I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 639 Academician Quota? HFOB Structure! Li Xuwu: What a stingy boss!

On a late summer afternoon, a ray of golden sunlight seeped into the French windows, as if coating them with a layer of gold leaf.

The light shone through the window and finally shattered on the floor, creating a golden spectacle, like scattered gold.

Inside the office, Chen Yansen leaned against the soft leather sofa, holding a Yao Cheng X2 Plus in his left hand. The screen was on the Toutiao interface, and a headline could be vaguely seen: "Ali invests 12.2 billion US dollars in Youku".

"It seems that Lao Ma has big ambitions. He wants to do O2O and doesn't want to let go of the entertainment industry either."

Chen Yansen pondered to himself.

Ali and Yunfeng Capital will purchase 7.2 million Class A ordinary shares of Youku for US$12.2 billion.

After the transaction, Ali will hold 16.5% of the shares, and Yunfeng Fund will hold 2%.

And the major shareholder behind Yunfeng Capital is Ma Liyun!
With this, the market landscape of China's three major video websites has been established: Tencent is backed by Chen Yansen and Ma Wenteng, Youku is backed by Ma Liyun, and iQiyi is controlled by Li Yanhong.

Before Chen Yansen stepped down, Youku was the strongest, firmly holding the top spot in the industry, followed closely by iQiyi and Tencent. LeTV had the potential to challenge the top tier, while Sohu Video and PPTV were among the best in the second tier.

However, once Pinduoduo's Prime membership was launched, it brought 1000 million paying users to Tencent Video, making it the industry leader.

With the establishment of Orange Interactive Entertainment, its products have formed a complete industry chain, from IP incubation to comic adaptations, short dramas and film and television production, and then to broadcasting platforms.

Seeing that the situation was not going well, Gu Yongqiang immediately wanted to find a major investor for Youku. However, Chen Yansen was too aggressive in lowering the price, so he turned to Ma Liyun.

Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.

Chen Yansen snapped out of his daze, picked up the phone, and saw that it was Liang Jingsong calling.

He thought for a moment and then pressed the answer button.

"Boss, it's done! Thanks to your hybrid fin field-effect transistor structure solution."

Liang Jinsong reported directly, his tone revealing joy and excitement.

When he first joined StarSource Technology, he promised Chen Yansen that he would achieve mass production of 28-nanometer chips in as little as 18 months, and he ultimately achieved the goal in just 6 months.

On the one hand, he benefited from the team he poached from TSMC and Singstar, as well as his own technical accumulation and process management experience over the past thirty years; on the other hand, with the strong financial support of Senlian Capital, he first acquired an existing chip manufacturing plant, and then with the help of the research and development capabilities of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology Association, he significantly shortened the trial and error cycle.

Of course, the hybrid fin transistor structure (Hybrid FinFET on Bulk, or HFOB) provided by Chen Yansen combines planar and FinFET structures, effectively balancing chip performance, power consumption, cost and yield.

"What is the yield rate?" Chen Yansen asked.

"The latest batch of Tiangong A100 chips has a yield rate of 96.4%. If we continue to adjust the processes and techniques for mass production, I am confident that we can increase the yield rate to over 98% within three months."

Liang Jinsong said confidently.

"Old Liang, you've worked hard! Starting in July, your annual salary will increase by 20%. For the other R&D engineers in the team, please make a list based on their performance and output contributions and send it to me. I will adjust their base salary once in the first half of the year."

If we can achieve further breakthroughs to 20nm and 16nm processes, we can expect another salary increase this year.

Chen Yansen announced slowly and deliberately.

In his view, as a boss, if a subordinate makes a contribution, all you need to do is throw money at them.

Furthermore, he understood better than Liang Jinsong the strategic value of mastering the 28-nanometer process in 2014.

For Xingyuan Technology, the first benefit is enhanced reputation. This technological achievement alone could easily be exchanged for two academician positions, right?

Secondly, would the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (Big Fund) dare to turn a blind eye? If the total amount of bonuses, unconditional policy subsidies, and factory construction subsidies is less than 30 billion yuan, would they even dare to ask for help?

Liang Jinsong was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself: As expected of the most generous boss in the country, he didn't ask about production capacity or the details of process optimization, but immediately raised wages.

This is completely different from those entrepreneurs who only make empty promises!

His original annual salary was $500 million, and a 20% increase would bring it to $600 million.

This salary level would be considered above average among semiconductor companies in Europe and America. If there is another increase at the end of the year, it would reach the top level in the industry.

No one dislikes having too much money, and Liang Jinsong is no exception!

The wrinkles on his face deepened with his smile. He swallowed hard and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, boss! On behalf of the entire team, I express our gratitude!"

“TSMC in Taiwan just signed a foundry agreement with Apple for the A8 processor. Currently, there is still a two-generation technology gap between StarSource Technology and TSMC and StarSource Technology. If you help me catch up, I will give 10% of the net profit as a dividend to StarSource Technology at the end of the year.”

Chen Yansen said slowly.

10% of net profit will be distributed as dividends!

Liang Jinsong's hand gripping the phone tightened suddenly, and he even paused for a beat.

Despite the limited production capacity of the Shanghai branch, it can still produce 5000 million chips a year, with a net profit of at least 2 million US dollars. 10% of that is equivalent to 2000 million US dollars.

"Don't worry, boss! I'll divide the team into three task forces: one to focus on stabilizing mass production yield, one to analyze the process parameters of the A8 processor, and the last to specialize in 20nm etching technology! By the end of the year, I guarantee that Xingyuan Technology's process technology will catch up with theirs!"

Liang Jinsong's voice trembled uncontrollably as he immediately responded.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen smiled faintly and said casually, "There's no need to be so aggressive. Technological research and development requires a steady and solid approach. The company will handle the equipment and material suppliers. You just need to focus on making technological breakthroughs."

“Okay, boss,” Liang Jinsong replied.

The two then chatted for more than ten minutes about the details of improving the process flow before hanging up the phone.

Chen Yansen put down his phone, walked to the water bar, took out a bottle of mango juice from the freezer, and took a small sip.

"Chen Yansen, you really are a pervert! What kind of good person would pour mango juice here? Don't bite, it hurts!"

An image flashed through my mind.

Although Wang Ziyan scolded him fiercely, she still satisfied his little quirk.

Chen Yansen smiled and shook his head, suppressing these surging memories back into the depths of his heart.

at the same time.

Huaxin International is still working on the Poly-Sion technology it obtained from Qualcomm, but due to process bottlenecks, the yield rate has been unable to break through 50%.

It's important to understand that a low yield rate means that mass production is impossible; without mass production, there's no way to talk about commercialization; and without commercial profits to support it, Huaxin International would find it difficult to have strong R&D motivation.

After all, who would willingly do something that doesn't make money?

Moreover, a low yield rate will lead to increased production costs, making such products uncompetitive in the market.

For example, the manufacturing cost of a 28-nanometer Tiangong A100 chip is $8 at TSMC, but $16 at Huaxin International. Who would be willing to pay for it?

After learning that StarSource Technology had mastered the polishing and coating technology of aspherical mirrors, the European and American semiconductor associations immediately commissioned Zhang Weili of MediaTek to act as an intermediary and proposed to sell the previously banned NXT 1980i lithography machine to Chen Yansen.

To put it bluntly, they simply want to instill in Xingyuan Technology the idea that "buying is worse than developing."

From a cost perspective, this option is indeed tempting, and if it were Huaxin International instead, they would most likely accept it readily.

What they didn't know was that Chen Yansen didn't care about the investment in research and development costs at all. On the contrary, the more people involved in research and development and the higher the investment in research and development funds, the greater the benefits he could obtain.

"Mr. Li, the batch report is out, the yield rate is 53.7%!"

An assistant entered and placed a document on the desk of Li Xuwu, Vice President of Technology R&D at Huaxin International.

"Sigh, we've been tricked by Qualcomm. The gate leakage of the Poly-Sion technology is too serious. In terms of performance and power consumption, it is not as good as HKMG's high k value and post-gate process."

Even if mass production of 28-nanometer chips is achieved, the resulting chips will still be inferior to those from TSMC and SMIC.

Li Xuwu glanced at the report and said with a worried expression.

Those foreigners are really cunning!
They deliberately presented flawed technical solutions, leading Huaxin International astray!
What's frustrating is that even the most difficult detours are still roads.

Without the technology provided by Qualcomm, Huaxin International wouldn't even know where to start and would be groping blindly in the dark.

"Mr. Li, our optimization speed is very fast. Last year, the yield rate was less than 30%, but this year it is almost at the passing grade."

The assistant stood aside and patiently offered words of comfort.

“But what’s the use of passing the exam?” Li Xuwu said bitterly.

He paused, then added, "TSMC in Taiwan has long had the capability for mass production in the 20nm process. It's a pity that Liang Jinsong was poached by StarSource Technology. If he could come to Huaxin, with his experience at TSMC and StarSource, combined with the technological foundation of Europe and the United States, he would definitely be able to commercialize the 28nm process before 2015."

"President Li, Xingyuan Technology offered Liang Jinsong an annual salary of 500 million US dollars, but President Liu is probably reluctant to give it up."

The assistant lowered his voice and spoke boldly.

"How can you retain talent if you're always so stingy?"

Li Xuwu shrugged, looking helpless.

"Knock knock knock—!" A knocking sound came from the door.

"Please come in!" the assistant replied.

"Click" sound!
A middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a suit, opened the door, but instead of going inside, he stepped aside to let the people behind him pass.

"Boss, why are you here?"

Upon seeing Liu Xunfeng outside the door, Li Xuwu immediately stood up to greet him.

He felt a little uneasy, because just seconds before, he had been secretly criticizing the big boss.

"I just received a new message: Xingyuan Technology has achieved a yield rate of 96% on the 28-nanometer process for the first time."

Liu Xunfeng frowned as he walked and spoke.

96%?

Upon hearing this, Li Xuwu froze on the spot.

He's an insider, with a technical background, and he understands the industry significance behind this number very well.

This represents a massive technological leap forward for China's semiconductor industry!
This means that the generation gap between China's chip manufacturing technology and the world's most advanced level will be shortened from "4-5 generations behind" to "1-2 generations behind".

28 nanometers is an extremely important and long-lived process node!
It offers excellent value for money and can be widely used in fields such as the Internet of Things, automotive electronics, microcontrollers, analog chips, radio frequency chips, and CMOS image sensors.

Whoever masters this technology first will be showered with honors, policies, and cash subsidies.

The economic benefits it contains are also quite considerable.

Furthermore, the operation of an advanced production line can drive the development of the entire upstream industrial chain, thereby accelerating technological iteration and the maturation of processes.

Take EDA software as an example. As the name suggests, EDA stands for Electronic Design Automation, which is an electronic tool for chip design, manufacturing, and packaging.

Industrialization is a prerequisite for developing more adaptable and functional EDA software.

Why did Chen Yansen only start writing Mass V1.0 after he bought Zijing Semiconductor's production base?

The reason is simple: industrial practice is a prerequisite. You must first be familiar with the manufacturing process in order to design electronic software that meets the requirements.

Developing EDA software without a fab is as ridiculous as asking someone skilled in computer programming to develop an electronic cookbook.

Liu Xunfeng walked to his desk, his gaze falling on the number "53.7%" on the report. He sighed slightly and said, "We've been chasing this for three years, and our yield rate is just over 50%. Xingyuan Technology has reached 96% in just six months. This gap is not just a little bit, it's an insurmountable chasm!"

Previously, he had complained about Hu Ruihui of the China Association for Science and Technology and the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, asking why they didn't allocate technology and financial resources to Huaxin, but instead invested in a newly established semiconductor manufacturing plant.

Now he understands that compared to Xingyuan Technology, Huaxin has never lost in terms of resources, but rather in terms of vision and courage.

Chen Yansen dared to spend tens of billions to buy factories, equipment, and poach teams, and dared to let Liang Jinsong try things out with an annual salary of 500 million US dollars. But what about Huaxin?

Clinging to the substandard technology provided by Qualcomm and unwilling to let go, even having to repeatedly check the costs before raising salaries for the R&D team—how can they compete with others like this?

"Boss, we're halfway there," Li Xuwu said, hesitating to finish his sentence.

"I'm not telling you to give up, I'm just expressing my feelings. I know that Poly-Sion technology has disadvantages and shortcomings compared to the HKMG solution, but it is still a genuine 28-nanometer process technology."

Even if StarSource Technology masters the manufacturing process, so what? Chen Yansen only has 12 NXT 1950i immersion lithography machines, with limited annual production capacity. Once we increase the yield rate to 90%, we still won't lack orders.

Liu Xunfeng sat down by himself and waved his hand.

"Boss, there are quite a few top talents like Liang Jinsong inside TSMC in Taiwan. Why don't we spend a lot of money to poach a team from them?"

Li Xuwu asked tentatively.

"Hmm, I'll think about it."

Liu Xunfeng frowned slightly.

He came here to push forward the project, but unexpectedly Li Xuwu made his own demands first.

"Ugh, what a cheapskate. Working for someone like that is really pointless."

Li Xuwu silently complained.

……

……

Although Xingyuan Technology achieved a technological breakthrough on June 10, it was announced to the public on June 16.

After careful consideration, the decision was made to have CCTV, People's Daily, and Xinhua Evening News jointly report on the matter.

"A bombshell! Xingyuan Technology has achieved a major breakthrough; its 28-nanometer chips have reached mass production standards!"

(End of this chapter)