A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 273 Becoming a Princeton Shareholder
"As you know, the school's supercomputing resources are usually allocated based on last year's schedule. At most, I can get you a month's worth of time now."

Fefferman said somewhat awkwardly in the office of the head of the mathematics department at Princeton.

Princeton has abundant computing resources, but it also boasts a large number of Phil Fellows and even more Nobel laureates. Nowadays, whose research can do without supercomputing? This is because many powerful professors seek collaborations with companies; otherwise, supercomputing resources would be even more scarce.

After a month, Fefferman still managed to give most of his share to Chen Hui.

"However, I've contacted a few relevant companies for you. They might sponsor your project. Just wait a little longer, and we should have results as early as next week."

Fefferman reassured him that he believed that with Chen Hui's current fame, many companies would still be eager to sponsor him, and that in addition to contacting these companies, he had also contacted the American government.

Weather forecasts are of great importance to the government, and he believes that a good result will ultimately be achieved.

Chen Hui nodded in understanding. He had already experienced something similar when he was at Jiangcheng University, and he believed that Fefferman had indeed tried very hard to fight for him.

It's a pity this isn't China; otherwise, he would still have the right to use the Atlas 900 from Youwei Group and wouldn't need to seek sponsorship from others.

"But you, I heard you bought a house in town?"

"Shouldn't we throw a party to celebrate?"

Fefferman smiled and looked at Chen Hui.

Princeton is only so big, so he naturally already knew about Chen Hui buying a house.

"You and my student will definitely get along well."

Chen Hui smiled slightly, thinking of that guy whose teeth shone when he smiled.

"There's no time like the present, so let's come tomorrow night."

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Chen Hui knew that such a custom did exist here, and throwing a party would indeed be a good idea. If Michael heard this news, he would be grinning from ear to ear.

"Then it's settled!"

Fefferman was delighted. "I'll have my wife bring some of his pancakes. You absolutely have to try them; they're the most delicious food in the world!"

……

Washington, D.C., in the S.H.I.E.L.D. conference room

"Supercomputing resources?"

"Weather forecast?"

Wilson looked at the science advisor beside him, "What do you think are the chances that he can complete this project?"

After frowning and pondering for a moment, James cautiously said, "The Navier-Stokes equations play a very important role in weather forecasting. Professor Chen can prove the Navier-Stokes equations. If he were to personally take charge, it would be very possible to complete an accurate weather forecasting model."

"Of course, this is on the premise that he can obtain accurate initial data, which is no easy task."

"If the initial data collected is wrong, then even if the model is accurate, the final result will be completely different from what was expected."

"If the first button of a shirt is buttoned wrong, no matter how hard you try afterward, you'll just keep making the same mistake."

James tried to explain to Wilson and the other congressmen in plain language, "Therefore, I do not recommend that you sponsor this project, which is destined to fail."

After the Chen Hui incident, there were very few scientists left who were still willing to serve as their scientific advisors. The reason he stayed was naturally because he had no choice but to stay, and he certainly didn't dare to offend Wilson and the others.

"China has agreed to provide him with the initial data."

Nick chimed in from the side.

“You have no idea how precise the data needs to be; China would never agree to that,” James sneered.

Nick turned to James and asked, "A sensor every three kilometers?"

"what?"

James paused, then realized he didn't have enough detailed data to support building an accurate weather forecasting model, but, "Do you know what you're talking about?"

"One sensor every three kilometers, do you know how big of an engineering project that is?"

"Has China gone mad? Would it agree to a project that's impossible to complete?"

Nick didn't look at James anymore; he also had many questions. "Maybe China has really gone mad!"

“If that’s the case,” Wilson’s eyes lit up, Nick had provided them with crucial intelligence, “then wouldn’t China be doing all the work for us for nothing?”

“I don’t think it’s unacceptable to provide Professor Chen with sufficient supercomputing resources.”

He looked at the other members of parliament.

That's why they chose to hold today's meeting here; S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence can help them make the most accurate judgments.

"interesting."

The other members of parliament were also somewhat tempted. They all understood the enormous investment required for a sensor within a three-kilometer radius, and that if they were to undertake this project themselves, perhaps no one would be able to complete it.

But now that China is willing to take on this responsibility, they are naturally happy to see it happen.

After all, Chen Hui is in America, and the final research results will inevitably be firmly in their hands.

As for some supercomputing resources, although they are equally valuable, they are insignificant compared to the massive amount of initial data.

"With so much data to process, how much supercomputing resources do we need to invest?"

Will he actually be able to finish it in the end?

One of the legislators frowned slightly. He was a businessman, and often, when investing in a project, the loss was not only the resources invested, but also the opportunity cost.

Because if he didn't invest in this project, those resources could be used for other projects, which would likely bring him huge profits.

Clearly, the supercomputing resources Chen Hui needs are by no means small.

Once they choose to sponsor Chen Hui's research, they will inevitably have to keep increasing their investment along the way; otherwise, the huge sunk costs are unacceptable to them, as businessmen always hate losses.

"Why not give it a try?"

Wilson, on the other hand, was quite optimistic and had a lot of confidence in Chen Hui.

Have you ever thought about this question?

"Even if Professor Chen succeeds in the end, what good will it do us?"

Another member of parliament spoke up.

"If this works out, we can incorporate climate considerations into our future investment projects to prevent losses caused by weather conditions."

One congressman said with a sharp look in his eyes, “Back then, I invested in a plaza project in California. Due to continuous heavy rain, construction was suspended for three months, which resulted in all the materials being damaged. Many completed buildings had to be demolished and rebuilt, which caused me a loss of several million dollars.”

"Once the weather model is built, we will be able to predict extreme weather events such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and we will be able to evacuate people and property in advance, which will bring many benefits!"

"You all have many businesses in various places, especially in coastal areas. I'm sure you've all encountered the troubles caused by extreme weather, right?"

The congressman became more and more excited as he spoke, his mind already filled with countless applications of accurate weather forecasting models.

"Even if you could predict a hurricane, what then?"

The congressman initially scoffed, "My factory is right there. Do you think I can move it when a hurricane comes?"

"But you can move people and other property."

"Transferring assets? The cost of the transfer isn't considered a loss?" "As for casualties, those lower-class people who died are gone. Once the factory is built, I can recruit a large number of them at any time, and it will also boost the employment rate. What loss is that? It should be a good thing."

The conference room was silent.

What this congressman said was a bit harsh, but it's the truth, and many people think the same thing even if they don't say it.

Many people's enthusiasm for Chen Hui's project immediately waned.

A project that doesn't generate revenue has no need for sponsorship.

Wilson looked around the conference room in astonishment.

He felt that everyone's points made sense, but for some reason, he always felt that something was off.

However, in the final vote, nearly two-thirds of the people voted against it, and Chen Hui's project was ultimately rejected by them all.

……

In the small town of Princeton, in the courtyard of a Victorian-style villa, glasses clinked and dishes lay scattered.

Chen Hui originally just wanted to have a simple celebration and invite a few familiar professors and friends over, but he didn't expect that almost all the professors in the mathematics department would come, and even a lot of students would come. Chen Hui also holds a teaching position at Princeton, where he teaches undergraduate courses.

His small villa simply couldn't accommodate so many people, and he hadn't prepared that much food at all.

Fortunately, the professors and students brought their own food and drinks, and they had a great time sharing the food and drinks. It turned into a unique party, and everyone had a lot of fun.

Even the neighbors brought their homemade food to celebrate.

Regardless of America's actions, at least most of the people of America are very warm and welcoming.

The grand celebration lasted until 11 p.m. before the crowd gradually dispersed. If it hadn't ended soon, the town's residents would have complained about the disturbance.

"The teacher is so wonderful!"

Michael grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness. "This is the biggest party I've ever been to!"

"I knew it! Following the teacher was the right choice!"

"Hey, stop daydreaming and hurry up and clean up. Are you waiting for the teacher to come and clean up your mess?"

Elena glared angrily. Although the three of them were students in the same year, she was the first to become Chen Hui's disciple and always considered herself the senior sister. The other two had to give her some face.

"Oh."

Michael reluctantly got up. He had originally planned to get drunk to avoid trouble, but before the party started, his teacher had strictly forbidden him from drinking, saying that drinking would damage a mathematician's brain.

However, the claim that the math professors at the party drank more than anyone else is clearly nonsense.

While dawdling, he approached Deng Leyan and said, "Hey junior brother, don't Chinese mathematicians drink alcohol?"

"Ah."

Deng Leyan was too lazy to waste words with him. No matter what he asked, he just answered with a simple "hmm".

Chen Hui stood at the door, watching the three busy students, smiled slightly, turned around and went upstairs to sleep.

……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Fefferman, who hadn't been there for a while, walked into the tea break room and saw two young men arguing about something by the blackboard, with Witten and the others listening attentively below.

In the past, he would definitely have gone to see it.

But now, with a somber expression, he searched the tea room and finally found the young man deep in thought.

"They do not agree to sponsorship."

Once Chen Hui snapped out of his thoughts, Fefferman said in a low voice.

"what?"

This really surprised Chen Hui.

He thought that with his current fame, he wouldn't be unable to secure sponsorships.

However, thinking about what Tao Zhexuan had complained to him about a few days ago about the funding being cut off, Chen Hui felt somewhat relieved.

America has been a nation for over two hundred years. According to China's five-thousand-year history, a dynasty that has lasted for over two hundred years is almost over. Now, America is an old woman covered in sores, and all kinds of conflicts have intensified to the extreme.

In the final years of a dynasty, monsters and evil spirits abound.

This event is also recorded in history books.

America's current manager is quite similar to Emperor Chongzhen.

Faced with a country riddled with problems, he tried his best to turn the tide, but unfortunately, he was mediocre and lacked ability. Instead, the more he struggled, the more problems he created. In the end, he exhausted all his resources in just over a decade, and the Ming Dynasty was reduced to ashes.

What if I sponsor myself?

Chen Hui suddenly said that he already had a plan B, but he didn't say it outright because this was America.

"Ok?"

“Supercomputing is no small project; it cannot be solved with just a few million or even tens of millions of dollars.”

Fefferman shook his head.

Is $5 million enough?

Chen Hui took out his phone and checked the balance in his account.

He himself spends very little, and he can't even spend all his various bonuses. The patent licensing fees have been sitting in his account untouched. In recent years, Nvidia has licensed to several other companies, bringing Chen Hui nearly $100 million in licensing fees. Youwei has also given Chen Hui several hundred million RMB in dividends.

By combining the two, he now has a balance of exactly $5 million in his account.

"What?"

Fefferman turned around in surprise.

"Princeton only needs to provide the space; I'll handle the supercomputing."

Chen Hui spoke up, saying that the land was the most pressing issue for him. After all, this was America, and there was no land available for him to place his supercomputer. He had to rely on Fefferman, the local bigwig, to solve the problem.

"You really have $5 million?"

Fefferman was dumbfounded. If he didn't know Chen Hui's personality, he would have thought Chen Hui was bragging.

Historically, there have been mathematicians who achieved financial freedom. For example, Simons, the "King of Quantitative Mathematics," earned his PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley at the age of 23, became the head of the mathematics department at 30, single-handedly revitalized the mathematics program at Stony Brook University, collaborated with Shiing-Shen Chern to establish the Chern-Simons theory, and received the Veblen Prize, the highest award in geometry.

Finally, in his sixties, he grew tired of academia and entered Wall Street, becoming one of the world's most profitable fund managers. His fund has hardly lost money in more than 20 years, with an average annual return of 35%, far exceeding that of Buffett.

Another example is chemist David Shaw, who, after achieving financial freedom, sponsored his own chemical research and founded the branch of computational chemistry...

There are many examples of top scientists making waves on Wall Street, but he had never heard of Chen Hui having such an experience.

"Did you go to Wall Street to trade stocks?"

Fefferman looked at Chen Hui, who he considered the only reasonable explanation.

(End of this chapter)