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

Chapter 694 112 billion, 5 million per unit? The era of transition between the old gods and the new gods!
Intel's head, Brian, frowned slightly, turned his gaze to Du Yuanjun, head of TSMC Greater China, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly spoke:

"Mr. Chen, I'd like to discuss a suggestion with you. Could you perhaps define the scope of business between StarSource Technology and ASML? For example, could StarSource Technology be responsible for EUV lithography machine orders, while ASML would be responsible for DUV lithography machine orders?"

Behind these words lies Intel's own interests!

Two years ago, to support ASML's development of EUV lithography machines, Intel spent $41 billion to acquire a 15% stake.

Once StarSource Technology completely monopolizes the lithography machine market, this huge investment will be lost.

The conglomerate behind the company will never agree to this!
TSMC invested US$14 billion and ASML invested US$9.4 million. In addition to wanting to profit from ASML, the key reason is to secure priority supply rights for EUV lithography machines.

And ASML did just that, selling the first batch of NXE 3300B lithography machines to Intel, TSMC, and Sinstar.

Brian clearly didn't want this investment to go down the drain!

"no!"

Chen Yansen's refusal was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

There's no reason to only take a bite of a dish that's been served to you.

Since Xingyuan Technology has the capability to swallow the entire market, it should take it all; that would be truly satisfying.

Seeing Chen Yansen's resolute attitude, Brian immediately gave Du Yuanjun a wink.

"Mr. Chen, how about we change the approach? We can divide the business by region: Asia, South America, and Africa will be handled by Xingyuan Technology, while Europe and America will be left to ASML?"

Upon receiving the signal, Du Yuanjun cautiously probed.

"no problem."

Chen Yansen looked at Du Yuanjun with a half-smile and readily agreed.

Brian and Du Yuanjun were overjoyed, but before they could celebrate for more than three seconds, Chen Yansen added, "However, Xingyuan Technology's previous promise to only do high-end chip business may have to be canceled."

Mr. Chen's attitude was very clear: Xingyuan Technology has already made concessions, so don't try to take advantage of both sides.

Either sacrifice ASML, or go to war!
Brian's expression suddenly froze, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

On one hand, there is a massive investment of 41 billion US dollars; on the other hand, there is a full-scale war with Chinese companies in equipment and technology, and the risks are incalculable.

He really has a hard time making a decision!
Peter, the chairman of ASML, standing to the side, felt a tightness in his chest and a sense of unease.

Everyone present seemed to assume that Asma was bound to lose and had already prepared to sacrifice him.

He never expected that he would end up on the dinner table instead of at the negotiating table!

The color drained from Peter's face little by little.

He looked up abruptly, and said with great dissatisfaction, "The Dawn A220 is only one generation ahead of the NXE 3300B. Give ASML some time, and it can develop EUV equipment of the same standard and guarantee that it will surpass the Dawn A220 in wafer processing efficiency."

"Yes, I have faith in ASML's research and development capabilities."

Chen Yansen was the first to respond, his tone sounding confident, but his words were laced with undisguised sarcasm.

Who present didn't know ASML's true nature?

The NXE 3300B had a Wph value, which is the number of wafers it can process per hour, of only 20. It wasn't until the NXE 3400C, released five years later, that it barely broke through 100.

Even by 2026, ASML has not yet reached the threshold of processing 235 wafers per hour in the field of EUV lithography machines.

He simply couldn't understand where Peter got the audacity to say those things.

Although he considered the Dawn A220 to be just a basic product, it was definitely a groundbreaking technological achievement in the semiconductor industry at that time.

What can Asmai use to catch up?

Not only Chen Yansen understood this clearly, but the people in the room who had been immersed in the semiconductor industry for many years also knew it perfectly well.

Peter's rhetoric is only good for fooling laymen and comforting himself; he doesn't think he can fool these industry insiders like fools.
Simply ridiculous!
Peter looked embarrassed. He wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed the sarcasm in Chen Yansen's words.

“Mr. Chen, ASML has been deeply involved in the lithography machine field for decades, and its supply chain and customer base are more solid than those of StarSource Technology. Why don’t we each take a step back?”

Seeing this, Brian quickly tried to smooth things over.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen suddenly stood up and said, "War or cooperation, it's your choice. Anyway, the summit still has two days left, enough time for you to consider it carefully."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Liang Jinsong quickly took two steps and opened the meeting room door for Chen Yansen.

He Boting exchanged a glance with Liu Xunfeng, then immediately nodded to everyone in farewell.

They were not simply influenced by Chen Yansen, but also because as leaders in China's semiconductor industry, they had to adopt the proper attitude and could not allow European and American companies to dominate them!
Subsequently, representatives from more than a dozen companies, including Tsinghua Unigroup, Huahong, and Shanghai Microelectronics, left the venue.

In the blink of an eye, the area where representatives of Chinese semiconductor companies had been sitting was completely empty, leaving only silence in the room.

"Fuck! The Chinese are too arrogant!"

Peter slammed his hand on the conference table and said aggressively, "You've all seen it. With Chen Yansen's style of doing things, if we don't restrict him sooner or later, he'll eat up all the profits in the upstream and downstream of the semiconductor industry!"

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. The performance of the Dawn A220 is indeed powerful. The rise of StarSource Technology does not mean that ASML’s lithography machines are no longer in demand. More competition in the industry can be fair competition.”

GlobalFoundries CEO Sanjay smiled, shook his head, and jumped in to refute.

"How do you block them? By not providing Xingyuan Technology with supporting equipment and photoresist? Have you considered whether the manufacturing difficulty of a photolithography machine is higher, or the technical difficulty of anodizing furnaces, plasma etching machines, ion implanters, and photoresist?"

Huang Renxun, who hadn't said a word the whole time, pushed up his glasses, spread his arms, and said with a helpless expression.

His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing some people's idea of ​​"joining forces to exert pressure".

If we're really talking about technological barriers, the fact that StarSource Technology can build EUV lithography machines doesn't necessarily mean it can't overcome the limitations of other equipment.

Huang Renxun paused for a few seconds, then continued, "If the two sides break off relations, and Chen Yansen simply lifts the sales restrictions on lithography machines, then everyone will suffer even greater losses."

Brian frowned, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.

In his opinion, Huang Renxun was right.

If Chen Yansen is really pushed too far, and the other party sells EUV lithography machines all over the world, then not only will he not be able to make money from the equipment, but even the profits of the chip industry itself will be affected.

Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked at Peter, and a thought popped into his mind: rather than everyone not making any money, it would be better to sacrifice the interests of the Asma family than for everyone to not make any money.

Peter was deep in thought, and he vaguely sensed that someone was watching him.

He suddenly looked up and his gaze met Brian's. His heart skipped a beat: You're not planning to use me as a scapegoat, are you?

the other side.

Chen Yansen led the way, accompanied by Liang Jingsong, He Boting, Liu Xunfeng, and others, striding out of the conference room.

"Mr. Chen, I've booked a private room on the Bund. You must do me the honor of joining me!"

"Mr. Chen, I recorded the conversation in the conference room just now. You can watch it at home later!"

"Old Zhou, what kind of bad habit is this? Recording meetings!"

"Hey, we're used to it!" A group of industry executives were eager to invite Chen Yansen to dinner, partly to take the opportunity to build a closer relationship, and partly because Chen Yansen's performance had really made them look good.

How many years!

This is the first time China's semiconductor industry has shown such resilience!
Not only did he withstand the pressure from Intel's CEO, but he also made ASML's chairman feel ashamed.

Although this matter was not directly related to them, everyone inexplicably felt a sense of participation and were filled with pride.

"Mr. Chen, I have also booked a private room. I hope you will do me the honor of joining me."

He Boting from Haisi looked at Chen Yansen with a smile and said.

Chen Yansen looked at the crowd that had gathered around him, raised his hand and gestured downwards, then politely declined, saying, "I appreciate everyone's kindness, but I'm afraid I don't have time today. Let's reschedule for dinner another day; I'll treat."

Upon hearing this, the crowd stopped insisting and smiled as they made way for them.

Chen Yansen hadn't walked far when he saw Lin Nan standing not far ahead, holding a thick stack of documents in his hand, and giving instructions to his assistant.

The commotion behind him made Lin Nan stop talking. He turned around and, upon seeing Chen Yansen, immediately told his assistant, "We'll talk about it later." He then jogged over and quickly reported, "Boss, we signed an order for 16 new units today! The buyers include TSMC, Sansung, Intel, SK Hynix, UMC, and Micron."

After listening, Chen Yansen couldn't help but curse inwardly: These people are really something else. They shout slogans loudly, but they're more enthusiastic about placing orders than anyone else. Their actions speak louder than words.

Chen Yansen raised an eyebrow, took the order details handed to him by Lin Nan, quickly glanced at them, and said with a light laugh, "Intel and TSMC are quick to act. They were haggling with me in the conference room just now, and they've already delivered the orders to my door."

Lin Nan smiled as well: "Boss, this shows that they know better than anyone else that Dawn A220 is the best choice right now."

Including the previous 6 units, a total of 22 EUV lithography machines have been sold.

It may not seem like much, but the transaction amount was close to 18 billion US dollars.

The price of a Dawn A220 lithography machine is already high, and the cost of maintenance services and software upgrades is even higher, with all these services being sold as a bundled package.

If you dare not purchase these supporting services, Xingyuan Technology will immediately cut off all after-sales support without giving any room for negotiation.

Don't think this is going too far!

Chen Yansen was simply doing what ASML had done before, and doing it all over again.

"We will announce tomorrow that due to limited production capacity, Xingyuan Technology will stop accepting orders immediately."

Chen Yansen said after thinking for a moment.

He plans to first complete the layout of his own production line, and then gradually increase the shipment volume of lithography machines.

Moreover, the current price of the Dawn A220 is only 7000 million US dollars, which is still too cheap.

He plans to wait until the end of the year, make some minor optimizations to the equipment, change the model name, and then raise the price to $9000 million.

“Okay, boss.” Lin Nan replied immediately.

at the same time.

In a private club on the other side of the ocean, executives from institutions such as Blackstone, Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, and Goldman Sachs gathered together. Some sipped whiskey on the rocks, while others puffed on cigars.

"News from Neuton and Peter indicates that Chen Yansen's attitude is very tough. He is only willing to make some concessions in the chip market, but he will not budge an inch in the field of lithography machines, and even wants to replace ASML's position."

Goldman Sachs Chairman Richard raised his glass and spoke calmly.

"Would he be willing to give up some of his shares?"

Abigail from Fidelity Investments pressed for an answer.

If Intel, ASML, and TSMC are the players in the spotlight, then Blackstone, Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management are the biggest capital forces behind the scenes who truly control the situation.

Through methods such as nominee shareholding and subsidiary investment chains, these institutions hold shares in more than 90% of companies worldwide.

"We haven't even discussed that yet. After all, Chen Yansen is unwilling to suffer any loss, even when it comes to defining the scope of the lithography machine business."

Richard said, shrugging slightly.

"Bill, what do you think?"

Lawrence, chairman of Blackstone Group, raised his hand, swirled his wine glass, and asked the man next to him.

Bill is the CEO of the Vanguard Foundation. He has been in the business world for nearly forty years and just turned sixty this year. He holds a very important position in the North American financial circle.

He pondered for a moment before speaking, "Chen Yansen is, after all, a businessman. As long as you offer him the right incentives, there's no one you can't win over. Don't always think about using force; things that can be solved with money are never really problems."

"But what if he doesn't agree?"

Lawrence took a sip of his drink and asked again.

"Doesn't Senlian Capital own Mimo, Orange Mobile, KuaiGo Taxi, Pinduoduo, and KuaiRun in North America? Are all of these businesses compliant?"

Bill spoke slowly, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

Dare not cooperate?

Then Senlian Capital should go back to Asia!
Don't even think about getting a foothold in North America!

"Let Neuton continue the negotiations!"

Lawrence looked at Richard and gave the order slowly.

……

……

As evening fell, Chen Yansen stepped out of Li Qingsong's Audi, his expression calm and composed.

Building a lithography machine is like "forging a weapon," while negotiation is the means to maximize one's interests.

No matter how sophisticated the weapons are, if they cannot be used to their full potential, they will ultimately fail to secure a more favorable outcome in negotiations.

He wasn't worried about it at all.

The summit will last until September 20, so there are still two days left.

He wanted to see who would give up first!
At the same time, news of the "2014 International Semiconductor Summit" and "the initial battle at dawn was a great success, with a transaction volume of US$18 billion" spread widely inside and outside the industry.

Netizens were also in an uproar, commenting in the comments section: "Wow, 22 units have been sold in just a few days!"

"This isn't some industry exchange meeting; it's clearly a procurement negotiation meeting for Xingyuan Technology!"

"18 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to 112 billion Chinese yuan! Holy crap, that's 5 million yuan per unit!"

At this moment, the online doubts about the Dawn A220 disappeared instantly.

ASML sold only 4 EUV lithography machines this year, while StarSource Technology sold 22. The two are not comparable at all.

On the other side, Ma Liyun led the Ali executives to the gates of the New York Stock Exchange.

(End of this chapter)