Chapter 382: Big Transaction
“It’s not clear yet.” Song Nanping said: “But America is the biggest suspect, or more accurately, it’s very likely that they are involved behind the scenes.”
“Have they determined the specific losses?” Lin Ran asked.
Song Nanping shook his head: “The specific losses are hard to quantify.
We only know that a total of three engineers participated in this action, and they used portable cameras to take over a thousand pictures related to the process flow and disseminated them overseas.
What specific losses these photos will cause, which institutions obtained the photos, and what else besides the photos has been leaked.
These are still unknowns.”
Lin Ran interrupted: “If they didn’t have this data, relying on buying the Moon Collector’s Edition in China and bringing it back to the laboratory for reverse engineering would take at least two years.
Based on this estimate, it could accelerate their progress by at least 30%, or even more.”
Lin Ran said: “To put it simply, just make the deal.”
Song Nanping asked puzzledly: “Deal?”
Lin Ran nodded: “That’s right, deal.
Make a deal with Japan to buy the technology related to Nikon Lithography Machine from them.
What we need is lithography machines, photoresist, and these related technologies.
We make a deal with Japan to team up and crush TSMC.”
Lin Ran clenched his fist and said.
Song Nanping repeated: “Crush TSMC?”
Lin Ran said: “That’s right, directly take down their biggest fortress in 4v at once, the pillar they rely on.
Relying solely on China, getting EUV done is still some distance away.
But Japan is different. Since establishing Rapidus, Japan has had the ambition to bring semiconductors back to Japan.
Why must the production capacity for high-end chip foundry be eaten up by TSMC?
Why can TSMC enjoy the dividends of the entire high-end chip market?
In high-end processes, Samsung is no longer capable, Intel has long been out, and now only TSMC is feasting at the table.
In the entire 4V region, TSMC accounts for 15% of their GDP. Including the upstream and downstream industrial chain driven by TSMC alone—upstream and downstream materials, equipment, packaging and testing, and IC design—its contribution to 4V’s GDP exceeds 25%.
Cooperate with Japan: Japan takes the high-end semiconductor process in the free world, and we use the EUV technology obtained from Nikon to directly push to 3nm in one go.
While comprehensively besieging TSMC, our semiconductor industry also comes alive.
Take down TSMC, cripple 4V economy, and officially start the poor T strategy.”
What Song Nanping saw was technology leakage, the despicableness of competitors.
What Lin Ran saw was borrowing strength to fight, integrating the entire industry, taking down TSMC, which 4v relies on most and mentions at every turn.
No need to make TSMC bankrupt, just eliminate half of TSMC’s revenue is enough.
That’s enough to cause a tsunami-like impact on the entire 4V.
“Professor, what you’re saying is a bit too big. This is an entire directional change.
Yanjing side will find it hard to agree.
Secondly, even if Yanjing agrees, Japan will find it hard to deal with us.
This requires Washington’s approval.
And semiconductor restrictions have long been the core of Washington’s core.
They finally came up with this move.”
Lin Ran waved his hand: “Times are different now, and we have many cards in hand.
We have the biggest card.”
Song Nanping asked puzzledly: “The biggest card?”
Lin Ran waved his hand, telling Song Nanping to leave, “Anyway, I’ll handle these.”
He was thrilled at the prospect of the hunt and was already thinking about hunting TSMC.
“Professor.” Wang Yuefeng walked in, “I’ve read those papers you recommended.”
“Good, that’s good. Here’s new papers, read them first.” Lin Ran picked up a thick stack of papers from the table and handed them to him.
Wang Yuefeng saw that Lin Ran was going to send him out like the previous times.
He really couldn’t hold back anymore, no one could. Every time he came to see his mentor, the mentor just gave him some papers and told him to go back and read them.
Reading papers itself is fine; it’s the convention for training PhD in Mathematics.
In pure mathematics master’s and PhD stage group meetings, the most common thing is to read papers: read classic papers, recent good papers, this group’s papers, and the latest papers from other universities’ groups in the same direction.
In short, it’s all about reading!
Of course, reading here doesn’t mean reciting aloud, but intensive reading, understanding not only the proof process but also what the author intends to express, how this problem relates to others, and most importantly, understanding the author’s thinking process, how they came up with it.
More advanced is to follow this paper, find suitable directions for publishing papers, what inspirations it provides, what problems those inspirations can solve, and then publish papers.
In short, the core of pure mathematics is solving problems; the quality of solutions determines the level of journals you can publish in.
To become Lin Ran’s PhD student, Wang Yuefeng had already joined the group during his undergraduate stage, following Yenching University’s professor to do some pure mathematics theoretical research, and had published papers in the sub-journals of the big four during undergrad.
At Yenching University, he had heard that different mentors have different styles and could understand that Lin Ran was very busy.
But like Lin Ran, every meeting just throwing papers at him without discussion, no problems given, no requirements, that was really rare.
“Professor, you should have some expectations for me, right? For example, solve what problem, what are the requirements?” Wang Yuefeng said.
Actually, this was him making a request to Lin Ran: Ran Shen, give me a problem, please.
Lin Ran said: “Of course, I have high hopes for you. My requirement for you is to solve the strong form of the Goldbach Conjecture and inherit my mantle.
Master and apprentice respectively solving the weak and strong forms of the Goldbach Conjecture would also be a beautiful story in the mathematics community.”
Wang Yuefeng took a deep breath, “No, professor, aren’t you overestimating me a bit?”
This was like asking a newbie just out of the novice village to fight the level 80 world final boss.
“Relax, I’m not saying you have to solve the strong form of the Goldbach Conjecture to graduate with a PhD from me.” Lin Ran said, “What I mean is, this is your ultimate goal.
I will help you move toward this goal.
All the papers I give you are to bring you closer to this goal bit by bit.”
Wang Yuefeng felt his mind was a bit messed up; wasn’t this just like chopping a Pinduoduo 600 red envelope?
Each paper is like pulling in a new user.
The progress bar keeps moving forward, but you’ll never actually get the Pinduoduo red envelope; you’ll spend your whole life without solving the Goldbach Conjecture.
“Relax, Yuefeng, I think highly of you.
Besides, it’s not like you can’t publish papers without fully solving it; your interim achievements along the way can also be published.
Worst case, use a new method to prove the weak form of the Goldbach Conjecture again, that’s enough for a big four paper and a permanent faculty position in academia.
Who am I? Would I let my student be without a job?
Anyway, take your time reading the papers first. I estimate that by this time next year, you’ll have an outline grasp of the Goldbach Conjecture, knowing where to start unraveling that ball of yarn.
Then we can discuss it properly.” Lin Ran patted his shoulder.
Wang Yuefeng said: “Okay, professor.” He thought, this is true; as the first major disciple of a dual academician, if he couldn’t even get a faculty position, there’s no point in playing.
Lin Ran earned his Academy of Sciences academician through mathematical achievements, and as his PhD in pure mathematics, he could call himself the first major disciple.
In China, the resources controlled by academicians are terrifying, especially young academicians. Older ones might lack energy and not grasp everything.
Young academicians are actively engaged and proactively strive for resources.
Wang Yuefeng thought again, yes, doing the strong form of the Goldbach Conjecture doesn’t mean solving it! Various math inequalities.
Lin Ran was thinking, Yuefeng, you look a lot like Chen Jingrun, exceptional talent, and previously did number theory; I believe you can do it.
Of course, if you can’t, it’s fine, no big deal.
The other two had much easier days than Wang Yuefeng; one works at Apollo Technology, the other leads interns at Deep Red; no need for more details here.
In short, they are all doing cutting-edge work.
December, Shanghai, before the US President takes office.
Musk flew to Shanghai to inspect the Tesla factory.
At the same time, there was new progress on the Huawei factory leak.
Done by Samsung, or more accurately, linked to a Korea company behind it, which has intricate ties to mid-level personnel in Samsung’s chip business.
In short, Samsung is the biggest suspect.
Samsung is one of the few, like Intel, that does both chip foundry and design themselves, an IDM integrated manufacturer.
Intel fell before 7nm, completely behind the era in the 7nm era, and Samsung fell before 3nm, completely behind TSMC in the 3nm process.
Samsung is just behind TSMC, but still far ahead of other factories.
To reverse the decline in competition with TSMC, they resorted to crooked ideas.
They targeted the latest technology Huawei brought back from the Moon.
As for how much it could shorten Samsung’s reverse engineering time, Huawei estimates 30%, Lin Ran thinks 40%.
Because Samsung set up layers of protective barriers to ensure this wouldn’t ultimately implicate them.
You can’t link the evidence chain to Samsung.
Plus, China has always been conservative in this regard.
So there’s no way to punish Samsung legally.
Can only expose it through public opinion.
Just in the announcement, pointing out that Korea people in China participated, as the upline of Huawei engineers, is enough to make Chinese netizens associate it with Samsung.
Then Chinese media steps in, digs up the background of the Korea people in China involved, further proving possible links to Samsung, enough to sentence Samsung to life imprisonment in the China market.
Chinese self-media freely criticize Korea and Samsung, reaching a climax.
Leading to a sharp drop in already poor-selling Samsung products on the Chinese Internet.
This time it’s outright death penalty.
Death penalty to the point where Bilibili bloggers specializing in tech reviews dare not take Samsung’s sponsored reviews for a long time, and even self-funded reviews avoid Samsung.
Because once you review, your bullet screen is flooded with rarities.
Even the most objective tech zone Bilibili users don’t want you reviewing Samsung.
From Korea electronic products to Korea cars, all saw cliff-like drops in China.
Wang Ziru’s “WOW! Awesome~” became a swan song from then on.
Samsung’s product sales were already poor, and now their promotion channels are cut, making it even worse.
Late November sales were even worse than Sony mobile phones.
Musk coming to Shanghai at this time, first stop is Tesla Gigafactory.
Second stop is Apollo Technology.
Because he wants to talk a big business deal with Lin Ran here.
If Young John Morgan can make deals, why can’t I, Elon Musk.
Of course, him appearing in China at this time is also because the China side released a signal through channels, inviting him to talk.
In this process, Lin Ran first convinced Yanjing to adopt his strategy.
Attempting to reach a big deal with America, with TSMC at best being a side dish in this deal.
