Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 267 Loongson-1 Press Conference
Rewind twenty minutes to the capital city, at a certain restaurant.

Barkley's face was full of anticipation.

"Hmph, as long as we Americans exert pressure, they will have to compromise! Otherwise, we will impose full sanctions on Northwestern Polytechnical University!"

"Yes, Congress has already drawn up a plan. When the time comes, they will completely terminate cooperation with Northwestern Polytechnical University, and will not allow Northwestern Polytechnical University's products to be sold in the Western world, such as fishing rods and bicycles, hehehe..."

Smith was also full of confidence. In his eyes, this combination of moves would surely make Northwestern Polytechnical University give in. However, he did not expect that if the cooperation was really terminated, how many companies would go to the White House to protest.

As they were talking, dish after dish was served.

Kung Pao Chicken, Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, Braised Pork...

The aroma of these Eastern dishes was irresistible, and both of them were very tempted.

Although the East is poor and backward, its cuisine is truly an eye-opener!

But... I'm not used to using chopsticks, I'll stick with a knife and fork!

Smith picked up a piece of deep-fried pork with his fork, put it in his mouth, and found the meat tender and delicious, with a wonderful aroma filling his mouth. Not bad, not bad!

Just then, two people walked by, talking as they went.

"I never imagined that Northwestern Polytechnical University would be developing chips!"

"Yes, they actually managed to develop a general-purpose processor that even the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences couldn't!"

Smith understood Eastern languages, and upon hearing this exchange, he instantly... dropped his fork onto the table with a clatter.

"Smith, what's wrong?" Barkley noticed his unusual behavior.

Smith didn't answer him, but turned to the speaker and said, "Gentlemen, would you like to come over here? It's my treat!"

"How can I be so embarrassed?"

"We ordered several dishes, and we couldn't possibly finish them all. Come on, sit down and eat with us!"

The two then sat down at the table.

"Are you two reporters?"

"Yes, we are from People's Daily. We have received an invitation and will be attending the Loongson-1 press conference."

How is the performance of this processor?

"do not know."

What architecture should be used?

"do not know."

It's normal to be clueless when asked, since this information is what's being released at a press conference!

The group continued eating, and after finishing, they exchanged business cards and became friends. Barkley returned to his hotel and hurriedly made a phone call back.

Intel Corporation, Headquarters.

"Shameless, utterly shameless!" Andy Grove paced back and forth in the office.

Previously, computers produced by Northwestern Polytechnical University were openly called 8086 computers in China, simply labeled with a Northwestern Polytechnical University tag and sold everywhere.

Now, Intel is pursuing legal action against them for infringement, and they actually dare to do this! They simply change the name and call it their own processor, and then they even hold a press conference!
This is blatant shamelessness! This is intolerable!

“Yes, I really didn’t expect that the East would actually…” Gordon Moore, who was focused on technology and didn’t care much about marketing, was somewhat helpless at this moment.

We're not going to sanction you anymore. You can sell quietly from now on, and everyone's happy. But now, you're actually going to put it out in the open, branding yourselves with the word "counterfeit" on your foreheads. Are you trying to slap Intel in the face, or are you trying to slap yourselves in the face?

Do they think it's honorable to copy others?

"Hmph, aren't they going to hold a press conference? Then we'll invite some of our Western media to go there too, to see what their Loongson-1 is really like, and then spread it throughout the Western world, so that the whole world can see the ugly face of the Easterners copying... No, we'll go there ourselves. As the industry leader, we'll go and give the younger generation face!"

Andy Grove smiled as he said this.

Easterners, you asked for this!

Gordon Moore frowned. "Should we go too? Wouldn't that... be overestimating them? Or how about we send Barkley, who's staying in the East, to take a look?"

"No, we must go there ourselves!"

Seeing those thieves' shameful faces with your own eyes, that's what's truly satisfying!

Andy Grove persisted.

March 15, Friendship Hotel, Eastern Capital, Banquet Hall.

Built in 1954, the Friendship Hotel was the largest garden-style hotel in the East at the time, with nearly 2,000 guest rooms, apartments, and offices, more than 30 restaurants, and 26 conference halls and multi-functional halls of different sizes.

After its completion, it became an important venue for national diplomacy and foreign affairs activities. Now, it is about to host the largest press conference in the electronic system!

There is another important reason for choosing this place: it is located on Zhongguancun South Street, and Zhongguancun will become the electronics industry base in the East and the Silicon Valley of the East!

In the largest banquet hall, the front row seats were reserved for leaders at all levels. Reporters with their long lenses and microphones occupied advantageous positions, waiting to take exciting photos. There were reporters from both East and West.

Emma, ​​a reporter for The New York Times, set up her camera and started chatting with the people next to her.

"Isa, have you heard about what's been happening lately?"

"What's the matter?" asked Isabella, a reporter from the Los Angeles Daily News, curiously.

"The computers produced in the East all use counterfeit 8086 chips. They have never had any concept of intellectual property rights. They steal openly and honestly. Even when people from Intel came to them, they denied it to the death. Instead, they used our friendly relationship to put pressure on the White House..."

"Is there such a thing?"

"Yeah, I heard that the processor they're releasing today is actually a copy of the 8086. They've given it a new name, thinking that will get rid of the stigma of being a knock-off. It's really like the Emperor's New Clothes..."

"Really? Then I'll have to ask a question during the Q&A session later."

“Yes, as long as we remember the performance of our 8086 processor, we can leave them speechless,” Emma said. “Our 8086 is a high-performance 16-bit processor that has…”

She spoke eloquently, and Isa opened her notebook and quickly took notes.

After introducing her to Isa, Emma spotted the European reporters on the other side, and whoosh! Faster than an electric bicycle, Emma dashed over.

"Steve, you're here? Have you heard about what's been happening lately?"

Soon, all the Western journalists present knew that the Loongson-1 processor that the East was about to release was a copy of the 8086 processor!

It was 8 p.m. when a large group of leaders walked in from the VIP entrance.

Liu Gensheng walked at the front, his face full of pride. "Look," he said, "our Dongfang Electronics Industry has made rapid progress in recent years, and it doesn't even need state investment. It's completely following the market economy path!"

The leaders of the Institute of Computing Technology were standing nearby, their hearts heavy. This was originally their achievement! Now, it belonged to Northwestern Polytechnical University, and they still had to put on a smiling face and offer encouragement. Northwestern Polytechnical University was getting the lion's share, while they couldn't even get the soup!
Next came the other leaders, and... the foreigners! Andy Grove, along with Gordon Moore and several other executives, accompanied by translators, along with Smith and Barkley who were originally staying there, suddenly appeared at the Friendship Hotel. Unfortunately, when they saw Qin Liang, they didn't see any surprise on Qin Liang's face. At this moment, he strode around, looking down on Qin Liang in his heart as he walked.

Go ahead and pretend! Let's see how you put on your show!

Andy Grove walked to the seat that had been temporarily assigned to him, glanced around, and thought, "Hmm, quite a few Western journalists have arrived! Now, let's just wait and see what happens!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's first give a warm round of applause to welcome the leaders who have come to attend this Loongson One press conference!" Qin Liang walked up with steady steps, picked up the microphone and began his introduction.

"Leader Liu of the electronic systems!"

"Leader Zhou from the Institute of Computing Technology!"

……

"Intel has also come to this press conference today, hoping to learn from us. Welcome to everyone from Intel!"

Upon hearing the translated words, Andy Grove's face darkened. Learn from us? We'll learn from you? Are you kidding me?
He wanted to retort, but after thinking about it, he decided to maintain the Western gentlemanly spirit.

"The East believes that in a group of three, there is bound to be one who can teach me. We in the West also believe that we have heard that the East has suddenly developed an advanced processor, so we came here specifically to take a look."

Those who understand, understand!

Many Western journalists quickly jotted down this sentence, waiting to use it when writing their articles. The twist in the story must be quite interesting...

After introducing the guests and giving the uninvited guest a piece of his mind, Qin Liang continued with a smile, "Next, please welcome our chief engineer of the Loongson project, Engineer Ni, to give us a brief introduction to the history of Loongson's research and development!"

Engineer Ni walked onto the stage.

"Hello everyone, our Loongson project was initiated two years ago. At that time, it was just a research and development project in the Computer Science Department of the Mathematics Department at Northwestern Polytechnical University. However, we quickly gathered experts from all over the country in this field to work together to overcome the challenges..."

Andy Grove gave a cold laugh. His meaning was clear: he wanted to show that Loongson was being developed from scratch. "Hmph, two years to develop a processor? What a joke! Two years to copy our 8086 is already the absolute limit for any Easterner!"
Don't rush, stay calm! The task of exposing the ugly side of East Asians will be handed over to our journalist friends!
"We first compared various technical approaches, and ultimately we chose the reduced instruction set computing (RISC) and 32-bit technology approach..."

"What? This is impossible!"

Ni Gong's words were interrupted. He looked down and followed the direction of the conversation, where he saw a group of surprised foreigners.

"Is there a translation error?" Andy Grove looked at the translator beside him.

Are CISC and RISC abbreviations translated incorrectly?

Smith's expression was complicated. He could understand Eastern languages ​​and didn't need a translator. What the other party was saying was indeed a simplified instruction set!
The processor's shape can change, from rectangular to square, and it can retain some unused pins, but its basic structure cannot be changed. If it is changed, it will definitely be a new one!
Intel has followed the complex instruction set technology route since its first processor, while this processor from the East is following the reduced instruction set technology route!

This one thing alone determines that the internal structures cannot be the same!
“Mr. Grove, please don’t get agitated.” Just then, Qin Liang spoke up: “We are ahead of you in terms of architecture and instruction set, but as long as you work hard to catch up, you can still catch up. There’s no need to be in such a hurry!”

Damn it, why do I need to catch up?! Intel is the leader in this field! Andy Grove's face turned red, but... after a moment, he held back. Forget it, he shouldn't say anything. Telling them would only make him look cheap.

Let them spread their propaganda. Even if they take a different route, how much more advanced can you be?

Wait, I think I just heard another word... 32-bit?
32th place!
Grove almost stood up again. What a joke! How could you possibly develop a 32-bit processor?
Intel's 80286, which is currently under development, is also a 16-bit processor. The plan is to transition to a 32-bit architecture in the next generation, namely the 80386. This is the first 32-bit processor for East Asians.
Bit width refers to the data bandwidth of a microprocessor executing instructions at one time. The larger this value is, the more data the processor can process at one time, which means that the actual processing speed of the processor will be faster at the same frequency!
Intel was methodically building its 16-bit processor, intending to squeeze out one last incremental improvement, but unexpectedly, the East had already taken big strides forward!

Grove took a deep breath.

No rush, no rush, we can't rush! Even if they develop a 32-bit processor, its computing speed might not be as fast as ours!

"Our Loongson-1 chip has a starting frequency of 20 MHz and integrates 280,000 transistors."

Click!

A thunderbolt exploded in Grove's mind.

20 MHz!
Their 286 processors have a maximum clock speed of only 20 MHz, while Eastern processors start at 20 MHz! According to Intel's experience, those high-quality processors can easily double their processing speed!
Taking into account the advantage of bit width, wouldn't the Loongson-1 chip from the East be more than four times faster than the 286?
Is Intel, the leader in the processor industry, now falling behind?

Grove felt his head buzzing, and he had no idea what was being said next!

Gordon Moore, standing nearby, also had a complicated expression.

Easterners, the most intelligent people in the world, once they decide to do something, they will definitely do it to the best of their ability!
Now, Intel is falling behind in the field of microprocessors!

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our introduction to Loongson-1." Engineer Ni smiled. The next segment should be the most dazzling part—the unveiling of Loongson-1, right?
"Excuse me!"

At this point, the Western journalists below could no longer contain themselves!
Isabella spoke loudly: "Is your Loongson One a copy of the Intel 8086?"

At that moment, Emma really wanted to rush over on her electric scooter and cover this guy's mouth. After all that talking, is this all you remember? Don't you even have any data to back you up?

"Madam, regarding whether Loongson One is a copy of the 8086, it's not up to me to say. Intel's president, Andy Grove, is here. You can ask him directly. Mr. Grove?"

All eyes turned to him, and only then did Grove finally recover from his shock.

Looking back, Qin Liang's calm demeanor and even his warm welcome when they first met made her realize that he was just pretending. She hadn't expected him to be genuinely welcoming her to vindicate the Loongson One chip!
Just like the Y-10, it's not a copy of the Boeing 707; only the president of Boeing can say that!

Whether Loongson 1 is a copy of Intel's processor is a question that Intel's president must answer!

Andy Grove said it here, in front of countless domestic and foreign reporters! This will spread throughout the world, and no one will believe that the East started by copying!

Now, what should Andy Grove choose?

Can he deny it?
Of course not!

If he denies it now, he'll be slammed by the media all over the world when he goes back. You're just fooling us, thinking we don't understand, right?
If he admits it, wouldn't that be promoting Loongson?

Damn it, he was the one who invited these Western journalists!

"Mr. Andy Grove is a little shy, let's give him a round of applause!"

Qin Liang's words made Andy Grove jump to his feet: "Mr. Qin, what you're doing is going too far! From the moment we came in, you've been verbally provoking us, and now..."

Gordon Moore quickly pulled him aside.

"Grove, Grove, watch out, the reporters are all watching!"

Andy Grove, who had almost lost control of his emotions, finally realized that Qin Liang was very malicious. He was constantly provoking him with words, trying to make him explode in anger and leave. Next, the media would definitely say that Intel was scared! Scared to the point of madness!

This damn guy!
Don't act impulsively, stay calm, stay calm, take a deep breath!

"Mr. Andy Grove, is our Loongson One a copy of the Intel 8086 processor?"

“Of course not,” Andy Grove answered crisply. “Our architectures, instruction sets, and so on are all different… but… hey, hey!”

The microphone in his hand had stopped working!
He wanted to tell everyone that the previous computers at Northwestern Polytechnical University used counterfeit chips, but now… the microphone was cut off! If he continued shouting, everyone would know, but that would make him seem hysterical…

damn it!
"Thank you, Mr. Andy Grove. You may have a seat now!"

Andy Grove sat down blankly, feeling a strong sense of humiliation. What had he become? He had become the other party's tool, a stepping stone for Dragon Core. He had been played like a monkey!

Damn it, damn it!
calm down!
The East already has 32-bit processors, and we must also speed up our response!

(End of this chapter)