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

Chapter 268 As long as you wield the hoe well, no corner is too high to dig down!
"Alright, that's enough of the introduction. Next, please welcome Leader Liu to the stage to demonstrate our Loongson-1 processor!"

Leader Liu was taken aback at first, then overjoyed.

He never inquired about the Loongson project, nor did he spend a single penny of the national funds. From beginning to end, it was a project funded entirely by Northwestern Polytechnical University.

However, this is, after all, a major breakthrough for the Eastern electronics industry and a remarkable achievement for their electronics industry system. If he were to demonstrate it, everyone would recognize the leadership of the electronics industry system.

Qin Liang really knows how to handle things!
Leader Liu walked up with a smug look on his face, and in front of countless cameras, he came to the table covered with a red silk cloth and slowly pulled it open.

Inside was a glass container, and inside that container was a processor encapsulated in black ceramic. Leader Liu stretched out his right hand and carefully lifted the processor.

Click, click!
Countless shots were taken.

The 8086 was still long and narrow with pins on both sides, but this processor in front of us is square! The front is black ceramic with the words "Loongson One" printed on it, and the back is the latest PGA package with more than a hundred pins, which look densely packed, like a nail board.

This is the most advanced microprocessor in the East, and also the most advanced microprocessor in the world!
Andy Grove didn't know what he was feeling. He walked outside and was hit by a cold wind when he suddenly realized something.

"Do you think that Loongson-1 chip might be fake?"

Andy Grove would never believe that the East suddenly possessed advanced processor technology that could surpass Intel!
Easterners love to scheme, so...

Gordon Moore also stopped in his tracks: "Fake? If it's fake... it won't be long before it's exposed. We just have to wait."

"That's right!"

"Please wait a moment, everyone. Next is the celebration banquet for Loongson-1. Please move to the dining area."

"no need!"

I came to this press conference hoping to see Dongfang make a fool of himself, but now that I've become the clown, how can I possibly go back to eating?

What do you say when toasting? For example, "Congratulations to you in the East, have you finally surpassed Intel?"

Let's go, let's go quickly, once we get back we need to get the 286 processor working!
Dining area.

Qin Liang raised his glass: "I really didn't expect that all the leaders would come to support our Loongson One. We, the R&D team of Loongson One, would like to toast you all!"

Liu Gensheng smiled broadly: "No, we should be the ones toasting you! Look at those Intel guys, coming in all high and mighty, leaving with their tails between their legs, it was truly exhilarating! Come on, let's toast you!"

After a glass of wine, everyone was filled with excitement.

"Here, the second cup..."

After a few drinks, the atmosphere became more lively, and Liu Gensheng said, "With this processor, the computers will be faster. Our government departments need to purchase at least tens of thousands of units, next month..."

"Leader Liu, our processors have only just started trial production, and the capacity is very low. Once our Zhenhua Electronics' new factory is completed, we will be able to supply them in large quantities..."

It's being produced using existing equipment and still employing a 3-micron process. This processor looks shiny and powerful, but it generates enough heat to fry an egg!

"Then why are you in such a hurry to hold a press conference..."

"Of course, it's to prove our strength and give those guys a break," Qin Liang said. "At the same time, it's also to provoke Intel; when they're in a hurry, they're more likely to make mistakes..."

Intel Corporation, conference room.

"Gentlemen, Intel has reached a critical juncture!" Grove said in his distinctive Hungarian accent, looking at the crowd present. "In the memory field, we have been attacked by the island nation's electronics industry, and in the processor field, we have encountered Loongson from the East. Now, we have no choice! We must seize the time and develop our own 32-bit processor!"

Everyone was stunned.

"Grove, the 286 we're designing is a 16-bit processor."

"According to our plan, the first 32-bit processor will probably be released around 85."

Isn't this akin to the Great Leap Forward? Technological progress can't be achieved by just shouting slogans.

"Everyone, we don't have time. Loongson is a 32-bit processor. On the one hand, we need to continue developing 16-bit processors step by step. On the other hand, we also need to speed up the development of 32-bit processors. Our x86 architecture uses variable instruction length CISC, so this change shouldn't be too much of a problem."

The difference between 16-bit and 32-bit is simply the length of data processed at one time. The preceding instructions can be exactly the same, but the subsequent data can be expanded. This is how the x86 architecture has been upgraded step by step, and the same applies to 64-bit architecture.

"Everyone, we're running out of time!" Grove looked at everyone. "We at Intel are Silicon Valley's last hope to defeat the island nation and the East! We must seize the time and give it our all. I hereby announce that starting today, the workday will be extended to 11 PM! Weekends off will be canceled! The company will provide you with folding beds..."

Who says Americans don't get into trouble? In the 1980s, Intel faced so much competitive pressure that the unions were practically outraged by their actions!
"Alright, let's get started!"

Everyone was busy with their own things. Grove returned to his office and had just sat down when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

An Asian face with yellow skin and black eyes walked in.

"Mr. Grove, I would like to resign."

Grove was momentarily stunned: "Yu, this is the most important time for Intel. You're a long-time Intel employee, having participated in all processor projects since 4004. How could you..."

Yu Youcheng was born in Shanghai in the 1940s. He later moved to the United States with his parents and pursued his master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at Stanford University. He received his doctorate in 1967 and then joined Fairchild Semiconductor, the cradle of the semiconductor industry. In 1972, he left Fairchild Semiconductor and joined Intel Corporation.

There are many Chinese people in Intel. They are mostly Chinese in core areas of the process technology department, and even in the research and development center, such as team leaders and managers.

Yu Youcheng is already a research and development project manager at Intel! Such a person can be considered a pillar of Intel!

"I...I want to resign."

Yu Youcheng didn't say anything else, but continued to make his demands.

"Are you worried about the workload ahead? Yu, you need to understand that this is a test for us. If we pass this test, Intel will remain the dominant force in this field, and you will become its heroes! You cannot leave at a time like this!"

“No, I want to resign,” Yu Youcheng said, placing a resignation letter on Grove’s desk.

Grove's face darkened: "Yu, you wouldn't have been... poached by the Japanese, would you?"

"No, you know, I was born in the East, and I grew up amidst war. The island nation is the one that brought disaster to our East. How could I possibly work in an island nation!"

Not an island nation?

"Europe?"

Yu Youcheng continued to shake his head.

Grove suddenly realized something, and his face darkened: "You wouldn't be thinking of going to the East, would you?"

"Yes, the East is my motherland. In the past, it was only because the East lacked advanced semiconductor technology that my knowledge had no room to be put to use. Now..."

"No, no, I absolutely will not allow you to go back!" Grove's voice shrilled. "It is precisely because of the rise of Eastern Semiconductor that Intel has been under tremendous pressure. How can you go to our competitor's company..."

Yu Youcheng's attitude was very firm: "The East is my motherland! If you don't allow it, then we will take legal action. In short... I am determined to go back."

Grove's eyes darted around, and his attitude softened: "Yu, although Dongfang has released the Loongson One processor, we haven't actually received the Loongson One chip. So, we don't know what the chip's performance is like, or even if it even exists. You can go to Dongfang if you want; I can agree to your resignation. But... if the Loongson One is just a fake project, then I hope you can come back. Intel's doors are always open for you."

The meaning is simple: Yu Youcheng can go to the East as a commercial spy. Yu Youcheng doesn't care about these things; as long as Grove agrees, it's the best option, and he genuinely wants to go to the East to see for himself.

As Yu Youcheng walked out of Grove's office, he saw... a flurry of people slipping through the doorway and returning to their workstations. These were also Asian faces with yellow skin and black eyes...

I can't control what they think, but I've already made up my mind to go back to China!
Late March, Chang'an.

The grass is lush and green, and the trees are sprouting tender buds. It is the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers!
Yu Youcheng stood at the entrance of Northwestern Polytechnical University, watching the busy pedestrians coming and going inside. He took a deep breath and then prepared to step inside.

"Hey, who are you looking for?"

Upon seeing the person coming out of the gatehouse, Yu Youcheng said, "I want to find the Loongson R&D team."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

Do you know anyone?

"No."

"I'm sorry, you can't go in."

Northwestern Polytechnical University has more and more projects, and its management is becoming increasingly strict. Someone with an unknown identity cannot just walk in!
After all, this isn't the first time such a leak has happened!

"I came back from abroad, and I want to join the Loongson R&D team..."

"From abroad? Then they definitely can't go in!"

As they were talking, the sound of a motorcycle came from outside. A sidecar motorcycle originally intended to go straight in, but stopped when it saw the situation.

"Uncle Wang, what is it?"

"This guy said he's from overseas and wants to join the Loongson R&D team. Qin Liang, someone like him..."

Qin Liang looked at the other person: "Who are you?"

"Yu Youcheng worked at Intel for ten years. When I learned about Loongson-1, I came back because I wanted to do my part for the country's chip industry!"

This name... seems somewhat familiar!
and many more!

Qin Liang thought of a book he had read in his later life, "My View on Intel: A Chinese-American Vice President's Personal Account." The author of this book was also named Yu Youcheng, and he was about the same age as the man in front of him! Hmm, this is a genius!

"Get in the car, I'll take you inside!"

Yu Youcheng was immediately delighted. He sat on the sidecar of Qin Liang's sidecar motorcycle, and with a sputtering sound, the motorcycle drove into the campus.

The mathematics department building has been completed, and the computer science department occupies the top three floors of the building! The top floor is the development site for Loongson chips.

Qin Liang led Yu Youcheng straight to the top floor of the mathematics department building and sat down in an office next to the computer room.

"Mr. Yu, please introduce your work experience first. I have already asked someone to call the person in charge of Loongson."

"Okay, I joined Fairchild Technology in 1967..."

This guy is a real genius!
After Qin Liang finished listening, Engineer Ni also came in. Although he didn't know Yu Youcheng, he had heard of him and immediately smiled broadly: "Liangzi, Engineer Yu is indeed an important employee of Intel. His participation in our Loongson project will allow our Loongson to be put into practical use more quickly..."

Qin Liang nodded: "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. It's a bit of a waste to have Engineer Yu join the Loongson team. Someone like Engineer Yu should be building up a new team..."

Although the newcomer's technical skills were beyond question, Qin Liang couldn't trust him unconditionally. What if he was a spy sent by Intel? It would be better to entrust him with an important task!
"What am I going to do?" Yu Youcheng was also looking forward to it.

"There are two directions at present," Qin Liang said. "The first is to provide supporting components for Loongson and develop the northbridge and southbridge chips for the motherboard."

Yu Youcheng asked curiously, "What is this?"

In this era, computer motherboards are densely packed with integrated circuits. To achieve a function, one integrated circuit is placed. There are often dozens of such integrated circuits on a single computer motherboard. Even memory chips are directly plugged into sockets.

Therefore, computer research and development is very complicated. Even after you have a processor, it can take another year or two to design the motherboard.

It wasn't until the Pentium era that the northbridge and southbridge chip structure finally came into being. By the time of the Pentium computer, the main unit was already vertical, with two chips placed on the motherboard, following the pattern of a map, with north at the top and south at the bottom, and called the southbridge and northbridge respectively.

Now, Loongson computers are groundbreaking, so naturally, their computer architecture also needs improvement.

"Among them, the Northbridge chip is close to the processor and is responsible for transmitting signals to the processor. It is a high-speed relay station. The communication with the memory is also carried out by the Northbridge. The Southbridge is mainly responsible for I/O, that is, dealing with various input and output devices. In this way, the motherboard will be simpler and it will be easier for various computer manufacturers to design."

Yu Youcheng's eyes widened: "That's right, it's definitely an idea! If there's a first one, then there'll be a second one?"

"Yes, the second is the display chip."

Computers in the 1980s mainly displayed text information, which could be solved with some simple circuits. Later, the display of images was only 2D, which led to the emergence of some graphics card companies. As for the famous Nvidia, it didn't exist yet; it was not founded until 1993.

Therefore, if we take action now and register a large number of patents in the graphics card field, we can block Silicon Valley's path. Huang (Nvidia CEO) still wants to wear a leather jacket and showcase their new graphics card on stage? Dream on!

"You should know that in the East, a large portion of computer use is for graphic design. We need specialized display chips, the more powerful the better, there's no limit. Moreover, we need to perform special optimizations for 3D, and develop a large number of technologies unique to 3D displays..."

Historically, in November 1996, 3Dfx launched the Voodoo graphics card, a standalone graphics card that connected to a VGA cable, took signals from a 2D graphics card, and then output them to the computer. This graphics card quickly became a hit, completely dominating the market and driving other companies into bankruptcy.

At this time, Nvidia was still in a dormant state. It can only be said that the great wave of change swept away many graphics card companies, ultimately leading to Nvidia's dominance.

“Okay, I choose this one!” Yu Youcheng nodded.

Qin Liang asked in surprise, "So decisive?"

"Yes, I feel that this market will be even bigger, and I don't want to do something that can be replaced."

There's no rush for the northbridge and southbridge chips; the existing ones are sufficient. This graphics card is truly unique!
"Okay, then we'll set up a dedicated display chip department, and you'll be the head of that department!"

Ni, standing to the side, finally breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he had also been suspicious of the visitor's motives. What if... Intel had stolen Loongson's secrets? Now, this visitor was focused on developing graphics cards, which didn't conflict with Loongson. Good, good, not bad!
"How many employees can you allocate to me?"

Qin Liang was a little embarrassed: "So far, you are the only employee number one."

I'm all alone!

"Next, we will select some students from the computer science major at Northwestern Polytechnical University to form a research and development team. Of course, considering their lack of experience, we also hope that you can continue to recruit some excellent engineers from Silicon Valley. Their salaries will be increased by 10% compared to before. Moreover, please believe that this display chip department will grow rapidly and may even surpass the processor department in the future!"

This isn't Qin Liang bragging. In later generations, Nvidia fared much better than Intel, to the point that there were even rumors that Nvidia was going to acquire Intel.

AI and big data both require computing power, which is achieved through graphics cards. Even if there is no demand, demand can be artificially created, such as through mining.

As for now... display chips are also very useful. For example, the one-sided, three-sided glass cockpit interface requires a display chip! The stronger the performance, the more detailed the displayed graphics will be, and the clearer they will look.

Yu Youcheng alone is not enough; we need to poach a large number of people from Intel. Among so many Chinese, there are bound to be some who are patriotic and hope to return to China to contribute their knowledge.

If you wield your hoe well, no corner is too hard to dig down!
(End of this chapter)