King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

Zhou Yuguang is now in his forties.

He once went to the United Kingdom as a visiting scholar, but eventually returned to China, hoping to take advantage of the great opportunity of reform and opening up to make a name for himself in China.

The foreign investment that is now being offered for free, along with high income and personal shares, is undoubtedly a huge temptation.

As for national projects, whether they will ultimately be implemented is fraught with uncertainty…

"Xiao Chen..." Zhou Yuguang's voice was a little hoarse, "I..."

Chen Jianghe immediately understood the struggle in Zhou Yuguang's eyes.

He understands the allure of foreign companies in this era, which many veteran technologists find tempting...

He walked up to Zhou Yuguang, his eyes clear.

"Engineer Zhou, without you, there would be no Tiangong today! Whatever choice you make, I understand and support you!"

"As for your shares, I will always reserve them for you."

He paused, his voice soft yet carrying immense weight: "But I am different! My roots are in Tiangong. Tiangong's technology is a seedling that grew from this land."

"We need to water and fertilize, and we have to use our own water and fertilizer!"

"I'm afraid the fertilizer outside might burn out! No matter how difficult this national project is, I, Chen Jianghe, will lead Tiangong to continue on this path!"

Zhou Yuguang looked at Chen Jianghe's resolute face, at the unwavering conviction and sense of responsibility in his eyes...

I can't help but recall the days and nights the two of them fought side by side in the work shed, overcoming difficulties together...

I remember the pure joy I felt when the Pangu Card was lit up…

I remembered what I said to Li Mingyuan the year I returned to China…

The slight hesitation I had about material things vanished instantly!

He slammed his fist on the table: "I'm fucking confused! What the hell are we doing here?!"

"I've dedicated my whole life to technology, was it just for the money? I just want to improve our own technology!"

"I'm betting my life on Tiangong! Lin Jianye's $300 million? Let him keep it to wipe his own ass!"

"Okay!" Chen Jianghe's eyes welled up with tears, and he gripped Zhou Yuguang's hand tightly. "Thank you, Engineer Zhou!"

Chen Jianghe immediately picked up a pen and drew a big "X" heavily in red on the beautifully prepared letter of intent for the Hong Kong-funded acquisition!

"The sails of Tiangong will be firmly tied to the giant ship of national scientific and technological revitalization!"

After speaking, Chen Jianghe unfolded the letter paper, in the name of Tiangong Precision Electronics Processing Plant…

Formal documents were prepared for the national project application team, including the drafting of the "Technology Independence Commitment Letter" and the "Letter of Intent for Cooperation."

The ultimate battle concerning technological sovereignty and foreign capital has begun!

One month later, the national "Seventh Five-Year Plan" key scientific and technological research project—

Project Approval Notice for "High-Performance Chinese Character Information Processing System and Domestic Production of Core Components"...

It was solemnly hung in the simple office of the Huilongguan factory.

The bright red official seal of the ministry and the joint signature of several top universities at the end of the document proclaim the power behind Tiangong Factory.

With the arrival of the first phase of project funding of 500,000 yuan, Tiangong's tight cash flow was instantly relieved.

Then, even more important resources followed!

In terms of technical resources, the Institute of Microelectronics of Tsinghua University sent a team of key technical personnel led by Professor Li Mingyuan to be stationed at Tiangong.

It brought the HP Logic Analyzer 16500B series logic analyzer, which was extremely rare in China at that time, and the right to use basic EDA software.

It can be operated in time-sharing mode on Tsinghua's VAX minicomputer for in-depth optimization of the Pangu III graphics acceleration unit and pre-research of next-generation design.

In terms of human resources, students from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, and other universities take turns interning at Tiangong Factory.

It brought cutting-edge theoretical knowledge and abundant intellectual support.

Regarding testing resources, the project team coordinated the opening of some machine time at the reliability laboratory of a certain department's electronic component testing center...

Used for high-intensity reliability testing of the Pangu III card.

In terms of policy resources, a bronze plaque bearing the official seals of ministries such as the Ministry of Science and Technology (D) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (X) proclaiming it as a "National Key Scientific and Technological Research Collaboration Unit" was hung at the entrance of Tiangong Precision Electronics Processing Plant.

It has coated the Tiangong factory with an invisible protective film.

As a result, the funds for purchasing a second-hand chip mounter, which had previously been blocked by the X department, were miraculously approved.

Chen Jianghe looked at the complex timeline diagrams covering the wall…

Watching Zhang Wei, He Fan, Zhan Yiling, Zhao Lin, and others, engaged in a heated discussion around the logic analyzer…

Looking at the newly arrived mini-computer terminal flashing green characters…

An unprecedented sense of mission and pressure surged within me.

The trust and investment at the national level is not only an honor, but also a heavy responsibility!

The Pangu III must achieve a qualitative leap in performance, reliability, and mass production!

However, the project's glory could not dispel the shadows over the mass production line.

The orders for the Pangu II model continue to be overwhelming, and the Tiangong factory's production capacity has been pushed to its limit.

The newly arrived used Sonoshita MVIIF general-purpose placement machine is faster than manual placement, but its condition is unstable, with a rejection rate as high as 15%.

This raises concerns about the mounting accuracy of precision chips, such as the GAL22V10.

The newly recruited workers are not yet fully proficient, their skills are rough, and the yield rate is struggling at around 60%.

Most importantly, the supplier of the four-layer plywood, Hongxing Factory, failed to deliver!

When attempting to process a batch of four-layer board samples of the [Pangu III type], the yield rate was a dismal 20%!

It simply cannot meet the needs of mass production!

"That won't do!"

Zhou Yuguang was extremely anxious as he looked at the pile of expensive, scrapped PCBs.

"With the Hongxing factory's capabilities, they can only produce double-layer boards at best! Their alignment accuracy and lamination process for four-layer boards are completely inadequate! We must change suppliers immediately!"

"Furthermore, the design of the [Pangu III] is more complex; it would be best to find a factory that can conduct tests on six-layer boards!"

Who should I contact?

There are very few factories in China that can produce high-precision multilayer boards, and they are always booked up with orders, have high prices, and have problems with their processes!

"Why not just contact CEFC!"

Chen Jianghe looked at Zhou Yuguang, "Gangcheng Huaxin! Skip Lin Jianye! Let's talk directly!"

Holding the drawings produced by Zhou Yuguang, which marked the core PCB design specifications for the "Pangu III" type, and a letter of introduction from the project's collaborating unit...

Accompanied by Li Mingyuan from Tsinghua University and Wang Liping, who was in charge of production, Chen Jianghe and his group boarded a train heading south…

Heading straight to Shenzhen, they attempted to gain access to Huaxin Precision.

Shenzhen, Luohu Port.

A dusty construction site, towering scaffolding, a cacophony of accents, and brand-new slogans proclaiming "Time is money, efficiency is life"...

This creates a vibrant yet slightly chaotic scene.

After much effort, Chen Jianghe and his two companions finally met Manager Huang of Huaxin Precision's sales department through the introduction of a Hong Kong businessman familiar to Li Mingyuan.

Manager Huang is a typical Hong Kong business elite, always dressed in a suit and tie, shrewd and capable.

He carefully reviewed the PCB design drawings provided by Chen Jianghe.

The key factors are trace density, number of vias, and tread structure...

And the proof of cooperation with that national project.

His eyes revealed surprise and interest.

"This design... is quite sophisticated! The craftsmanship must be very high!"

He hesitated for a moment, "How much is the order? Our prices aren't cheap."