Chapter 400: Wait, This Can Sell Too?
When Old John Morgan said to sell everything, everyone started having doubts in their hearts. Asking you to do the transaction, isn’t this a bit too generous?
Then when Besent said that Big T personally told the Japanese negotiator, everyone was stunned.
Besent wasn’t helping Old John Morgan for no reason. To put it simply, even if Old John Morgan really had some flirtations with Yanjing, anyone here who has worked on Wall Street has to stand up and say a few words for Old John Morgan.
This is the influence of the Morgan family.
But now, no need. The best scapegoat has already appeared.
It’s an order from Big T himself, so that’s fine.
The president didn’t notify anyone and suddenly personally went to the negotiation site, which already doesn’t conform to diplomatic norms, and you still make such a promise.
As for doubting that Mr. President is colluding with them, that’s not allowed; that’s utterly rebellious.
“Could it be that”
Half a month ago, Big T insisted on going to meet the emperor in Alaska, which was already criticized enough.
Now doing this again here, proactively offering that technology can be sold to China, it’s really too easy to spark endless speculation.
Old John Morgan, a core member of the Morgan family with pure roots and shared fate with the country, he couldn’t possibly package and sell so much technology to China like it was free without your nod.
So there’s only one possibility: could the president also have some unknown relationship with Yanjing?
Such an idea was immediately extinguished as soon as it appeared.
“em
Well said! That’s exactly the reasoning! They didn’t win! We didn’t lose either!” Big T didn’t dwell on the topic anymore. “Alright, Peter, what other trading chips do our allies have that we can use?
So we can proceed with the transaction with China.”
Peter, whose name is Navarro, the presidential advisor specifically responsible for negotiations with China, is about the same as Old John Morgan.
Peter thought for a moment and said: “NIL photolithography technology.”
Big T definitely doesn’t understand it.
Among the White House bureaucrats present, no one understands it except Musk.
“Currently, the world’s top-tier EUV lithography machines are monopolized by ASML in the Netherlands, and we strictly control them through the Wassenaar Arrangement so they can’t get them.
Since Japan fell behind on the EUV lithography machine route, they’ve been trying to find another way, investing heavily in NIL technology to bypass the restrictions of the EUV technology route and produce equally advanced chips.
This technology is advanced enough; Canon has invested over 15 years in it. We can completely use this technology as a bargaining chip.”
“You mean, we let the Japanese give this technology to China?” Big T asked.
Musk thought to himself, no, are you all crazy? Previously they were hemming and hawing over 7nm, now Canon’s 5nm, a technology route invested in for over 15 years, completely different from EUV lithography machines, and such technology can be put on the trading desk for transaction?
This is a bit too perverted. Musk felt that he was the only normal person in the entire White House.
“Not give, but loosen the restrictions,” Navarro corrected. “The research and development of this technology couldn’t succeed without our high-precision components and software support.
Its export also requires our approval.
We can treat it as a valve, one that we can tighten at any time.
We allow Japan to export NIL technology and equipment to China, in exchange for all their latest lunar exploration data and China’s help in building our moon base.
This is a perfect deal.”
Navarro’s eyes sparkled: “We use a technology that we control, which hasn’t been verified yet, to exchange for a time advantage.
At the same time, this also warns the Japanese, letting them understand who their true master in technology development is.
This is a classic one stone two birds, Mr. President.”
Musk quickly jumped in to hit the brakes: “Mr. Navarro, do you know what nanometer level Canon’s NIL is?”
Navarro said matter-of-factly: “5nm. Canon started small-scale shipments to manufacturers in 2023, and some production manufacturers are currently in trial production.”
Musk said: “Correct, 5nm. We were just arguing fiercely over whether to loosen restrictions on Nikon’s 7nm lithography machine, and now you’re telling me 5nm can also be loosened?
We might get a moon base, but we could lose the most important technology advantage on Earth because of this!”
Musk felt the world had gone mad, wondering if he had chosen wrong to be colleagues with these people.
Musk’s eyes were filled with worry: “We can’t do this; the risk is too great. We must find something else to trade, or I’d rather use a more clumsy but safer method, exploring step by step ourselves. Trading core technology is like drinking poison to quench thirst.”
Navarro waved his hand: “Mr. Musk, I need to say, I know more about NIL than you do. Its full name is nanoimprint lithography technology.
Mr. President, and fellow colleagues, I am a staunch American. Please allow me to explain in detail why I believe this technology can be used for trading.
Imagine the seals we played with as kids: dip the seal in ink, press it hard on paper, and it leaves a clear pattern on the paper.
The principle of nanoimprint lithography technology is extremely similar, but its precision reaches the nanometer level.
Making the template, coating the resist, imprinting, then curing and demolding—the entire process is like stamping, using a 1:1 size template with circuitry patterns to directly contact and press onto the wafer’s resin for physical replication.
Since it doesn’t need a high-power light source, its energy consumption is drastically lower than EUV—Canon claims it can reduce it by 90%.
Moreover, its structure is much simpler than traditional ASML lithography machines, and its equipment cost is only a quarter or even less of ASML lithography machines.
Similarly, every advantage has its disadvantages.
First, it is 5nm, but as a new product, it currently can’t be used to manufacture CPUs, GPUs, or other logic chips with the most complex structures and highest sensitivity to defect rates.
It can now only be applied to the manufacturing of 3D NAND flash memory chips.
Because flash memory chips’ circuitry patterns have high repeatability and regularity, with relatively high tolerance for defects.
SK Hynix is Canon’s production partner.
This means that such 5nm lithography machine technology poses no threat to our artificial intelligence strategy.
Secondly, they can only be used to make 3D flash memory chips. Even if they succeed, it affects Korea’s storage chip industry; our CPU and GPU businesses won’t be impacted.
Finally, even if China gets this technology, they’ll be restricted on materials—whether special resin materials, resist, or hard, wear-resistant templates that maintain extremely high precision, all are restricted by us.
But this technology is indeed 5nm chip technology, and it has the potential to manufacture logic chips like CPUs and GPUs using this lithography technology. Canon has even drawn a clear technology roadmap to 2nm and even more advanced nodes.
Its value is beyond doubt, and its limitations are equally beyond doubt.
Potential is always just potential. Canon delivered verification machines in 2023 and still hasn’t achieved formal mass production today; its potential remains forever on paper, turning into the trap we set for China.
Let them pour all their energy, money, and resources into this bottomless pit.”
Navarro concluded: “This is the technology trap I carefully selected specifically for China!
Use a technology with no practical significance to exchange for the time we need, for the Big T Moon Base on the moon!
And we only give half, only the NIL photolithography technology; the supporting materials aren’t given. The supporting materials still have to be bought from Japanese companies, and the shareholders behind those Japanese companies are all from America.
They will never, ever catch up to us!”
Big T got excited immediately after hearing about the moon base named after him.
On Earth, there is the Kennedy Space Center, Lyndon Johnson Space Center—why isn’t there a space center named after me?
Now there is one! And it’s on the moon!
Can other presidents do that?
“Peter! Well done, good job! For this negotiation, I fully authorize you to go to Yanjing with Old John Morgan—best if you can squeeze out more things!” Big T’s face was beaming with smiles, hands clenched into fists, just short of singing “Young man, I was once in your shoes.”
Musk knew everything was over, completely over. When Navarro brought up the Big T Moon Base, nothing he said would help; it would only add to Big T’s dissatisfaction.
“Mr. President, I want…” Musk still wanted to say something.
Big T waved his hand: “Elon, no need to thank us. We’re fighting for time for you! I want to see our moon base next year! Even if it’s not that big or luxurious, we must have it!”
Musk immediately shut up, his heart filled with deep despair. What the hell, what’s the difference from the meetings I had with Melroy and that group before? Even worse than Melroy’s group.
Navarro nodded: “Rest assured, I will definitely strive for the maximum rights, even making the Chinese hand over all the data.”
“That’s roughly it, Professor. The White House indicates willingness to use Canon’s NIL technology in exchange for assistance in building a base at the Lunar North Pole,” Old John Morgan communicated in advance with Lin Ran over the telephone.
Lin Ran was dumbfounded. I thought it was just scraps, but turns out you can even sell chicken legs: “Does Japan know?”
Old John Morgan asked puzzled: “What do they need to know?”
Lin Ran said: “Right, it’s that I haven’t worked at the White House for too long.”
Now it was Old John Morgan’s turn to be dumbfounded: “No, Professor, when did you ever work at the White House?”
Lin Ran said: “That’s not important. What’s important is how the White House could…”
Old John Morgan reminded: “Professor, the White House has no good intentions. I asked Japanese people about this technology—it’s full of problems, basically a half-finished product that Canon uses to hype its stock price. Tons of issues haven’t been solved!
And the White House is only selling half.”
Old John Morgan feared Lin Ran would be fooled and then take it out on him and his son, affecting the cooperation between General Aerospace and Apollo Technology.
“Understood, rest assured, I’ll think it through carefully. Thanks!” Lin Ran said.
After communicating with Old John Morgan, he quickly called Song Nanping over.
Song Nanping being in this position for so long proves his reliability has been fully verified.
After roughly explaining the matter to Song Nanping, Lin Ran said seriously: “Definitely, we must negotiate this down. We want this!”
Song Nanping asked: “Good! Professor, one more thing—didn’t Old John Morgan remind us? This technology has flaws, and they won’t sell the supporting materials.
I’ll report back to Yanjing to make things clear.”
Lin Ran grinned and said: “Correct, it has a hundred percent a ton of problems, problems that even Canon itself can’t solve.
I’ve always been following various technology routes. As Canon’s continuous investment—not over a decade, but 21 years—they started as early as 2004. This is a long-term strategic investment spanning over 20 years.
It is Canon’s only hope to overtake in the lithography machine field.
Canon, as the investor, definitely knows its problems better than us. The fact that Canon continues investing despite knowing the problems exist means its potential matches the issues.
But for us, the technology itself has enormous value.
The essence of nanoimprint lithography is not just a chip manufacturing technology; it’s more of a low-cost, high-efficiency nanometer-scale pattern replication platform technology.
Any field that needs precise, large-scale manufacturing of micro or nanometer-scale structures on large-area substrates is a potential application scenario for NIL technology.
By etching a large number of nano antennas on a plane, metasurface lenses can be made that are thinner than paper but far superior to traditional glass lenses.
Simply put, it can greatly reduce and simplify camera lens modules—mobile phone cameras no longer have protruding bumps, and AR/VR glasses can become as light and thin as ordinary glasses.
Furthermore, it can greatly increase hard drive storage density, theoretically by 7 to 10 times.
NIL is currently the only technology with hope to achieve next-generation hard drives at sufficiently low cost.
Most importantly, through this technology, we can glimpse the secrets of high-end optical lenses, bypassing current restrictions and heading straight to the future.
Current high-end optical lenses, whether Zeiss, Leica, or Canon’s top camera lenses, or the priceless mirrors made by Zeiss in EUV lithography machines, their core technologies lie in manufacturing optical-purity extremely high, refractive-index precise special glass; grinding these materials into perfect curved surfaces with curvature errors at nanometer or even picometer levels; and coating dozens of layers on the lens surface, each with precisely controlled thickness, for anti-reflective or reflective films.
NIL technology is the key to next-generation optical components: metasurface lenses.
Old Song, as we discussed before, NIL technology can mass-produce billions of nanometer-scale antenna structures on a planar substrate through imprinting, low-cost.
These structures can achieve more powerful and complex light field control capabilities than traditional curved lenses through diffraction and interference.
Have you forgotten what I do?
You can think of building a lens with a planar metasurface lens as solving an instruction matrix, a classic multi-objective, multi-parameter optimization problem.
In the past, relying on hand-polishing lenses, I really couldn’t do it, but now it’s about solving equations.
Lin Ran didn’t finish, deliberately leaving it blank. Does a mathematics master need to say more?
Song Nanping got it: “The Americans are crazy! Does the White House have any humans left? Any normal people? They can even sell this?”
