving at SSE, Tang Wen not only granted him significant authority but also provided him with virtually unlimited funding. Ni Zhenhai immediately noticed that his colleagues, subordinates, and even competitors became more understanding and approachable, allowing him to accelerate his research efforts.

Keep in mind that this is a ruthless person who dared to say he would create a nationwide ecosystem with just two or three hundred million (and actually did it, but failed to promote it). He also had Tang Wen's almost blind trust. As soon as the boss left, he immediately proposed all sorts of exaggerated catch-up plans, poaching people and desperately increasing the plans, forcing the entire SSE and Shanghai supply chain to get involved.

But the effect was also very significant. Taking advantage of the fact that the gap between domestic and international systems had not yet widened too much and the accelerated ability of institutional cooperation, Ni Zhenhai handed Tang Wen a briefcase as soon as they met:

Inside is a Lenovo 5300DT laptop.

This computer features a Pentium 133MHz processor, 16MB of RAM, a 1.6GB hard drive, a 640x480 screen, and native support for the Chinese version of Windows 95. It is currently the most expensive flagship laptop.

However, the version Ni Zhenhai gave him was obviously different. The original back cover was removed and replaced with an acrylic plate, and the motherboard inside, which was clearly not the original, could be easily seen.

The computer currently using this chip is a Dongjiang M530.

After the Dongjiang 550 chip project, designed to rival the Pentium 2, was launched, Tang Wen ambitiously formulated a new CPU naming convention:

The series is tentatively named M3, M5, and M7, covering low, mid, and high-end markets respectively. The first digit indicates the generation, and the following two generations represent performance.

而原来的东江550被划分到了M550，并且存在更低端的M530、超频版的M580以对应奔腾2的低频率和高频率型号。

The GPU graphics card chip series uses the "G" designation, and currently only the G100, which is being developed to compete with Voodoo3D, is available.

The Dongjiang M530 chip is essentially a downclocked and stripped-down version of the M550. It contains 770 million transistors, and by reducing the frequency, power consumption is significantly lowered, while performance reaches 80% of the M550. This substantial power reduction makes it suitable for mobile devices. The modified laptop uses one of the first batches of M5 series chips that Shanghai Semiconductor successfully taped out just two weeks ago; it only supports a few instruction sets and is quite unstable.

Furthermore, due to the immature technology, not a single piece met the M550 specification. The standard had to be lowered and a dozen or so pieces were cut off. The best piece was selected and designated as M530, while the rest became the M350 and M330 series.

Upon learning that Tang Wen was coming, Ni Zhenhai stayed up for two nights to modify the laptop. As soon as Tang Wen turned it on, he saw the familiar Win95 page. He played Minesweeper for a full ten minutes before it crashed and gave an error. He immediately told Ni Zhenhai to add more funding.

It's important to understand that at this stage, the M530 was still in the very early stages of engineering development, meaning it was less than 30% complete in the entire development process, and had only just taken its first step.

But this step is surprising enough. Tang Wen has now decided not to interfere with anything Ni Zhenhai does and will just wait for the results.

SSE's other two major businesses, LCD panels and industrial control chips, have also completed their transformation. The former continues to work towards true color, low latency, and large area, while the latter mainly produces automotive and aviation controllers. At the same time, it has recently allocated manpower to research gallium arsenide radio frequency chips in order to reserve communication technology.

The latter two segments are gradually increasing in profitability after technological upgrades, and positive financial figures are expected to be available in the second half of the year. As for the chip business, it will likely continue to lose money for at least another two or three years.

Now... let's increase investment.

……

“M550最快在6月才能流片一批接近成品状态的试验品，8月可以先挑出一些优品用于组装GS1展示样品，正式发售时间放在99年1月较为合理。

As for the Silver Shield series, it uses the M130, which is straightforward; a batch will be shipped out in May.

Ni Zhenhai only mentioned the hardware nodes, assuming that the software system would not be a hindrance.

But he had his reasons for doing so. The M-series chips are based on the mature x86 complex instruction set architecture, and the software can be used simply by modifying the Windows version. Since Silver Shield only needs to serve one software, there is naturally no major problem.

Most importantly, current software is not complex and requires fewer considerations.

As Tang Wen listened to the explanations, he toured the chip factory. He had to admit that chips truly represent the pinnacle of human industry; even now, he could still feel the extreme technological sophistication they represented.

However, he was not swayed by Ni Zhenhai's words. After listening, he stood still and stared at the other person.

"anything else?"

"These are the main projects."

“But I heard from Su Huisheng that you also formed a team, and it seems to have nothing to do with GS1.”

"...Okay, here it is, but I promise I haven't delayed the GS1 project."

Ni Zhenhai led him into the "secret room," which was a large office of over 100 square meters, with about seven or eight people and a large pile of electronic devices scattered around.

He picked up a chip the size of a fingernail from the lab bench:
"I'll call it S1 for now, but it uses the Yangtze River RISC architecture, which is designed for micro mobile devices... handheld computers, or more accurately, MDAs."

Rest assured, the S1 project is funded by my own development funds and my salary. Furthermore, this team is not involved in the M-series chips and will not delay the GS1's progress.

Tang Wen understood; this was still Ni Zhenhai's dream of national production.

The entirely new self-developed architecture based on RISC means a completely different ecosystem and a completely new path.

However, Ni Zhenhai combined it with MDA mobile internet, attempting to find a market for it in this entirely new field.

The RISC architecture may be unfamiliar, but it has a derivative architecture called ARM, which is characterized by low power consumption and is very suitable for mobile platforms. Obviously, Ni Zhenhai chose this path and created the "Yangtze River" architecture.

Not only does it operate on two fronts, but it's also entirely self-developed... What a research superman!

Tang Wen certainly didn't mean to criticize, he was just worried that Lao Ni was working too hard and would die young.

The S1 chip's target market, the MDA market, is clearly not very promising, but... by sheer luck, it might be able to try its hand at smartphones.

In reality, the ultimate goals and forms of MDAs and smartphones are not that different; they just take different paths.

And the new markets derived from smartphones can indeed be developed into a separate ecosystem... He actually had a plan, but he didn't think about it so soon.

Of course, the performance and power consumption of the S1 were absolutely inadequate due to the limitations of the era. It is estimated that only the S3 and S4 could barely replicate the iPhone legend of Steve Jobs. Moreover, the conditions for smartphones are much more demanding than those for MDA.

Under Ni Zhenhai's anxious gaze, Tang Wen sighed:

“Approve another round of funding to establish a mobile chip business unit, starting with the Yangtze architecture and S1, with priority second only to GS1.”

……

During his few days in Shanghai, Ni Zhenhai surprised Tang Wen almost every moment, while also taking away large sums of money.

On the last day of February, the military-industrial complex delegation began to withdraw, with only a few potential partners remaining to continue negotiations.

The CH47D became the only major deal reached this time. The Navy's hopes for the AN/APG-65 and AN/APG-66V radars were not secured. It is possible to obtain some technology of the APG-66V. The other deals were mostly small transactions ranging from tens to millions of dollars.

It's worth mentioning that with the partial lifting of the arms embargo on Europe, old money eager to recoup their losses has been eagerly pushing sales, and they are much more sincere than the US. It's easy to imagine that the first half of the year will be very lively.

As for the aircraft factory to cooperate with Gaijin, it has not yet been determined. Several aircraft research institutes are complaining about being poor in Beijing, which makes the higher authorities need to consider the matter.

However, before Rams led the team away, Boeing invited Tang Wen under the pretext of going to the United States to see the Chinook.

This wasn't some kind of conspiracy; it was just that the MDA Alliance and Company X needed Tang Wen to give them directions, and this was simply a convenient excuse.

Thanks to the already advanced network infrastructure and chip industry in the United States, the first generation of MDA standards has been basically completed, the base station protocol has been approved, and it is time to consider building experimental mobile internet communities.

As a pioneer in mobile internet and MDA, Silicon Valley leaders all believe that Tang Wen's approval is indispensable.

The latter has already booked his flight for early March, planning to fly directly to Canada after completing his trip to the United States and continue his Southeast Asian strategy.

But on the night before his departure, Zhenhai, who had been closely monitoring the situation in Nanmei, reported the following:

Seasonal fires have broken out in the Amazon rainforest and have affected large areas.

(End of this chapter)