A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 165 The Great Crisis of Asma
At 6:40 in the morning, Cai Jingjing arrived at the school gate with her schoolbag on her back, waiting for the security guard to open the gate.
There are still forty minutes before morning reading begins, but he is not the only student waiting at the school gate.

Chen Hui has left Rongcheng No. 2 Middle School, but the changes he brought will remain there forever.

It's impossible for an ordinary high school like this to lack a learning atmosphere, but it's also impossible to say that it has a particularly strong learning atmosphere.

As Chen Hui's story spread among his classmates, some subtle changes eventually occurred quietly.

Fortunately, Rongcheng No. 2 Middle School is not like other schools, which will not open its doors unless it is windy or rainy.

Upon seeing the students waiting at the school gate, Li Tianhua came over and opened the door; it was his turn to work the night shift today.

"Hey, what is that?"

While waiting for the gate to open, a student suddenly looked up at the area above the school gate.

There were originally three banners hanging there, but now it seems there's one more. However, it's still a bit dark, and the banner is hung too high, so they couldn't see what the words on it said.

"Congratulations to our student Chen Hui for publishing a paper in the top mathematics journal, the Annals of Mathematics!"

Among his classmates were also some gifted individuals with keen eyesight. He squinted, strained to look upwards, and read out each word one by one.

What is the Yearbook of Mathematics?

"Can it be compared to CMO and IMO?"

Although the journal of mathematics has gained widespread recognition, it remains unfamiliar to high school students who are constantly immersed in a sea of ​​problems. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to maintain their composure once they find relevant information online.

"It hasn't been long, and another banner has appeared at the entrance. There's not much space left at the school gate. I don't know how much longer it can last."

Some students were amazed.

The school gates were already open. Cai Jingjing glanced at the area above the gate, then walked into the school with his backpack on. His eyes were even more determined. He knew he couldn't compare to that prodigy, but as long as he worked hard, he could also succeed. If that guy could do it, he definitely could too!

As the students gradually dispersed, more students arrived from all directions. As the sky brightened, the brand-new banner at the school gate became even more vibrant, giving the students of Rongcheng No. 2 Middle School another topic to discuss after lunch.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Zhao Defeng sat down behind his desk, still somewhat dazed, recalling the rumors he had heard about Chen Hui over the years, and was momentarily in a daze.

Annual Mathematics!

It hasn't been long, and that kid who used to be at the bottom of the class has already published a math yearbook!

"Old Zhao, what are you thinking about?"

At this moment, An Chengzhang walked into the office and asked with a suspicious look, "I've been knocking on your door for ages and there's been no response."

Did you know that Chen Hui has published a mathematics yearbook?

Zhao Defeng countered with a question, which was also an answer to An Chengzhang's question.

"I know."

However, he did not see any surprise on An Chengzhang's face.

"How did you know?" Zhao Defeng felt a pang of sadness. Sure enough, Chen Hui was closer to An Chengzhang; An Chengzhang had found out about the news before he did.

"With such a huge banner at the school gate, it's hard not to notice it."

Zhao Defeng suddenly realized, "Then you're not surprised at all?"

"What's so surprising? I knew this day would come, I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

An Chengzhang appeared calm and aloof, but in reality, he had been gesticulating wildly in his office for quite some time. Of course, he wouldn't tell Zhao Defeng.

"You guys really have good taste!"

Zhao Defeng sighed softly, then looked at An Chengzhang, "What is it?"

"A student needs to register for accommodation; please sign here."

"You came to me about this?"

"It's urgent! The landlord of their rented house is selling it and has kicked them out early. They have nowhere to live now. We can't control the parents, but the child can stay at school for now."

"Bring it here."

Zhao Defeng reached out and took the application form from An Chengzhang. After glancing at it briefly, he signed it. "Take it to Fan Rong and get the child's accommodation sorted out first. The formalities can be completed later."

"Isn't this exactly what I came here for?"

After finishing his sentence, An Chengzhang turned around and hurriedly walked out of the office.

Zhao Defeng's expression shifted.

Fan Rong!

Yes, Chen Hui's uncle and aunt are still at school. Fan Rong's job as a dormitory supervisor is alright, it's quite easy. But Li Tianhua's job as a security guard involves patrolling every morning and evening, so it's not exactly easy.

With this in mind, Zhao Defeng picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the number for the guard room.

But after the phone rang once, he hung up and got up, walked out of the office, and headed towards the guardhouse.

A dozen minutes later, Zhao Defeng appeared in the guardhouse, looked at Zhao Dayong sitting in the guard booth, and asked, "Where is Li Tianhua?"

"He went to take the exam. He switched shifts with me last night, so he doesn't count as a non-worker," Zhao Dayong explained.

"Exam? What kind of exam?"

"Laboratory Safety Management System Examination"

Zhao Defeng then remembered that he seemed to have mentioned this when he was making empty promises to Chen Hui, but he never thought that Li Tianhua would actually take the exam. As far as he knew, Li Tianhua only had an elementary school education.

"Oh, I see."

Zhao Defeng remained calm and walked towards the experimental building.

Previously, if Li Tianhua wanted to become a lab administrator, he would naturally need to take an exam, otherwise he would have a hard time explaining himself. But now, he doesn't have so many concerns, and presumably no one will ask him for any explanation.

As I walked into the laboratory building, I bumped right into Li Tianhua, who was walking out of the building.

"Principal Zhao."

Li Tianhua was the first to greet them.

"Brother Tianhua, I was just about to come looking for you."

"Find me?"

"The school's logistics department is short-staffed. Are you interested in going there? You'll only need to do some inventory when the school has purchasing and distribution tasks. Otherwise, you just need to keep an eye on the warehouse security."

Zhao Defeng said with a smile.

Li Tianhua looked embarrassed. "Well, I did pretty well on the test."

He vividly remembered Chen Hui telling him that lab administrators could earn an extra thousand yuan a month, and he had prepared for this for a long time. This exam was no easy feat for him. Zhao Defeng was somewhat surprised; he had originally thought Li Tianhua would have no chance of passing the exam.

"The logistics staff's salary is no lower than that of the lab administrator, and there will be an extra subsidy during the few days when books are distributed each semester..." Zhao Defeng hinted in a low voice, indicating that he had his reasons for arranging the work for Li Tianhua.

"Although being a lab administrator is relatively easy, you still have to shoulder certain responsibilities..."

"It's okay, I'm still very careful in my work."

Li Tianhua persisted.

He certainly knew Principal Zhao meant well, but the security guard job was secured for him by Chen Hui, while this lab administrator position was earned through his own hard work, so he figured no one could say anything against it.

He didn't want his own affairs to affect Zhao Defeng, and he didn't want Chen Hui to be constrained by receiving favors from others.

"Ok."

Zhao Defeng nodded. Since Li Tianhua insisted, there was nothing he could do. However, the position of laboratory administrator would definitely belong to Li Tianhua.

……

In Feldhoven, Netherlands, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet stands in a conference room, watching the images projected onto a large screen.

The Youwei P80 uses Youwei's new generation Kirin chip, the Black Jade Kirin 1st generation, with a single-core performance score of 3600 and a multi-core score of 15000, representing a 65-70% performance increase, a 25-30% reduction in power consumption, and a 15-20% improvement in battery life...

"Jesus!"

"These Chinese people are really good at bragging!"

ASML's Chief Technology Officer, Martin Van den Brink, said with a laugh, "Apple's 3nm chip only scores around 3200 in single-core benchmarks. They can't even industrialize 5nm chips. Unless they kiss God's toes, it's impossible."

"Can we report them for false advertising?"

Mark, the head of the publicity department, said with a smile that he didn't take the news displayed on the big screen seriously at all.

“We’ve already received the prototype, Martin. Take it for evaluation. Don’t underestimate those Chinese; their greatest strength is creating miracles.”

Christopher frowned, looking at the laughing crowd, a sense of crisis suddenly rising in his heart.

These people have enjoyed the benefits of technology for too long and have become arrogant and conceited. Under such leadership, it will not be easy for ASML to maintain its glory.

"Don't worry, Christopher. The Chinese are indeed very shrewd, but there is a three-generation gap between us. Even if they make some technological breakthroughs, they can't catch up with us immediately. This so-called 3600 points for a single core is simply a joke."

Martin didn't take it seriously at all, saying nonchalantly, "I already had someone evaluate it, and the results should be out by now."

As if to confirm his words, there was a sudden knock on the conference room door. The president's secretary stood outside the door, followed by a key member of the technical department.

Christopher didn't remember him, but he had an impression of the man.

"Come in and report."

Without waiting for his secretary to ask for permission, Christopher waved directly at her.

The key technical staff member walked into the office, flattered, and immediately handed Martin a stack of documents.

Although Christopher was undoubtedly the boss in the conference room, he knew who his boss was, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake about that.

Martin picked up the documents with satisfaction and glanced at them casually.

The next moment, his eyes sharpened, and he involuntarily sat up straight, flipping through the materials at lightning speed until he reached the last page.

"Just tell me the result."

Christopher's displeasure was written all over his face.

Martin looked up, somewhat bewildered. "It's true!"

"The data in the advertisements is true!"

"How is this possible? How did they do it?"

After speaking, he looked sharply at the key technical staff who had come to deliver the materials, "Did you make a mistake somewhere? Is there a problem with the equipment?"

"The instrument is fine, and the method is fine too. We specifically brought the fruit company's new product for comparison. This new machine has higher performance and lower power consumption, but the chip size is slightly larger."

Christopher probably guessed what was going on, walked straight over, picked up the evaluation report and started reading.

The others also put away their playful expressions. Despite their relaxed demeanor just now, it was impossible for them not to be worried. The Chinese have always been good at creating miracles, and once they take the lead, it will be impossible to surpass them.

If those Chinese people really do develop a more advanced chip, even one that can rival theirs, ASML's future might be...

Reverse engineering!

"Start reverse engineering immediately!"

After reading the report, Christopher looked serious and turned to Martin. "I need results within three days!"

Martin looked troubled. "Reverse engineering chips is not that simple."

"Leaving aside mobile phone chips, let's talk about graphics card chips. The 4060 graphics card uses a 5-nanometer chip, and the 3070 uses an 8-nanometer chip. China now has the industrialization capability of 7-nanometer chips, but can they make a 3070 graphics card?"
Don't even mention the 3070; they can't even manufacture the 2080 using a 12-nanometer process!

"How could they not have considered reverse engineering? But reverse engineering chips is incredibly difficult. Chips that are only a few nanometers in size require the most advanced electron microscopes to see clearly... Just seeing the details of a chip is difficult enough, let alone reverse engineering its architecture... There are over 70 billion transistors on a single chip..."

"Shut up!"

Christopher roared, "Now, immediately, right now, get to reverse engineering!"

"If you don't get a satisfactory result within three days, you're fired!"

He was truly furious.

These guys are paid astronomical salaries, and they start to be afraid when they encounter difficulties. The Chinese can make chips with this performance even when they are under complete blockade, so what reason do they have to be afraid?
"Okay, I'll go right away."

Martin looked rather grim. Christopher's reprimand in front of so many people had made him lose face, but he still made the right choice between saving face and his job.

"Vincent, what do you think?"

After Martin left, Christopher looked at the Chief Operating Officer.

The expressions of everyone in the conference room also became serious, because Apple's latest model uses a 3-nanometer process for its chip!

The Chinese have actually developed a chip that outperforms Apple's chips in performance and consumes less power. They can't even imagine what happened.
"If the blockade continues, we may lose the Chinese market completely."

Vincent pessimistically stated that prior to this, the Chinese market accounted for 50% of ASML's sales, and if it weren't for ASML's key components...
For example, the light source system is provided by Cymer, a subsidiary in the United States, and the high-precision optical lens is jointly developed with Zeiss in Germany. However, some technologies still come from the United States. The most critical software in the chip design process relies on American EDA tools, which also involve the United States. In addition, due to some other factors, they have no choice but to obey the command of the United States.

They were naturally unwilling to give up such a large market, but even so, they could still accept it because they knew that China would ultimately have to rely on them. For example, if they purchased DUVs through a springboard agreement, they would only suffer losses, which they could naturally accept.

But now, if China has really developed a chip that can rival the 3-nanometer process, what need do they have for existence?

It's not just the Chinese market; given China's level of industrialization, it's foreseeable that in three to five years, the global market will be dominated by the Chinese. ASML is already at a critical juncture of life and death!
(End of this chapter)