Guan Jianying's expulsion has always been expected by Zhou Xin, but it is only a matter of time.

Because he was kicked out, there was later the establishment of Worldchip Semiconductor. Of course, now that Zhou Xin is operating in the middle, there may not be Worldchip Semiconductor.

Zhou Xin has been in contact with Guan Jianying, in order to be able to poach people when Guan Jianying is driven away.

The other party was able to operate and list Worldchip Semiconductor from 5 people in the initial period in just over ten years, with a market value of NT$90 billion, or about 20 billion RMB.

In Zhou Xin's view, Guan Jianying in his prime is simply the first choice for the CEO after he wants to establish a semiconductor company.

Lin Benjian is very capable, but Zhou Xin hopes that the other party's energy will be all focused on research and development, and not too much energy will be spent on transactional work.

Guan Jianying is different, with more than 20 years of experience in analog ICs, he has rich experience as an engineer and as a manager.

Zhou Xin had in mind that the chip design of Samsung's S series could be used directly, and it did not require much R&D investment in analog ICs in the early days.

"With more than 20 years of experience in analog circuit design, Mr. Guan is a rare practitioner who understands both management and technology.

Because working in the field of lithography machines is equivalent to starting from scratch, and there is a lot of work to be done in the middle to catch up with the progress of other companies, so I will ask him to help you share the management pressure.

This allows you to devote most of your energy to R&D. Zhou Xin said.

Lin Benjian said: "Newman, thank you very much for your appreciation, but this matter is still a bit big, I need to go back and discuss it with my wife."

Can you join your company and ask what your name is? ”

Zhou Xin said: "Xinxin Technology, Xinxin Technology will set up two semiconductor companies under the name of Xinxin Technology, one is called Xinxin Lithography Machine for lithography machines, and the other is called Xinxin Semiconductor, and the latter company specializes in analog IC design." ”

"I invested $1 billion in R&D in the early stage, and all of it was invested in the Xinxin lithography machine, and Xinxin Semiconductor will invest another amount of money."

The name still has to be called Xinxin Technology, and Zhou Xin is specially reserved for semiconductors.

Lin Benjian nodded: "I understand, so if the R&D center is placed in the mainland, which city will you choose in the end?" ”

Zhou Xin said: "In Shenhai, Shenhai has Shenhai Microelectronics, and they are also making lithography machines, so some people can dig them up."

As a top-ranked coastal city, Shenhai has a large number of suitable college students, and we can dig up some people, find some people from outside to go back, and then train some people ourselves.

In the early stage, I didn't have too high requirements for the schedule, but in three years, my goal is to make the first lithography machine that can intervene in the production process in three years.

As for whether it can achieve technological breakthroughs, it is ahead of other lithography machine manufacturers, which I do not require.

In the early stage, we mainly need to establish the framework of the company's researchers and build the echelon of researchers. ”

After listening to this, Lin Benjian was relieved, the most feared thing about semiconductor entrepreneurship research and development is that investors do not know how to do it, and laymen guide insiders, giving too much pressure and unrealistic assessment indicators.

Zhou Xin's goal is very reasonable, and it can even be described as low.

Lin Benjian: "Okay, I'll get back to you within a week, because going back to the mainland involves relocating the whole family, and maybe my two children won't go back with us."

But it's still a big deal involving our family relocation, and I need to discuss it with my wife. ”

Zhou Xin nodded: "Okay, wait for your good news, let's create a career together!" ”

After chatting with Zhou Xin, the first thing Lin Benjian did was to find his own contacts to verify whether it was true that Zhang Rujing returned to China to engage in chip foundry.

As a famous engineer of Texas Instruments and the founder of Shida Semiconductor, Zhang Rujing is currently much more famous than Guan Jianying.

The news is very good to inquire that Shida Semiconductor was recently acquired by TSMC at a valuation of $5 billion, and Zhang Rujing left TSMC, which is big news in the bend.

As for Zhang Rujing's dynamics, Lin Benjian believes that Zhou Xin will not lie to him on this.

After meeting Lin Benjian, Zhou Xin found Guan Jianying for dinner the next day: "Uncle Guan, I heard that you are not doing well.

Do you want to come and start a business with me?

I recently planned to return to the mainland to set up a semiconductor company. ”

Zhou Xin and Guan Jianying are already very familiar, so there are not too many twists and turns, and they go straight to the point.

Guan Jianying has been mixing in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, including the startup behind him is also in Silicon Valley.

It's just over an hour's drive from San Francisco.

Guan Jianying asked, "What are you going to do?" Analog ICs? Unlike Lao Hu, I will only do this. ”

Zhou Xin said: "Analog IC and lithography machine. ”

Guan Jianying immediately realized: "The R&D investment of lithography machine is not small, and it is difficult to even start without hundreds of millions of dollars." ”

Zhou Xin asked rhetorically: "Do you think I'm short of money?" ”

"Also, you really don't lack money.

In what capacity am I involved in this venture? Guan Jianying realized that Zhou Xin was a man with tens of billions of dollars, so he almost wrote that I had money on his face, so he began to ask other questions.

Zhou Xin said: "CEO, I am not very good at specific business management.

I am only responsible for the grasp of the strategic direction and part of the research and development work, and the daily operation and management of the enterprise are all entrusted to you.

I have already found a R&D supervisor in the direction of lithography machine, Lin Benjian, which means that there are only two people in this company now, me and Lin Benjian. ”

Zhou Xin believed that Lin Benjian would definitely agree to his conditions, and TSMC and Lin Benjian's first contact was in April 2000.

Participating in the establishment of the new core lithography machine, for Lin Benjian, in the future, the sale of shares after the listing of the new chip lithography machine is directly a class leap.

With Zhou Xin's continuous R&D investment, coupled with his trust in his own ability, Lin Benjian has strong confidence in the operation and listing of Xinxin lithography machine.

Zhou Xin believes that no one can offer better conditions than him.

Guan Jianying thought for a while: "Boss, this old man is next, and I don't have a place to go now."

In addition, I can't pull my face back to my previous company, and I am grateful that you can give me this opportunity.

We are now in a working state, and since we are going to make a lithography machine, I will recommend a few more people to you.

The lithography machine is much more difficult than the analog IC, and we have to dig people, and we have to dig people up quickly to put up the shelves.

Yan Taonan and Lin Jinxiang, the two of them are mainly responsible for chip imaging and reticles.

Their participation is important to us. ”

Zhou Xin thought that he heard the familiar name again, Yan Taonan was later the global vice president of ASML, and he also made great contributions to the breakthrough of lithography machines.

As for Lin Jinxiang, Zhou Xin doesn't know much about it.

Since Guan Jianying compared these two people, Lin Jinxiang must also have something extraordinary.

Guan Jianying continued: "Both of these people are the R&D director of TSMC, Lin Jinxiang is responsible for the overall technical control, and Yan Taonan is responsible for mask technology.

I'm going to make a list, and we need to poach the members on the list one by one. ”

"Most of them are TSMC engineers, and I can't guarantee that they will be dug up.

But recently I got the news that because Zhang Rujing plans to go back to the mainland to build a factory, many TSMC engineers plan to return to the mainland with Zhang Rujing.

Now is the time for people's minds to change, and we have a certain probability of digging people.

But we need to seize this point in time. ”

The research and development of lithography machine is not a good business, and chip foundry is also not a good business.

Building a factory is a big cost, and annual equipment renewal is another big cost, whether you can start construction depends on the eyes of the chip design company, and the second is to look at the specific situation of global demand.

Zhou Xin thought to himself, digging so many people from TSMC to leave, Zhang Zhongmou knew, and he probably wouldn't give me a good face when we had a meeting at CAAS.

However, doing things is to pull down the face, and Zhang Zhongmou was originally looking for Zhang Zhongmou to join CAAS at that time, just to dig into the corner of TSMC.

"Uncle Guan, so what you need to do is to set up a salary framework system first, and then go to poach people.

The company we want to establish is called Xinxin Technology, and there are two companies under it, Xinxin Semiconductor and Xinxin Lithography Machine.

Then I plan to put the company in Shenhai, and after you go to Shenhai, contact Wu Shiqiang, who is responsible for helping me take care of the investment business over there.

You first set up the human resources department, and then find a senior foreign company HR to build a good salary system, and in the process of building the salary system, you will poach people. ”

Guan Jianying thought that he was setting up a company in Silicon Valley, but he didn't expect to return to the mainland, "Engaged in lithography machine research, and the mainland's talent accumulation in this area is very weak."

Including analog IC design, the mainland's talent accumulation is also weak.

If we put our company in Silicon Valley, there is a lot of talent that we can recruit.

IBM, Bell Labs, and many engineers who had previously worked on lithography machines, after failing to compete with neon manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon, they also changed directions one after another.

But their experience in the field of lithography machines is still there.

If we set up the company in Shenhai, we can only find Chinese engineers, and if we are willing to return to Shenhai, we can only find Chinese engineers.

Of course, there are a small number of engineers of other ethnic groups who are willing to go to Shenhai, but the number of such people is negligible. ”

Zhou Xin nodded: "I understand, but it doesn't matter if there is one more lithography machine company in Silicon Valley and one less lithography machine company."

It is very important to have one more lithography machine company in the mainland.

Zhang Rujing would rather give up TSMC's shares to go back to the mainland to build a factory, and we don't need to give up anything when we go back to the mainland to set up Xinxin Technology, but there will be some difficulties in the process of talent recruitment.

When I chatted with Lin Benjian before, I told him that in three years, I expect the lithography machine to produce results in three years, and the results do not need to catch up with peers, but only need to be able to enter the production process for verification.

We have the time, energy, and resources to dig up a group of people and train a group of people.

The mainland lacks everything in the field of integrated circuits, but there is no shortage of talents that can be cultivated. ”

(End of chapter)