Chapter 58

Wanting to make a processor isn't that easy!

In the early 1980s, transistor integration wasn't very high, but most of the chip factories in the East were small workshops, with yields so low it was infuriating. So production was a big problem.

Of course, production would come later; design issues could be set aside for now. First, we needed to consider the technical route.

In the great wave, many general-purpose processor makers were forced to abandon the chip business, leaving only the two giants Intel and AMD locked in love‑and‑hate, both using the X86 architecture, which is patented!

If we want to make a processor, we still have to create our own architecture and instruction set, or we'll face endless lawsuits……

This is no small matter; even if the Computer Department had the confidence, it lacks the funds!

Even in the 1980s, even though a 16‑bit processor is already powerful, pouring in several million would just be throwing money away!

Does Ha Gong Da have that money? The Computing Institute and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, directly affiliated units, couldn't secure enough funding, so in the end they gave up on VLSI research, leaving people like Huang Lao in tears. From then on, chips were a blind box for Eastern tech workers.

Speaking objectively, in the early 1980s, the Wintel alliance had not yet formed; it was indeed a good opportunity to develop chips, but... Ha Gong Da? Forget it, better just wash up and go to sleep!

But... these people before us are obviously in a time of high enthusiasm! Do they think they are omnipotent?

Especially this Li Sheng, he actually brought out Zhang Wanhe, who is far away in the Capital; he is indeed your father-in-law, but to me, he's at most a backer of the Qingshan Factory... Well, this is more important, and likewise must not be offended.

What to do?

At this critical moment, Qin Miao's mind raced, and then... he had it!

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you know that Modu Component Factory No. 5 and Modu Radio Factory No. 14 jointly copied the 8080 processor?"

Ha Gong Da's current Z80 microcomputer was developed by Zilog Corporation, which was founded in 1974. Intel engineer Federico Faggin, after developing Intel's first 4-bit central processing unit, the 4004, started his own company; two years later, he came up with the Z80 chip, which is also compatible with Intel's 8080 microprocessor instruction set.

This 8080 processor was Intel's second 8-bit processor released in 1974, used in many fields; the East saw its great potential and thus... copied it!

In later years, chips of a few nanometers are hard to copy, but with six thousand transistors and a six-micron process, it's still quite primitive; Modu's engineers, under the microscope, copied the circuit diagram of this processor and then produced a similar processor, designated 5G8080!

What spirit is this? This is the East's strongest copying spirit! In this era, our East's chip technology hasn't fallen far behind the world's advanced level; taking the copied 8080 as an example, we were a year ahead of Europe!

Cough cough, copies of the 8080 are everywhere in the world; I don't know how Intel feels.

"8080 processor?"

"That's right, they imitated it using the chip‑scraping method…… This processor is compatible with the Z80, so we can fully master this processor, and on its basis develop a microcomputer similar to the Z80; this not only saves foreign exchange but also meets the needs of domestic sister units, and we can also strike it rich, earning enough funds to support our development of new processors."

By this point, Qin Miao felt his thinking had become much clearer!

First assemble computers, make money, then with money we can invest in R&D and build our own processors!

"The 8080 is already outdated," Professor Hu said: "After using Z80 microcomputers, we deeply feel our computational power is lagging; to complete those projects, it's best to use the 8086 chip... Since Modu's units can scrape chips, we can too!"

"That's right, thanks for the reminder, brother‑in‑law; let's go back now, organize a group, and copy it the same way!"

Wait!

Qin Miao was speechless: "Even if we draft the circuit diagram of the 8086 chip under a microscope, we can't produce it!"

"How can it not be producible? Ha Cheng's Tongjiang Transistor Factory will surely be able to accomplish this task!"

"What factory?"

Qin Miao is still not very familiar with Ha Cheng; after the founding of the country, the old Northeast's industrial base was among the first to develop!

In the field of electronic components, there is the renowned Tongjiang Factory, which is the second‑most advanced benchmark unit in China's electronics industry, undertaking the production of electronic components for many state‑of‑the‑art weapons!

All kinds of advanced parts from the Space Institute are entrusted to Tongjiang Factory for production!

Here they can not only make electronic components but also produce the equipment for making them; in 1977, Ha Cheng's Measuring Tool and Cutter Factory began developing a large‑area semi‑automatic photolithograph, which, although still a contact type and far from later projection photolithographs, already had a precision of 2.5 microns!

The 8086 chip produced with a 3‑micron process, Ha Cheng can produce it relying on its own industrial chain!

The 8080 processor is 8‑bit, the 8086 is 16‑bit, its computing power doubled; if something advanced is available, who would use something backward?

Listening to Professor Hu and Li Sheng's introduction, Qin Miao gaped.

"San Shui, you didn't know, our Ha Cheng's electronics industry is this developed, right?" Li Sheng said, full of pride.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it." Qin Miao felt, his nickname San Shui would soon spread throughout the school!

"So you can now support our project, right?"

"Well, Professor Hu, we'll use the chip‑scraping method to make the 8086 chip; the existing several projects all take the 8086 processor as core! This processor must not only meet project use, but also be developed into a personal computer!"

Qin Miao thought it over and continued: "When we cooperate with sister units, we must sign relevant agreements; they only do contract manufacturing for us, cannot leak chip technology, nor sell chips to third‑party enterprises. Later, when we have money, we will set up our own factory!"

In the 1980s, as the market economy further developed, that juicy piece of personal computers — who knows how many units will eye it!

"This…… is it necessary?"

"It is very necessary, ladies and gentlemen; if we want to build our own Eastern processor, we must have sufficient funds! Relying on superior allocations is not as good as relying on ourselves! Believe me, the era when the nation's working class were one big family will soon pass; afterwards, they will be our competitors!"

"San Shui, speaking of the market economy, we really don't understand; hearing that your father's Qingshan Factory is a trailblazer of the market economy, our Ha Gong Da Computer Science Department is thus responsible for surveying and dealing with other sister units — how about that?"

"Brother‑in‑law, you must agree whether you like it or not!"