King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

Early spring of 1987, Tiangong Precision Electronics Processing Plant in Huilongguan.

The storm surrounding Lin Jianye's trademark squatting of "Pangu" has yet to subside.

The reconstruction of the [Xuanyuan] brand is underway.

The stable orders from the industrial control boards in the D assembly plant and the OEM game console cards for "Little Prince" have greatly alleviated the pressure on Tiangong.

But the entire factory was filled with a heavy atmosphere of anxiety and anticipation regarding the bus driver chip and the tape-out results.

This is crucial for Tiangong to completely overcome its predicament and lead the future technological path.

As night deepened, the factory area fell silent, with only the low hum of the temperature and humidity control equipment running.

Chen Jianghe sat alone in the newly partitioned R&D department, working at his desk in front of a circuit diagram.

That was a draft of a new, more integrated graphics coprocessor board designed for the next generation of the Little Prince.

Chen Jianghe's goal was to further reduce costs and improve cost-effectiveness.

The lamplight illuminated his furrowed brows.

How can we achieve the best balance between performance and cost under limited resources and processes?

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A soft, clear, and steady sound of high heels came from the end of the factory corridor…

The sound struck the concrete floor, piercing the silence of the night.

That familiar voice…

It's been so long since I've heard that!

Chen Jianghe suddenly looked up!

Just as his breathing became rapid and his heart skipped several beats…

Under the lamplight at the entrance of the R&D department, stood a tall and slender figure.

He was still wearing that navy blue wool coat, the northern chill clinging to his shoulders.

More than half a year has passed since I last saw her. Her short, ear-length hair has grown into long hair, which is now tied into a high ponytail.

It's Su Wanqing!

She descended upon the Heavenly Craftsman's Shelter in the cold night, like an ice goddess.

He carried a brown paper document bag in his hand, his gaze calm as still water, yet still carrying an air of aloofness that seemed to see through everything.

She glanced at the blueprints spread out in front of Chen Jianghe and the weariness on his face.

"Still haven't learned to go to bed on time?"

Su Wanqing's voice was cold and emotionless.

She acted as naturally as if she were in her own laboratory, taking off her wool coat to reveal a dark turtleneck sweater underneath...and her perfect figure.

"Engineer Su... what brings you here?"

Chen Jianghe quickly stood up, his astonishment mixed with an indescribable warmth.

"There's a technical verification project at the institute that's requiring overtime... just passing by... What? You've gotten too big for your britches, and you don't welcome me anymore?"

"No! How could that be? I mean... you're so busy..."

Su Wanqing did not answer Chen Jianghe's question. She put down the file bag and her eyes fell on the drawings.

"Is this what you prepare for all those electronic toys out there?"

"To save on the quantity of 'The Little Prince,' why make such a cost-cutting measure with bus isolation?"

Unexpectedly, Su Wanqing saw through his thoughts at a glance!

Chen Jianghe's cheeks flushed slightly: "The profit margin for OEM orders is very low, so we have to control costs..."

"This is not an excuse."

Su Wanqing interrupted him, picked up the pencil next to her, and drew a circle next to a key interface driver circuit on the drawing.

"Here, two tri-state gate buffers are omitted? Is the state switching only maintained by pull-up resistors on the signal lines?"

"It's okay for short periods, but have you considered what it would be like under high temperature and high load?"

"The probability of a mistake is definitely over 3%!"

"Don't forget that the users of 'The Little Prince' are children. What if the machine is left out in the sun for half a day?"

"A collapse in reputation for stability is far more devastating than uncontrolled costs!"

"This is a critical balance between technology and the market!"

Su Wanqing's series of precise acupoint strikes directly target the lifeline of the OEM strategy!

Chen Jianghe broke out in a cold sweat instantly!

He was so focused on cutting material costs that he neglected reliability in extreme scenarios!

"here!"

Su Wanqing's pen didn't stop; she pressed down heavily on the value of the isolation capacitor again.

"You chose the cheapest Y5V for its withstand voltage and temperature drift coefficient? And you're using it on the main data bus? What were you thinking?"

"Leakage current issues may not be apparent in the short term, but long-term stability remains a concern!"

"Add a little more money and get an X7R! And this heatsink is glued on..."

She pointed to an inconspicuous note on the blueprint, "Only thermal grease, no mechanical reinforcement?"

"Excessive machine vibration increases thermal resistance, leading to localized overheating and potential burnout!"

Su Wanqing's points were incisive!

Every single detail reflects Chen Jianghe's efforts to reduce costs!

In the eyes of this top-tier tech expert who experienced the extreme environments of the "Spark" project...

These places that were "saved" are all future "landmines"!

Chen Jianghe's "stingy" mindset was instantly extinguished!

All that remained was a humble and respectful tone, as he asked, "Engineer Su... I..."

"Resubmit the revised drawings as samples!"

Su Wanqing pushed the blueprints back in front of him, "Quality is the lifeline of OEM, especially for things for children."

After giving guidance on the OEM design, she took a thick bound booklet out of the file bag and slammed it on the table.

The cover reads: "Analysis Report on Mainstream High-Speed ​​Bus Driver Chip Technology Abroad (Internal Reference Material)".

"Chief Engineer Zhang asked me to bring this to you. I know you're working on the chip fabrication process, this might be useful."

Su Wanqing's tone remained calm. "The 3-micron line from Shanghai Component Factory No. 5 is not considered advanced."

"Their process library has limited room for optimization in terms of noise suppression and transient response."

"There are some parameter comparisons here, especially the driver stage output impedance optimization curve."

"Take a look at the footnotes in the patent layout diagram of Sansen Electronics (Japan), it might inspire you to avoid the pitfalls of the manufacturing process."

This... how is it... "maybe it will be of some use"?

This adds a crucial factor to the success of the tape-out!

Chen Jianghe took the report and felt its weight.

Su Wanqing's arrival was like a timely technological rain and a chilling brainstorming session.

It precisely struck at his mind, which was almost unbalanced in terms of business and technology.

She didn't mention the D Department's general assembly project at all, but conveyed the message that Zhang Zhenggao asked her to pass on.

Chief Engineer Zhang, Su Wanqing…

The silent guardians behind Tiangong for three years!

Not under the spotlight, but always in the cold night!

As Chen Jianghe saw Su Wanqing off from the quiet factory area, he watched her figure disappear into the night, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

However, the very next morning, this feeling was shattered by a long-distance phone call from Shanghai!

It was Professor Li Mingyuan calling; his voice was anxious and heavy.

"Jiang He! The chip fabrication results... are in... and they're far from ideal!"

"The yield rate of key parameters in the driver output stage is less than 20%! It simply doesn't meet the acceptance standards!"

"Preliminary analysis... suggests that our logic design is too sensitive to process fluctuations!"

"Furthermore, the process stability of Shanghai Components Plant No. 5... is not as expected!"

Chip fabrication failed?!

This much-anticipated game-changer, on its very first draw, struck its own anvil!

The entire tech team was instantly enveloped in an atmosphere of confusion…