Chapter 102: Far Ahead

"Magic."

In the Potion Research Institute, Murphy said, "Our only advantage is magic!"

Several experts in the fields of computer and semiconductor were sitting in front of him.

Murphy stood on the podium in front of them. "I want to build chips. I have already told you the reason just now. The improvement of computing power is the cornerstone of future technological development. But everyone can see the potential of computers. The world's top brains and a large amount of capital have been invested in this field."

"We are not short of capital and brains, but we do not have an absolute advantage, but we have things they cannot imagine, and that is magic."

"From today on, the Chip Breakthrough Group is officially established. You will be responsible for finding ways for magic to play a role in this project."

"You are all experts in the field of computers or semiconductors and are very clear about the process of chip manufacturing. I need everyone to open up their ideas and find a path that can make us form a clear advantage over other competitors."

"Does anyone have any ideas?"

As soon as Murphy finished speaking, someone stood up.

"Dr. Derrick Preston." Murphy recognized the other party. "Please speak."

Derrick was a slightly chubby male in his thirties. "Director, I have an idea. In fact, not long after coming to this institute, I had this idea. I am an algorithm engineer, but I have always been very interested in the chip field. I have self-studied IC design, made semiconductor circuits, and I have also interned at a wafer factory for a period of time..."

"Sorry, I mean, after entering the institute, I have been thinking about how to use magic to make chips. I think there are two spells that might be very useful for making chips."

"That is the Enlarge Spell and the Shrinking Charm!"

"As everyone knows, the data that best represents the progress of chip technology is the process. At the beginning of this year, the 80486 chip launched by Intel pushed the number of chip transistors to over one million for the first time. It uses a 1-micron process, which is the most advanced chip process today."

"In the UK, the best chip factory can stably mass-produce 1.5-micron process chips, which is equivalent to the level of Intel's 80386 chip four years ago."

"The progress of the process means more transistors, which means greater computing power," Derrick said. "But every point of progress in the process is very difficult, involving a large amount of process improvement, from IC design to lithography machines to doping technology, etching technology, photoresist, etc."

"And this is all because chips are too small and transistors are too small. Chips are the pinnacle of human precision manufacturing technology. Chip transistors are the smallest mechanical structures that humans can mass-produce."

"Being able to control the gap between two circuits at 1 micron is already an extremely remarkable achievement. The diameter of a human hair is about 50 microns. A 1-micron process is carving thirty or forty circuits on a scale as thin as a hair, which is simply incredible."

"But, we have magic. If we enlarge the chip, for example, enlarge it five times, make the circuit, and then shrink it, the process problem will not be a problem at all!"

"Taking the current 1.5-micron process in the UK, after enlarging it five times, we can carve on a wafer with twenty-five times the area using 1.5-micron technology. After carving, shrink it to the original size, and its process will be equivalent to shrinking five times, which is a 0.3-micron process! Compared to Intel today, it can be called far ahead."

"If we use the Shrinking Charm on the wafer after it is restored to its original size to shrink it another five times, we will directly enter the 60-nanometer process field. According to Moore's Law, we will lead the world by at least fifteen years!"

"And as far as I know, the magnification of the Enlarge Spell and the Shrinking Charm is not just five times. If we can enlarge the wafer ten times and then shrink it ten times, we will get a 15-nanometer process chip. If we enlarge it twenty times and then shrink it twenty times, it will be close to a 3-nanometer process! Leading the world by thirty years is not a problem!"

In fact, Derrick's statement is not accurate.

Chip performance is not only related to the process. IC design, materials, spraying technology, lithography technology, packaging technology, etc., involve many things.

Not to mention the quantum tunneling effect that will appear when the process reaches below 10 nanometers, which cannot be solved simply by directly shrinking the original chip. New materials and new gate circuit designs must be used to overcome it.

Even for a chip with a five-fold process change, it is unlikely that the manufacturing technology under the 1.5-micron process can be directly applied to the enlarged wafer.

But this idea still firmly grasped the most critical bottleneck in chip manufacturing: the minimum size problem of precision manufacturing technology.

"Very good!" Murphy applauded. "Amazing idea! Dr. Preston, I hope you can immediately verify this idea. What do you need?"

In fact, using the Enlarge Spell and the Shrinking Charm in chip production is an idea Murphy had long ago, and it is also one of the reliances he feels possible to achieve results in the chip industry.

However, as a leader, there is no need to show off his cleverness all the time. Letting subordinates propose ideas themselves will more effectively stimulate their enthusiasm.

"A lithography machine, it doesn't need to be particularly advanced, already eliminated technology is fine, and a wizard who is good at the Enlarge Spell and the Shrinking Charm is needed to cooperate." As he spoke, Derrick seemed to have thought of something. "Right, there must also be an ultra-clean laboratory."

Ultra-clean laboratories and lithography machines are easy to handle; you can buy them with money. But wizards...

Considering that the Soul Seed cannot be used as one wishes, Murphy finally decided to let the house-elf assist first.

House-elves can also use magic, so it should be enough for the time being.

Leaving the Magic Research Institute, Murphy came to the Supreme Potion Shop in Diagon Alley.

The shopkeeper in charge of this shop immediately greeted him. "Boss, why are you here?"

The current Supreme Potion has already squeezed out several famous potion shops, basically completely monopolizing the potion business in the British Wizarding World. In addition to having branches in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, it has also opened branches in Hogsmeade and many other wizard gathering places.

With so many shops, Murphy naturally couldn't manage them all, so he recruited some wizards to help him manage the business in the shops.

Because their salaries are linked to their performance, they are generally quite hardworking.

The shopkeeper of this potion shop in Diagon Alley is a middle-aged man in his forties, named Isaac Biddle. He was originally a pharmacist at Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. After the pharmacy was defeated by Murphy's price war, he was recruited by Murphy.

"I have something to do, but let's go see the factory first."

The two came to the backyard of the potion shop. The several old, dilapidated houses here had been demolished, and four walls had been erected, with blue bricks and red tiles, building a factory building that looked like the 19th century.

The space in the factory building is much more spacious than it looks from the outside.

In the center, there is a huge assembly line-like thing. Looking closely, it is actually a ring-shaped workbench with openings at both ends. More than thirty platforms are embedded in the iron crawler, and a cauldron is placed on each platform.

More than thirty wizards sat on both sides of the assembly line, each with a cauldron in front of them. The magic-infused crawler moved once every half a minute, moving the cauldron from in front of the previous person to in front of the next person.

And the wizards by the assembly line each held their wands, waving them repeatedly.

They each had different jobs. Some were responsible for adding a quantitative amount of fairy wing powder to the cauldron, some were responsible for dripping dew while stirring, some were responsible for lighting the fire to heat, and some were responsible for picking seven petals from a rose and throwing them in, etc...

This was actually a production line for Beauty Potion.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 103 =====