Seeing that this meeting has evolved into a non-speculative meaning, Andy? Grove decisively said goodbye, "Don, tomorrow we are waiting for you to see the results of the InteliAPX432 project. ”

"Definitely, definitely." With a gentle smile on his face, Tang Huan sent the Intel Big Three out, but after turning around, he coldly ordered the assistant to mobilize the most senior professionals and go to Intel to smash the field tomorrow.

……

After getting in the car, Gordon. Moore said slowly: "It seems that this road will not work, Tang and the six major Japanese semiconductor manufacturers have been cooperating for a long time, at least three years, and the interests have been too entangled." ”

Robert. Noyce nodded, but did not speak.

"The memory business's contribution to the company's profit has fallen to one-third, in stark contrast, the processor business is growing rapidly. I think Intel has to make up its mind and think about how to transform. "Andy? Grove interjected: "We have the processor business as an option, so why bother holding on to the memory business, which has smaller and smaller profit margins." ”

This time, Robert. Noyce and Gordon. At the same time, Moore remained silent, depressed Andy? Grove almost vomited blood, but there was nothing he could do.

Although he holds the position of CEO, he is essentially a manager. Noyce, Gordon. Moore, the two founders who have made a fortune of more than 100 million dollars through the appreciation of Intel's stock, has always been an existence that cannot be crossed.

It may seem strange to the outside world that some disoriented Intel is so stubborn about hanging from the tree of the memory business, but this is a corporate culture.

When Robert. Noyce and Gordon. Moore left Fairchild Semiconductor to raise funds and found Intel. In 1970, the first product, the 1KB Dynamic Random Access Memory, was introduced, which revolutionized the industry.

Computer manufacturers began replacing core memory with dynamic random access memory, which quickly became the preferred solution for computer main memory, and the latter was completely phased out.

The huge market demand has promoted the rapid development of the semiconductor memory industry, and the market share was once as high as 90% of Intel. It can be described as an infinite scenery, and the day is making money, Robert. Noyce and Gordon. Moore also gained high personal prestige.

However, when the 4KB LRAM was launched in mid-1972, Intel had quality problems, and as a result, the Mostek company, founded by a group of people who had left Texas Instruments, caught up and quickly occupied the 4KB RRAM market and was the first to introduce the 16KB RAM chip.

Since then, Intel's DRAM market share has not exceeded 40 percent.

The good news is that semiconductor memory products are not limited to dynamic random access memory. There are also static random access memory and read-only memory, as well as additional general-purpose microprocessors and peripheral chips.

Intel has made great achievements in these hot fields, but it will not lose its position as an industry leader.

Since the 1KB and 4KB stages of dynamic RAM were all controlled by American companies alone, Intel lived a very nourishing life despite fierce competition in the industry, and ranked among the Fortune 500 at the end of the 1970s.

It can be used when DRAM has developed to the 16KB stage. The situation is different, and the major Japanese consortia are supported by the state. A lot of financial and human resources have been invested, and there has been a crazy influx into the semiconductor industry.

American semiconductor companies do not pay attention to the Japanese visiting and studying, and in their view, it is difficult for the Japanese to do anything, let alone compete. grabbed their own jobs, so they issued licenses one after another, allowing them to use American technology to manufacture semiconductor chips.

The proud and arrogant Americans did not realize what kind of wild heart was hidden under the humble appearance of the Japanese "Haihai."

As a result, Feng Shui soon began to take turns. The Japanese caught up with the Americans in the development of 16KB dynamic RAM, and by the end of the 1970s, they had a market share of 40 percent.

Against this backdrop of U.S. semiconductor companies retaining only 60 percent of the market, Intel has inevitably suffered.

But Intel is still optimistic that as long as it develops a 64KB dynamic random access memory, with this unique skill, the good days will return.

But the reality is cruel that the United States can no longer dominate the development roadmap of dynamic random access memory, and Japanese semiconductor companies have introduced 64KB dynamic random access to memory, and in 1981 occupied 56 percent of the market share, the United States retreated to 44 percent.

If the market share indicator is too macro and not enough to be vivid, then the price of 64KB dynamic random access memory per piece, from 50 US dollars in 1981 to 5 US dollars in 1982, is enough to show the bloody wind of market competition.

Focusing only on the price war, the state-backed Japanese semiconductor companies seem to be somewhat invincible, but the reality is that the Japanese, who have always focused on quality control and process optimization, have increased their dynamic random access memory yield to 80 percent, compared with 50 percent for their American counterparts.

Tang Huan likes to purchase memory chips from Japan's six major semiconductor companies so much, because people have won in price and technology, and American companies are not competitive.

As for the 64KB dynamic random access memory that Intel has invested huge resources in research and development, it is not at all original, and naturally it has not brought the expected benefits to the company, and the entire memory business has been shrinking, which shows more and more that the processor business is thriving.

But the memory business has almost become Intel's DNA, and if you want to abandon it and turn to the processor business, it is difficult to be reborn and start anew.

To put it utilitarianly, once the transformation of the enterprise is initiated, a large number of people will lose their existing positions and interests, start from scratch, or even be laid off altogether, and the resulting resistance can be imagined.

Andy? Grove has the heart to reform, but if he can't get Robert. Noyce and Gordon. Moore's strong support, it will be difficult to move an inch.

After hurrying back to Intel's headquarters, Andy? Grove personally inquired about the preparations for receiving Tang Huan to visit tomorrow, and went to the InteliAPX432 project team for a turn.

His plan is very simple, since Intel can't turn the corner of obsessing with the memory business that has made a fortune, then try to let the processor business shine, and then naturally make a judgment.

But the actual performance of InteliAPX432 compared to Intel80286 makes Andy? Grove was very entangled, especially after Tang Huan came, and went straight to the point of the problem.

……

PS: Khan, the calculation rules of the starting point are so complicated, there is something to do in November, I thought it was just that there was no full attendance award for the month, but I found out that even the semi-annual award was gone, what a painful realization ^_^. (To be continued.) )