"Dr. Zhou, welcome to your participation, this commercial monopoly event will be carried out by you as ZTE's exercising representative in the Americon area.

If you have any needs, you can communicate directly with Mr. Cheng. ”

Zhou Xin, graduated from the junior class of Huaguo University of Science and Technology, and went to California Polytechnic University Berkeley after graduation to study for a Ph.D. in semiconductors under the supervision of Professor Hu Zhengming.

Professor Hu Zhengming is an unavoidable figure in the semiconductor industry, once the chief technologist of TSMC and the inventor of the stereo transistor structure.

After graduating with a Ph.D., he joined ZTE after Ameriken issued a ban on ZTE, and became the representative of ZTE in the Ameriken area, and was also the second person in the Ameriken area during this special period.

"Congratulations, ZTE is a very good company, although we are currently experiencing a little twists and turns, but it will not affect the development trend of ZTE.

ZTE's direct support for more than 100,000 high-tech jobs at Ameriken, a giant in more than 150 countries and regions around the world, is just a small storm. ”

Cheng Lixin is the president of ZTE in the Americon area, and he has maintained a superficial decency for an airborne faction like Zhou Xin.

"Newman, I've already told you that my grandfather will meet with Lieberman in the future, but you don't have to be too optimistic about the outcome.

Seriously, you shouldn't be involved in this maelstrom. It's almost impossible for you to get what you want. ”

Lieberman is Zhou's new middleman, a former senior senator from Ameriken who has extensive connections in Washington.

In just half a year, Zhou Xin was able to find Lieberman and get him to agree to become a public lobbyist registered with ZTE in the Senate, which was already a very difficult thing.

Because in this sensitive period, it is difficult for those who have money to find people who really have enough energy to lobby for ZTE.

The most important reason why Zhou Xin was able to obtain this position was his personal relationship with the grandson of Ameriken Trade Representative Lighthizer.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Zhou, due to the delay in progress, your personnel transfer has been approved by the board of directors, and you will return to China to join ZTE's research institute in Yanjing, and the specific position and rank will be notified to you later."

Dr. Zhou Xin's choice to go to ZTE after graduation was also a gamble for him, and the bet was that Americaken's sanctions against ZTE were only part of the maximum pressure.

In the end, as long as ZTE is willing to make a certain amount of compensation, Ameriken will lift the sanctions against ZTE.

But the result was not at all what he expected.

Willing to gamble and lose, Zhou Xin took the initiative to leave ZTE.

In the process of continuous dynamic development, it has been a year since Dr. Zhou Xin graduated, and the most concerned in the world during this year was naturally the battle between the two giants of Huaguo and Ameriken.

The core area of competition between giants is high technology, and semiconductors are the most obvious and vulnerable areas in high technology.

At this time, it has become the most concerned point of the whole country.

From ZTE's sanctions, to TSMC's inability to provide foundry for HiSilicon, to SMIC's inability to purchase lithography machines with advanced processes.

Americon is constantly increasing its approach to the semiconductor field in China.

In the year Zhou Xin graduated, there were only a handful of doctors who could get an annual salary of one million, and a year later, it is no exaggeration to see the annual salary of one million doctors in the semiconductor field everywhere.

Not to mention that he was a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, under the tutelage of Hu Zhengming.

Therefore, Zhou Xin, who left ZTE, was not worried that he had nowhere to go.

On the eve of Zhou Xin's departure from Ameriken, he went to say goodbye to his mentor, and Hu Zhengming comforted.

"Huaguo has always attached great importance to the development of the semiconductor industry, but this emphasis is at the government level.

However, there is no consensus among the government, the financial industry, the industry and the people.

But after the trade war of the past year, all levels of the country have reached a consensus.

Huaguo's semiconductor industry will usher in a period of rapid development in the true sense, and you are very right to choose to go back at this point in time.

I helped you say hello to Liang Mengsong, you can go to Shenhai to talk to him first.

He can give you some advice from the front line of the industry.

Although I have also worked at TSMC for a long time, my understanding of the semiconductor industry in China is still limited. ”

Zhou Xin was very grateful to Hu Zhengming for taking care of him, "Professor, thank you very much for taking care of me in Berkeley in the past few years.

I will keep in touch with my brother more when I return to China.

Huaguo has reached a consensus that no matter what, it cannot be stuck by American in the semiconductor field.

Even the consensus that it cannot be necked by American in the high-tech field.

This is both an opportunity and a challenge.

Again, my experience working in Washington over the past year tells me.

Ameriken also reached a consensus on the need to curb China's high-tech development.

Therefore, for a long time in the future, China's semiconductor industry will face suppression from Ameriken and even the entire Western world.

Huaguo is in a state of starting from scratch in many semiconductor segments.

It's no small challenge. ”

"It's a challenge for the whole of China, and it's an opportunity for you.

It's not that you're facing the oppression of the entire Western world.

Have you decided which company you want to go to? Hu Zhengming asked.

"I plan to start my own business, and in the past two years, there has been a lot of hot money pouring into the semiconductor field in Huaguo.

When I was still working at ZTE, people kept approaching me through various channels and wanted to start a joint business with me.

In the process, I also screened out a few suitable investors, and planned to return to China to start a business.

As you know, I still have a couple of valuable patents on hand that have helped to circumvent the Ameriken blockade in certain niches. ”

Hu Zhengming nodded and said: "I have been in academia and industry, but I have no experience in entrepreneurship.

However, there are many people around me who have started their own businesses, former colleagues, friends from academia, students, and subordinates from the time of TSMC.

Entrepreneurship is a test of compound ability, you are very talented academically, and technology alone may not be enough.

A series of factors such as technology, capital, market, management, etc., will affect the ultimate success of entrepreneurship.

Of course, the most important thing in this is the time, now the Huaguo semiconductor industry has the time, the environment has been built, I believe you can go back to achieve good results.

As for what kind of results will meet your expectations of success, then I don't know. ”

In the IPO of Huaguo Capital Market in 2019, semiconductors are undoubtedly the hottest keywords.

A large number of semiconductor companies landed in the capital market in 2019, and a total of 20 semiconductor company IPOs passed the CSRC meeting this year.

In 2019, the semiconductor industry raised twice as much capital in the secondary market as in 2018, not to mention the primary market.

After returning to China, Zhou Xin's entrepreneurial road was quite smooth.

The overall environment, coupled with his own abilities and the connections provided to him by Hu Zhengming, were enough to make him smooth sailing in the early days of his business.

In one year, the A round of financing of Xinxin Technology founded by Zhou Xin has raised more than 100 million RMB, led by Yunqi Capital and Yida Capital.

In these two rounds of investment, Xinxin Technology's own technical strength and operation are very important, and Liang Mengsong's personal connections to help Zhou Xin build are equally important.

Liang Mengsong is the CEO of SMIC and a doctor taught by Hu Zhengming, and has worked in AMD, TSMC, and Samsung.

After completing the A round of financing, when Liang Mengsong and Zhou Xin had a private meal alone,

"Samsung Electronics' annual free technology transfer will begin again.

According to my internal information, they expect to transfer about 300 semiconductor technologies to SMEs free of charge this year.

How are we preparing for this at our semiconductor company in Goryeo?

It is difficult to become a long-term strategic partner of Samsung Electronics.

Although we disguised ourselves as a Korean company through layers of holdings, it was too short to gain the trust of Samsung.

However, as long as the core technology marked in this transfer technology is obtained, the valuation of Xinxin Technology in the next round will be multiplied by ten. ”

Since 2013, under the leadership of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the giants of the Korean consumer electronics field have been transferring their unused technologies to small and medium-sized enterprises free of charge every year.

In the nine years from 2013 to 2021, Samsung transferred a total of 2,402 technologies.

For Samsung, there is no place for technology, and it is different for the semiconductor industry that China is facing a blockade.

This is similar to SMIC's technical no-fringer than TSMC, but SMIC is able to enjoy a higher valuation than TSMC (from a price-to-earnings ratio perspective).

The reason why Liang Mengsong spared no effort to help Zhou Xin was not only because of the personal relationship between the two.

Zhou Xin's own ability, and being able to do things he can't do in some areas.

As the CEO of SMIC, if Liang Mengsong disguises a Korean company to obtain the technology transferred by Samsung Electronics for free, then SMIC will wait to be sanctioned.

Zhou Xin is different, even if it is discovered, the scope of influence can be controlled to a small range.

The actual controller behind it is Zhou Xin's Morningstar Semiconductor, disguised as a Korean enterprise to apply for free technology transfer from small and medium-sized enterprises from Samsung.

"Hope everything goes well." After Zhou Xin and Liang Mengsong chatted briefly on WeChat, the last sentence sent by the other party.

On the way back, Zhou Xin looked at his phone and ignored the truck driving from the side.