In September 1993, Lin Qi got the news that the domestic team had made a qualitative breakthrough in the semiconductor process level after four years of research and development.

After getting the news of the breakthrough in the process level, Lin Qi rushed back to Shenzhen from Hong Kong.

After all, compared with the capital market, breakthroughs in the field of semiconductor process are the core technologies in the core technology.

It can even be said that the technical content is much higher than that of Huawei's own research and development of SOC and semiconductor chips in later generations.

Although Huawei has a lot of technology accumulation in later generations, it should not be difficult to independently develop a CPU architecture and operating system. The reason why Huawei's chips need to use ARM architecture is mainly because Huawei's own research and development architecture is not compatible with most of the software and hardware on the market. Therefore, Huawei had to purchase ARM's technology license, and on the basis of the technology patents given by ARM, it developed its own SOC chips based on its own technical advantages.

The touchscreen operating system is the same, the reason why Huawei wants to develop Android technology instead of launching a different touchscreen operating system. It's not impossible, there are a large number of free and open-source touchscreen operating systems on the market, but most of them are for developers to entertain themselves, and they are not adopted by manufacturers and the market at all. Although Huawei itself has a record, when Android is not used by Huawei, it will use its own operating system. However, under the premise that the strength is not enough to challenge the rules of the entire market, it is still honestly improved and optimized on the basis of the Android system.

For Huawei, semiconductor and software design capabilities are developing rapidly with a large amount of capital investment. However, in terms of process, Huawei still cannot be independent, but needs to let TSMC do the foundry.

Although it is said that mainstream manufacturers such as Apple, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm in later generations are also looking for TSMC foundry. However, these manufacturers have many choices, and the reason why TSMC is chosen is only that TSMC is more professional in the field of chip foundry, and the industry also surpasses other factories.

Even if it is TSMC, it only uses the technology and equipment on the market, and the advanced equipment in Europe and the United States is purely used. The real core equipment, such as lithography machines, is all imported from others.

In a sense, TSMC is not considered to have mastered the most core technology. After all, if ASML does not sell the latest lithography machine to TSMC, then TSMC's so-called process leadership will soon cease to exist.

In order to tie up the relationship between TSMC and upstream and downstream technology giants, the main shareholders are not Taiwanese at all, but a bunch of semiconductor and high-tech companies in Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, etc., which participate in the holding of TSMC. Chinese mainland background enterprises want to console the SMC, basically there is no such possibility. Because, TSMC does not have the so-called autonomy, but is just a puppet shared by everyone.

The reason why domestic companies can also find TSMC foundry is simply because the domestic independent process is also developing. If it is not for China's chip foundry, then it will inevitably stimulate domestic investment in chip technology.

Historically, China has basically not invested in semiconductor processes for a long time, and international giants have to spend at least $10 billion a year. China's domestic investment of 100 million US dollars has not been doing "wait and so on", waiting for international patents to expire, or the advanced equipment in the past is no longer advanced, so the price is lowered, and then pick up garbage.

This kind of door-picking practice may be possible in traditional industries. Industries and production lines in developed countries where labor costs are expensive and can no longer generate profits may be able to make profits in ten or eight years if they are cheaply found in China.

However, the backward technology of the semiconductor industry, let alone the technology that is ten or eight years behind, will not have a market at all. Even if it is three or five years behind, it can only be done at the low end with very low technical content and very meager profits.

If you want to make high-end products with high added value and high gross profit, then you must invest a lot of money in research and development.

The current R&D investment of the new entrepreneurship department is not inferior to any international enterprise. It can be said that the annual scientific research expenditure, only compared with the enterprise, really cannot find a second enterprise to invest more than the new entrepreneurship department.

The reason for the continuous investment is more because of the sense of insecurity, Lin Qi stands at a high level, and he is highly distrustful of the stability of his partners, especially when he tasted the betrayal of AMD a few years ago, he distrusts any partner even more, so he is required to go from soft to hard, from design to production, and even the production equipment is in his own hands.

This kind of grasping more and more core technologies in the hands is more secure.

After Lin Qi came to Lin Meng Technology Company, Meng Xin was very fast

In 89 years and 10 years, after the launch of the 1 micron lithography machine, the process accuracy of the lithography machine was once again broken through to 0.5 micron accuracy, successfully catching up with the process level of Intel and AMD.

You must know that at present, AMD is using a process level for the CPU of the new venture electronics foundry, which is still 0.8 microns. This is mainly because after AMD became a foundry of a new start-up electronic technology company, although it did not worry about orders and markets, the gross profit per chip was very low. As a result, AMD is powerless in improving the process. Therefore, the process level of AMD's wafer fab is mostly between 1.5 microns, 1.2 microns, 1 microns and 0.8 microns. 1.5 microns are reluctant to retire, mainly because they can still process some semiconductor products with low process requirements, such as DRAM chips, flash memory chips or some main control chips.

Another giant in the industry, Intel's current process is more advanced than AMD's. But the 0.5 micron process is also just being put into use. At present, Intel's main Pentium CPU chips, the initial Pentium 60 (60MHz) and Pentium 66 (66MHz), are still based on 0.8 micron processes.

After that, the frequency of the Besturn chip was increased to 75MHz~120MHz to improve the process level to 0.5 microns. At present, Intel's mainstream production capacity is mainly 0.8 micron factories, and 0.5 microns are still being produced in small-scale experiments. The 0.35 micron process, the lithography machine has not yet been completed, and it will not be until at least 95 years later that Intel will be able to increase the process to 0.35 microns.

"That is to say, at present, our technological level, at most than the most advanced international technology level is 1~2 years behind?" Lin Qi heard Meng Xin's introduction, and said with emotion, "It's not easy! In the 21st century, Moore's law is about to fail, and semiconductor factories in Europe, the United States, Japan, etc., have made more than 50 years of windfall profits by relying on technological leadership, and we are still catching up behind, with two or three generations behind the process, we can't make profits at all, we can only maintain the industry, and hope that the technological level of developed countries will stagnate, so that we can catch up behind." However, the price of doing so is at least 100 billion dollars of tuition fees every year, and if these tuition fees are self-taught and not used to purchase chips from foreign companies, trillions of dollars will be piled up for decades!"

"It's easy to say, the accumulation of technology can't catch up overnight. Meng Xin said, "The United States can lead semiconductor technology, and more importantly, the United States is already a developed country when it develops the semiconductor industry, and the domestic consumer market and government and enterprise orders can allow American chip manufacturers to have sufficient orders." Overseas markets have the military and political influence of the United States, so it is easier to promote. Taking a step back, it can't become a global standard, and it can survive on the local market. Further, it is to lead the global technical route and become the standard-setter. The current Chinese market is not able to supply our normal technology investment and accumulation. If it weren't for the future technology cheating, we would be a bottomless pit of R&D costs. ”

The two of them chatted about work in the office for a long time, and after chatting about work, they felt that there was no serious work to talk about, and then a subtle atmosphere gradually emerged.

After all, they have been busy with their respective work for half a year, and they have never had time to take care of their physiological needs. After the two of them were silent in the office for a moment, Lin Qi gradually became more and more colorful, and began to lean towards Meng Xin's side.

"you? It's the office, in broad daylight. ”

Lin Qi was even more stimulated, pressed Meng Xin to the sofa, and said: "I've endured it for a long time, and besides, the office is more exciting than the home, so I have to be in the office." ”

"Really, I can't help you. Okay, if you want to make the old lady comfortable, if it takes less than 30 minutes, I'll be with you. ”

"You're such a, your skin is itchy!I'll show you what a macho man is!" Lin Qi climbed the mountain and pushed Meng Xin onto the desk......