King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

Twenty chips, all fully functional!

On the 2.0-micron pilot line, a near-miraculous 100% initial yield was achieved!

On Su Wanqing's tense face, a faint yet incredibly moving smile finally appeared, as if ice and snow were melting.

She looked at Chen Jianghe, her eyes sparkling like stars: "...It's done!"

The successful tape-out of the MAC chip was like dropping a bombshell on a calm lake of technology!

The news caused a huge stir when it reached the Galaxy supercomputing project team!

The next day, Chief Engineer Zhang Zhenggao personally led his core team to the No. 5 Component Factory in Shanghai.

In the heavily guarded testing room, the [Galaxy] node board, equipped with the Tiangong MAC chip, was connected to the system.

Running! A massive influx of test data!

On the screen, the curve representing the computing core load smoothly declines.

The bar chart representing data throughput is steadily climbing!

"Target computing cores...performance improved by 52%! Expected target achieved!"

The test engineer's voice was filled with incredible excitement!

"Memory access latency reduced by 45%! Bus efficiency improved by 38%!" another engineer added.

"Power consumption...only increased by 15%! Completely within the redundancy range of the cooling system!"

A domestically produced ASIC chip, born on a risky production line, has been perfectly integrated into the heart of a national strategic asset, bringing about a qualitative leap!

Chief Engineer Zhang looked at the smoothly running simulation data on the screen and the steadily fluctuating indicators…

He turned around and firmly grasped Chen Jianghe and Su Wanqing's hands.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Master craftsman! Master craftsman Su! You have rendered a great service to the country!"

"This [Xuanyuan Core] is a crucial step in the [Galaxy]'s takeoff!"

"This is a major breakthrough in our independent chip design capabilities! Commendable! It deserves a substantial reward!"

"【Xuanyuan Core】!?" Chen Jianghe looked at Chief Engineer Zhang in disbelief.

Yes, the MAC chip is officially named [Xuanyuan-M1]

"【Xuanyuan-M1】!?"

Chen Jianghe and Zhou Yuguang exchanged an excited glance.

【Xuanyuan-M1】Chip!

This name, along with the brilliant data from the Galaxy supercomputer, spread throughout China's scientific research circles in the late 1980s!

Tiangong Technology became famous overnight!

What followed was a series of additional project funding requests…

Tiangong Precision Electronics Processing Plant has been officially included in the list of core collaborative units of the National Major Science and Technology Project.

The simple tin sheds in Huilongguan seemed to be plated with a layer of gold.

Before the celebration banquet had even subsided, Su Wanqing called Chen Jianghe and Zhou Yuguang to the conference room.

"The successful tape-out of the Xuanyuan-M1 is just the beginning."

Su Wanqing's voice was cool and clear, yet it carried a power that pointed towards the future.

"The Xuanyuan-M1 has proven our design capabilities and potential for process integration."

"But it's positioned as a dedicated coprocessor, so its market is limited."

"Next, we need to transform our technological advantages into industrial advantages, and more importantly, we need to set our sights on the future."

She spread out a sketch...

The goal is to design a high-performance 64-bit multimedia coprocessor chip for the mainstream PC market!

"The codename will be: [Pangu II]!"

"The core features are: 64-bit integer unit + enhanced floating-point coprocessor (FPU) to support future software needs."

"Integrating a 2D/3D instruction set hardware graphics acceleration engine to seize the multimedia wave."

"Integrates AC'97 standard audio codec hardware core, providing a complete multimedia solution."

"Power consumption and cost are strictly controlled!"

"Target process: Huaxin's currently stable mass production 0.8-micron mixed-signal process!"

This is yet another almost insane goal!

It represents the ultimate challenge to ASIC design, mixed-signal technology, and system architecture!

This is also a crucial leap that will propel Tiangong Technology into the vast civilian market!

"There are huge gaps in funding, technology, and talent." Zhou Yuguang frowned.

"The ongoing support for the [Galaxy] project, the profits from Huaxin OEM, and the brand premium brought by [Xuanyuan-M1] can support the initial stage."

Su Wanqing's thinking was clear: "As for the technology, Tsinghua Microelectronics Institute, Shanghai Components Factory No. 5, Huaxin Precision, plus Tiangong's core team... is there a problem?"

"Talent isn't a problem either; we can recruit from universities!"

"We're recruiting nationwide, highlighting our collaboration with [Galaxy] and the successful tape-out of [Xuanyuan-M1]!"

Su Wanqing looked at Chen Jianghe: "The core issue is establishing an innovative consortium that deeply integrates industry, academia, and research!"

"Take laboratory technology into marketable products! Transform national investment into industrial competitiveness!"

Chen Jianghe was filled with excitement!

The blueprint drawn by Su Wanqing is precisely the wild ambition that surged in his heart after he transmigrated!

From a shepherd boy on the Loess Plateau, to a worker in the circuit board workshop of the 106th Research Institute, to a worker in a tin shed in Huilongguan, and now standing at the center of the science and technology stage…

With the [Xuanyuan] in his hands, he is finally about to cleave the path to the throne of technology!

Six months after returning to Beijing from Shanghai, Chen Jianghe established a new entity, Tiangong Technology, based on the existing Tiangong Precision Processing Plant.

Two months later, under Su Wanqing's impetus, Tsinghua Microelectronics Institute, Tiangong Technology, Shanghai Components Factory No. 5, and Huaxin Precision signed a strategic agreement.

They jointly established the Joint Laboratory for Advanced Computing Technologies (ACL).

Chen Jianghe was elected as the chief representative of the industry, and Su Wanqing served as the chief technical consultant.

The ACL lab rented space from Tsinghua University.

At the unveiling ceremony, Chen Jianghe looked at Su Wanqing, Zhou Yuguang, Li Mingyuan, Lao Song and others beside him, and was filled with emotion.

This is an era that has just awakened after years of isolation; an era full of opportunities and pitfalls; and also an era of hesitation, observation, and chaos…

From the day I traveled to this era, from the moment I unraveled the mystery of the malfunctioning precision circuitry…

His fate is not only intertwined with the tide of this era, but he now stands at the forefront of the technological tide of the times.

In the five years since its establishment, Tiangong has not only forged chips through rigorous forging, but also built a highly capable and battle-hardened technical team!

Before the ceremony began, Chen Jianghe and Su Wanqing walked side by side on the tree-lined path of Tsinghua University.

The northern wind blew Su Wanqing's long hair.

"[Galaxy] is just the beginning."

Su Wanqing looked ahead, "The next stop is the core battlefield of the PC era, where we will compete with the Pentium processor."

The competition will be fiercer, and the road ahead will be more difficult.

"No matter how difficult it is, we're not afraid!" Chen Jianghe said firmly, "because Tiangong has its own technology and its own foundation!"

Su Wanqing stopped and turned to look at Chen Jianghe: "Jianghe, for so many years, there's been a mystery that's been lingering in my mind..."

Chen Jianghe was taken aback: "Engineer Su, please speak!"

"Do you remember tinkering with that Great Wall 0520 computer in the computer lab at Institute 106?"

"Mr. Su, of course I remember!"

"You said you were self-taught... was that the truth?"

"Engineer Su, I..." Chen Jianghe was stunned!

Su Wanqing waved her hand, "You don't need to answer my question right away!"

"Jiang He, I just want to tell you that this era is not as simple as you imagine..."