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

Chapter 27 Do you know what 8086 is?
"Teacher, how can this be? This isn't for the aircraft department; this is our most valuable piece of equipment!"

"That's right, what kind of computers do they use in their aircraft department! We don't even have enough for our own!"

"Teacher, I, Zhou Yongfei, have been queuing for a month, and it's only today that it's my turn to use the computer. I'm next, please don't take away my right to use the computer!"

A group of computer science students immediately objected.

Looking at his senior classmates who were eager to learn, Qin Liang had mixed feelings.

They treat this outdated computer like a treasure! After they graduate, they will likely become the backbone of the country's computer industry and pillars of society...

"Director Meng, let's leave these computers for your students. We'll think of another way," Qin Liang said.

"Why? I heard from the school that you are undertaking a key national project to solve the urgent equipment needs of the military and to showcase the strength of Northwestern Polytechnical University!" Director Meng looked puzzled, then looked at the students beside him, as if he had thought of something.

"Students, we didn't have this computer a few years ago, but we still managed to organize computer studies, didn't we? Now, the Aeronautical Engineering Department has a major research project, which is a great thing for our Northwestern Polytechnical University. After we go back, let's continue to work on it in our minds. Let's leave this computer for the Aeronautical Engineering Department!"

The computer science students had complicated expressions; they didn't want to let go, but...

"Director Meng, really, we don't need it anymore. The computer's performance... is too poor. It can only be used for teaching purposes. We..."

Qin Liang only wanted to explain that his side really didn't need it, so that his fellow disciples could use it without worry. He didn't expect that his words would have the opposite effect!
"What? That's terrible? Young man, you don't think our computer is one of those low-end machines that only does 30 calculations per second, do you? This one is equipped with magnetic core memory, and its calculation speed is as high as 1800 calculations per second!"

The operation and control cabinet is 60 years old, and the memory cabinet is 64 years old. What happened during those four years?

Of course, it doesn't have a memory cabinet; it processes data directly at a speed of thirty times per second! This is also because the production of magnetic core memory is slow, so we have to wait!
In those days, magnetic core memory was a highly precise product, and it had to be transported by specially arranged people in soft sleeper carriages!
Even if it's 1,800 times per second, that's still too slow, isn't it? Fellow senior brothers, I won't even mention those processors from later generations that are measured in gigabytes (G), which is 1 followed by nine zeros, or a billion times per second. Just take the 8086 processor that the West already had at this time, for example, it can perform millions of operations per second!
and many more!

When Qin Liang thought of the 8086 processor, a bold idea immediately came to him.

Looking at his unconvinced senior brothers, a hint of contempt flashed in Qin Liang's eyes.

"A thousand calculations per second is enough for you to brag about? The world's first computer, ENIAC, could only do five thousand calculations per second! In recent years, Western computer technology has developed rapidly, and even a small microcomputer can perform tens of thousands of calculations per second! Do you know about the 8086?"

"What? That's impossible!"

"That's right, you're just bragging, aren't you?"

"What is 8086? What do these numbers mean?"

"Sigh, you guys! You keep saying computers are high-tech, but can't you open your eyes and look at the world outside? Have you heard of Moore's Law? Every year and a half to two years, the performance of integrated circuits doubles and the price halves! Twenty-year-old relics, and you still treat them like treasures..." These words were so provocative that the computer science students had already started rolling up their sleeves and clenching their fists!

"Sigh!" Just then, a sigh came: "Yes, when we first started developing semiconductors, we were no less advanced than the West. It's a pity that we wasted ten precious years!"

Qin Liang noticed the disappointed look on Director Meng's face.

"Students, in 1971, Intel Corporation in the United States released the 4004 microprocessor, which brought computer technology into the era of microcomputers. In a small chip, many structures that we have learned about in class are integrated, such as control units, arithmetic logic units, registers, etc. It can be said that a chip is equivalent to the function of the control cabinet behind you."

The students were stunned.

"In 1973, Intel launched the 8008 chip. At that time, the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building decided to form a joint design team composed of Tsinghua University, Anhui Radio Factory, and the Electronic Technology Promotion and Application Research Institute of the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building to jointly develop the DJS050 microcomputer. Last April, this computer passed the evaluation, representing that our country's electronics industry has also entered the field of microcomputers, but..."

Qin Liang shook his head helplessly.

The 8008 was Intel's first eight-bit processor chip, but its computing power was still too poor, only at the level of a scientific calculator. What I was most looking forward to was a true microcomputer, with at least the newly released 8086 chip inside!

If Qin Liang knew that the DJS050 still didn't have a keyboard or a monitor, he would probably be even more disappointed.

"Teacher, what is it?" The students looked anxiously at Director Meng.

"Alas, our country lacks funding. Currently, we can only concentrate our efforts on developing the supercomputers that the country needs. The development of these microcomputers is not valued, so... even if we see the great use of these computers, we can't apply for foreign exchange to purchase these chips to meet our learning and research needs..."

Director Meng is a visionary! He saw the immense potential of microcomputers, but unfortunately, he had nothing to show for it!

"Director Meng, I might be able to get my hands on the chip. If we do, could the computer science department of the mathematics department at Northwestern Polytechnical University work with the faculty and students of the electrical engineering department to turn this chip into a computer?"

"How did you get it?" Even Professor Liu was stunned.

Yes, you did say before that you would sell the planes to earn foreign exchange, but that would require improving the planes first before you could market them. Now, improving the planes requires a lot of calculations and computers, which is a vicious cycle.

The university students' eyes widened. Who was this junior? Did he have a family member working at a bank in the capital that specialized in foreign exchange?

Qin Liang straightened his back and looked at everyone: "I naturally have a way to do that. I just want to ask all of you top computer science students here, if I manage to get a processor chip, can you turn it into a personal computer? How long would it take? Tsinghua University has been struggling with this since 73 until last year. I don't know how much worse our Northwestern Polytechnical University's computer technology is than Tsinghua University's..."

(End of this chapter)