I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

"I was among the first researchers to explore the otherworldly continent of Teyvat. This is a special mineral I brought back from Teyvat, called Amethyst, which is abundant in a country called Inazuma on Teyvat."

Chen Yan's two short sentences left the audience bewildered; the sheer volume of information conveyed in those two sentences left them speechless.

However, the fact that "the first group of researchers went to Teyvat" still shocked everyone.

It turns out he's a big shot who's already been to another world...

Chen Yan didn't notice the expressions of the visitors below the stage and continued to introduce the mineral.

"This ore is an extremely superior semiconductor mineral, its performance surpassing all semiconductor materials discovered on Earth to date..."

As Chen Yan finished speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly stood up.

"This is the material!"

Chapter 450 Something Big is About to Happen

"This is the material!"

Suddenly, Xiao Guangqi stood up from the crowd. As everyone around him turned to look at him, he realized his lapse in composure and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, so sorry..."

Chen Yan nodded to indicate that it was alright and continued to introduce the exhibits.

As Xiao Guangqi took his seat, Meng Kaigu laughed and said, "Old Xiao, you really are something. You're so old, why are you still so impatient?"

Xiao Guangqi sighed, "Don't blame me for losing my temper. You all know the situation at Guangnian Technology. Since the US imposed sanctions, the raw material problem has been troubling us for two whole years. If this ore is really as Ms. Chen said, then its impact on the semiconductor industry will be no less than that of a comet."

"Take chips as an example. All of Blue Star's precision chips are silicon-based chips. Chip manufacturing involves carving transistors onto a silicon substrate. For the same area, more transistors naturally result in more advanced performance. Therefore, transistors need to be made as small as possible, reaching the nanometer scale. Currently, the most advanced chip manufacturing process on Blue Star is three nanometers, controlled by Compino in the US. This has given them a near-monopoly in the international chip market for the past two years. However, chip manufacturing processes have physical limits. Even the smallest nanotube cannot be smaller than the silicon atom that forms the substrate. Therefore, the current physical limit for chips is one nanometer. If it shrinks further, the chip's performance will decrease, and the yield will plummet. So, the industry is currently searching for breakthroughs. Some are trying to research new chip manufacturing processes, but most are looking for new semiconductor materials that are superior to silicon."

"Currently, the industry generally believes that carbon is a possible replacement for silicon, but this is only a theoretical possibility; there is currently no means to manufacture carbon-based chips. Furthermore, besides carbon, no other element in our universe has been found that could potentially replace silicon. Until today's exhibition..."

At this point, Xiao Guangqi looked at the palm-sized amethyst block on the display stand, reflecting a purple luster under the spotlight, his eyes filled with undisguised excitement.

"This is likely a groundbreaking discovery for the semiconductor industry."

A few minutes later, Chen Yan finished explaining all the basic information about the amethyst block, and then proceeded to the Q&A session.

As before, the signs at the scene were once again raised one after another like a surging tide.

Chen Yan scanned the list and chose Xiao Guangqi as the first one.

As a materials science researcher, Chen Yan knew about Lightyear Technology and also recognized Xiao Guangqi. She had witnessed Xiao Guangqi's emotional outburst when he stood up earlier, so choosing Xiao Guangqi as the first person to ask him a question was a way of responding to him.

"You must be Mr. Xiao Guangqi from Lightyear Technology. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Xiao Guangqi took the microphone from the staff member and asked directly, "Dr. Chen, what is the limit of the processing technology for this kind of ore?"

Chen Yan replied, "The limit is 0.001 nanometers."

"0.001?"

Those attending this exhibition are all top performers from various industries, including many knowledgeable people in the semiconductor industry. In addition, two years ago, the sanctions imposed on Lightyear Technology by the United States caused semiconductor-related topics to be hotly debated in China. The news and discussions on hot topics have given many ordinary people who were originally unfamiliar with chips and other semiconductor industries a certain understanding of them. Therefore, when Chen Yan said this, the exhibition hall was immediately in an uproar.

0.001 nanometers represents a thousand-fold improvement over current silicon-based materials!

A thousandfold increase in performance means that the number of transistors that can be etched on this material is a thousand times that of silicon-based materials. It also means that the chips made from it will be thousands of times more powerful than silicon-based chips, with computing power increasing by countless levels, resulting in an absolute crushing of traditional silicon-based chips!

Xiao Guangqi had even forgotten to breathe at this moment.

He anticipated that this material would be excellent before asking the question, but he didn't expect it to be this excellent. Compared to traditional silicon-based materials, it's on another level!

If these chips made from amethyst blocks were to appear on a large scale on the Blue Star International Market, there would be no other outcome than a devastating blow to the entire traditional semiconductor industry.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Guangqi asked, "Dr. Chen, after the exhibition, could we discuss this material in more detail?"

Chen Yan nodded and smiled, "Of course."

......

The second phase of the exhibition then lasted for another two hours, until around 5 p.m. when the science and technology exhibition, organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, finally came to a complete end.

After the exhibition, all participants came to the same conclusion.

That is, this is an exhibition that will overturn the entire planet and change its overall landscape, enough to be recorded in the history of the planet.

During those two full hours, the visitors experienced firsthand what it meant to go from surprise and shock to awe and then to numbness.

All the technologies and exhibits showcased in the second phase of the exhibition are related to that other world called Teyvat!

Materials that float out of thin air, unique plants that don't exist on Earth, minerals that have never been seen before, and even magical alchemical products that can be applied to smartphones and other smart devices, and so on.

So many groundbreaking things had left the visitors completely stunned and numb by the end, that even the last exhibit, a drug that could make humans tolerate temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius, seemed perfectly normal to them.

On the last day of the exhibition, the heads of major Chinese enterprises, led by Xiao Guangqi, Meng Kaigu, Zheng Guoqiu, and Wang Mingyuan, visited the various institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Although it is unknown what these Chinese enterprise leaders discussed at the Academy, they could be seen with undisguised excitement and joy on their faces when they left.

In particular, Xiao Guangqi, after returning to the headquarters of Guangnian Technology Company in Hangzhou, immediately convened a board meeting and held a press conference after the meeting to announce that all production capacity would be restored within the next month.

This news immediately caused a stir in China's technology community.

Because the technology exhibition in Beijing was not open to the media, the public did not know why Lightyear Technology would take such action, and many people just thought that Lightyear Technology had gone crazy.

How can a country that still controls raw material supplies fully restore production capacity? Isn't that madness?

Has Lightyear Technology found a new source of semiconductor raw materials?

However, countless people searched through news reports from media outlets both at home and abroad but found no news of Lightyear Technology finding a new raw material supplier.

This has left those in the tech world who are following this matter even more confused.

But this is just the beginning. Less than half a day after the news broke that Lightyear Technology had resumed production capacity, HH Terminal Technology announced that it would launch a revolutionary smartphone at the end of the month, which would be equipped with Lightyear Technology’s latest breakthrough chip.

If the news of Lightyear Technology resuming production capacity puzzled many, then the news that HH Terminal would collaborate with Lightyear Technology to launch a new mobile phone was truly shocking.

At this moment, people in the tech industry finally noticed something unusual.

It seems like Xiao Guangqi and Meng Kaigu are up to something big.

Chapter 451 Head-on Collision

Time flew by and it was almost the end of the month.

There's one day left until the launch of Honghu Terminal's new mobile phone.

Because Honghu Terminal's new phone is touted as being equipped with the latest chip from Lightyear Technology, the news quickly went viral after its announcement. Not only were people in the tech industry discussing it, but even ordinary people who don't usually pay much attention to the latest tech product updates were following it.

After all, Lightyear Technology became known to the Chinese people two years ago due to sanctions and blockades imposed by the United States. And to this day, Lightyear Technology has not released any new chip products for two years. This is the first time in two years that Lightyear Technology has announced the birth of a new chip, which is touted as a breakthrough chip.

The public is also very curious about what kind of chip was born under two years of sanctions and blockades, when the supply of raw materials was completely halted.

As news and public opinion continue to ferment, the news that "Honghu Terminal is going to release a mobile phone equipped with the latest chip from Lightyear Technology" is now showing a trend of becoming a social hot topic second only to the topic of "another world".

Online marketing accounts, social commentators, and video and article creators naturally didn't miss this opportunity to ride the wave of popularity, and began to frantically produce related content. By the end of the month, similar content even overshadowed news related to "another world" and became the headline of major websites.

Amidst all this attention, on one of China's largest digital technology forums, someone posted a silhouette image of the latest mobile phone model, and the post quickly became a hot topic.

"Where did the original poster get the model silhouette image? From an insider?"

"Never mind where the poster is from, let's look at the pictures first. I've been looking forward to this phone for a long time."

"The picture is a bit blurry; you can only make out a general shape."

"Please understand the original poster, after all, it was leaked."

As more and more people browsed the post, some noticed that the shape and size of this phone seemed to be quite different from the mainstream phones of the time.

"Have you noticed that from this angle in the screenshot, this phone looks very thin? It seems to be less than half a finger's width."

"Impossible, right? The person upstairs must have misread it. What mainstream phone on the market is that thin these days? And where would you put the battery if it were that thin? It must be a problem with the shooting angle. The picture is so blurry, it's most likely due to lighting issues."

Regarding the phone's appearance, the discussion quickly subsided due to the blurry model images, and the focus of the comments below shifted to the biggest hot topic of the Honghu phone: the "chip."

"What specifications do you think this chip from Lightyear Technology has?"

"Three nanometers, right?"

"I think it should also be three nanometers. Two years ago, when Lightyear Technology was blocked by the United States, it was already researching three-nanometer technology. Two years have passed, and Lightyear Technology should have finally figured it out by now."

"To be honest, Lightyear Technology was the first to start researching 3-nanometer technology. If it weren't for the double blockade of technology and raw materials imposed by the US, Lightyear Technology would have developed 3-nanometer technology long ago. How could the US company Compino have gotten there first? Damn USers."

"There's nothing we can do. Western corporations have been shameless for a long time. If they can compete with us, they'll raise prices and bleed us dry. If they can't compete, they'll use illegal methods to take us down. I just hope that this time, Lightyear Technology can stand up again with this 3-nanometer chip. Without Lightyear Technology, the semiconductor market has almost been monopolized by Compino in the past two years."

"Something terrible has happened! Quick, check the news on foreign websites!"

"how?"

"Compino has announced that it will release its latest generation of mobile phone chips tomorrow, using a one-nanometer process!"

"what?"

Countless people immediately opened the internet and soon saw the news on major news headlines, causing a great deal of excitement on the forums.

The people on this forum are all from the tech industry, so they are naturally very clear about the grudges and rivalries between major tech companies. Everyone knows that Compino and Lightyear Technology are mortal enemies.

Back then, Lightyear Technology triumphed at the next-generation communication technology standards conference by overtaking Compino, and its global product sales surpassed Compino's to claim the top spot, snatching considerable profits from Compino. Later, when the US launched sanctions and investigations against Lightyear Technology, Compino was one of the most vocal pawns in the effort.

This series of clashes has led to the two companies now being irreconcilable enemies.

Now, Compino has suddenly announced the release of a new chip without any warning, and on the same day as Lightyear Technology, the intention of which is obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

"These bastards, Lightyear Technology's global sales have already dropped to outside the top ten due to the blockade, and Compino, that bastard company, took the opportunity to take the top spot, and now they want to suppress us?"

"But I have to say, they've moved really fast. It's only been a little over a year, and they've already jumped from three nanometers to one nanometer?"

"There are reports on the internet that Compino's one-nanometer process is not a complete one-nanometer process. Strictly speaking, it is an enhanced version of two nanometers, which is only close to one nanometer."

"After all that, it turns out to be a half-finished product, only one nanometer in size."

"Even a semi-finished product is much more efficient than a three-nanometer chip. After all, it's close to one nanometer, which is the physical limit of current chip manufacturing processes. In the chip industry, whoever is more 'fine' is the best, and there's no way around that. But it's disgusting that Compino is selling its unfinished process in order to suppress Lightyear Technology."

"Sigh... Light-year technology is going to be in trouble now."

The discussions on the technology forums are just a microcosm. As news spread throughout China that Compino would be releasing a new chip tomorrow, a torrent of criticism against the company swept across the country online.

But despite the criticism, the technological gap cannot be bridged in a single day, and for a moment, everyone felt a sense of dread regarding the new product launches of Honghu Terminal and Guangming Technology the next day.

In response, some suggested that it would be better to simply change the release date to avoid clashing with Compino. Although this would be a loss of face for Compino, at least it would avoid Compino's peak period and prevent the new phone from hitting a brick wall right after its release, thus preventing a decline in sales.

Although the Western bloc's comprehensive blockade of China has caused Chinese mobile phones to plummet in overseas markets, it's still better than the market continuing to fall.

As online discussions continued to escalate, just when everyone thought that Honghu Terminal and Guangnian Technology would change the time of the press conference, Honghu Terminal released a new announcement on its official social media account at 8 pm the night before the press conference. The announcement stated that the press conference would be held on time the next day and directly tagged Compino's official social media account in China.

In an instant, all the onlookers were stunned.

This move is tantamount to a direct provocation.