Chapter 280: How to Apply

By the time the meeting ended, it was already five o'clock in the morning.

The sky in the east had just begun to turn a pale, fish-belly white.

Minister Zhang stood before the window, gazing at the sky gradually brightening in the distance, his heart surging and difficult to calm.

"I hope this is not a dream," he muttered to himself, "Long Country needs a miracle like this."

The next morning, Li Mingyuan had just finished training the technical team when his office door was knocked upon.

"Come in." He put down his chalk and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Lao Liu pushed the door open and entered, his expression complex: "Chief Engineer Li, something terrible has happened... no, something big has arrived!"

"What is it?" Li Mingyuan raised an eyebrow.

"People from Jingcheng have arrived! Minister Zhang of the Military Industry Commission is leading the team in person, along with bigwigs from the Scientific Research Department and the Military Science Academy—a whole large group of them just arrived at the airport, and the Factory Director has already gone to pick them up!" Lao Liu finished in one breath, then added,

"There is also a squad of soldiers with live ammunition who have surrounded the entire experimental zone!"

Li Mingyuan was not surprised; instead, he revealed a smile:

"It seems my report has taken effect. That they acted so quickly shows that the higher-ups attach great importance to this technology. A good thing!"

"Is this a good thing?" Lao Liu scratched his head, "I saw those soldiers looking fierce and menacing, as if they were afraid someone would steal our chip."

"It is precisely because the chip is so important that it needs to be strictly protected," Li Mingyuan explained,

"It is not just Di Guo coveting our technology now; Beijixiong Guo, White Elephant Country, and even some countries that appear friendly will develop an interest in this kind of disruptive technology."

He stood up and straightened his collar: "Let's go, let's go prepare to welcome our distinguished guests."

An hour later, the factory conference room was packed.

The inspection team led by Minister Zhang sat around the long table, each person wearing undisguised excitement and curiosity on their face.

The top experts from the Military Industry Commission, the Scientific Research Department, and the Military Science Academy, who were usually high and mighty, were now craning their necks like elementary school students, waiting for Li Mingyuan's "magic show."

Li Mingyuan walked into the conference room, and the whole room immediately quieted down.

He did not rush to display the chip, but instead began a short and concise explanation: the basic principles of integrated circuits, manufacturing processes, performance characteristics, and the fundamental differences from traditional electronic technology.

"Therefore, integrated circuits are not only small in size and fast in speed, but more importantly, they have high reliability, low energy consumption, and low cost," Li Mingyuan concluded, "This is not just a technological iteration, but a thorough technological revolution."

Dean Wang of the Military Science Academy could not help but ask: "Comrade Li, I have read your report, but it is still hard to believe. You say this kind of chip can process up to 25 computational tasks simultaneously without any delay? Is this theoretically possible?"

"Theoretically, it is not only possible, but this is just the beginning," Li Mingyuan answered confidently, "Future integrated circuits will integrate thousands, tens of thousands, or even more transistors, achieving computational power we can hardly imagine now."

"Alright, talk is cheap," Minister Zhang interrupted the discussion, "We traveled a long way here to witness the true capabilities of this 'Longxin No. 1' with our own eyes. Comrade Li, can we begin the actual demonstration?"

Li Mingyuan nodded, signaling his assistant to push the testing equipment into the conference room.

The experts present immediately crowded around, vying to examine that small chip and the complex testing platform.

Over the next two hours, "Longxin No. 1" withstood the strictest tests ever.

The experts from the Military Science Academy prepared a series of extremely complex computational tasks, attempting to find the chip's limits and weaknesses.

However, the chip's performance exceeded everyone's expectations. It not only correctly processed every task, but its speed was jaw-dropping.

Especially when it processed more than 20 different tasks simultaneously, a burst of exclamation erupted at the scene.

"This... this is simply a miracle!" Deputy Director Chen of the Scientific Research Department exclaimed uncontrollably, "A silicon wafer the size of a palm is worth an entire room of computers!"

"No, it is more than that," Professor Liu of the Military Science Academy shook his head in shock,

"This is even more powerful than the most advanced computer in Di Guo! Their ENIAC computer occupies an area of over 50 square meters and consumes 150 kilowatts of electricity, while this small chip..."

After the test ended, the conference room was deathly silent.

Everyone was immersed in a strange emotion—shock, awe, excitement, anticipation; various feelings were intertwined.

Minister Zhang took a deep breath, breaking the silence:

"Comrade Li, on behalf of the Military Industry Commission, I express my most heartfelt congratulations and thanks to you and your team. You have created a miracle and won a precious opportunity for Long Country to overtake on a bend."

He stood up and looked around at everyone: "Gentlemen, I believe everyone has fully recognized the strategic value of this technology. Next, I would like to hear Comrade Li's vision for the future application of integrated circuits."

All eyes focused on Li Mingyuan once again.

Li Mingyuan walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to draw the blueprint in his mind:

"I divide the applications of integrated circuits into three major fields: military applications, industrial applications, and civilian applications."

He drew three branches on the blackboard:

"In terms of military applications, the most urgent is to improve the performance of our existing weapon systems. If the 'Steel Umbrella' anti-aircraft system is equipped with an integrated circuit controller, its reaction speed and precision will increase by at least three times, enabling it to intercept faster and smaller targets. Tank fire control systems, radar signal processing, and missile guidance systems will all achieve a qualitative leap because of integrated circuits."

The Military Representatives nodded excitedly, already beginning to record details in their notebooks.

"In terms of industrial applications, integrated circuits will thoroughly change our production methods. Automated production lines, precision machining equipment, and industrial monitoring systems will all achieve upgrades due to the miniaturization and intelligence of electronic control. Especially for Numerical Control Machine Tools—if equipped with integrated circuit controllers, their precision and efficiency will have an order-of-magnitude improvement."

The leaders of the industrial departments exchanged surprised glances, as if they had already seen the beautiful prospect of factory modernization.

"Finally, although civilian applications are not the most urgent right now, in the long run, they may be the most revolutionary. Household appliances, communication equipment, medical devices, and even future personal computing equipment will all become smaller, more powerful, and more popularized because of integrated circuits."

Li Mingyuan stopped and turned to the crowd:

"But to realize these visions, we need a clear technological path. First, perfect lithography machine technology to achieve stable mass production of integrated circuits; second, increase the level of integration, from Small Scale Integrated Circuits to medium-scale, large-scale, and even ultra-large-scale; finally, establish a complete semiconductor industry chain, from materials and equipment to design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing, forming an autonomous and controllable system."

Minister Zhang listened intently and nodded involuntarily: "Comrade Li, your plan is very comprehensive. But if we were to choose one most urgent breakthrough point, what do you think it should be?"

Li Mingyuan answered without hesitation:

"Fire control systems. Our weapons are already strong enough, but the precision is insufficient. If we can use integrated circuits to improve the precision and reaction speed of fire control systems, it will immediately enhance our combat effectiveness. I have already begun designing an integrated circuit fire control computer that can process multiple factors such as wind speed, temperature, humidity, and target speed in real-time to calculate the optimal trajectory, significantly increasing the hit rate."

The Military Representatives' eyes lit up, and they began whispering to each other.

Increasing the hit rate—this was precisely the most urgent need of the Long Country military at the moment.

"Very good," Minister Zhang decided, "Then, we will start with fire control systems and gradually expand the application scope of integrated circuits."

He turned to the other leaders: "Gentlemen, I propose the immediate establishment of an 'Integrated Circuit Special Working Group,' led by the Military Industry Commission, with the cooperation of all departments, to fully support Comrade Li Mingyuan's work. This will be a national-level strategic project, concerning Long Country's future technological status and national defense security."

The proposal was passed unanimously. By the time the meeting ended, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.