Chapter 118: Single Challenge or Group Fight

Are the photolithography machine technology and equipment of the 45th Research Institute of the Ministry of Machinery and Electronics worth 6 million now? A machine that is nine years behind the market is definitely not worth that much money. These 6 million are actually used to buy out the R&D team of Zhou Shi, Wang Xia, and Zhang Shiying.

Buying a horse bone for a thousand gold—using 6 million to buy Zhou Shi's R&D team from the 45th Research Institute to Dongxin Semiconductor!

Whether it is the 45th Research Institute or other R&D units in the future, Dongxin Semiconductor can cooperate, but it must absolutely be led by Dongxin Semiconductor. The patents, technology, equipment, etc., developed must belong to Dongxin Semiconductor.

It's not that they don't trust these research institutes, it's just that there were too many dog-shit things in the domestic scientific research industry in the past few years. I still remember that in the past few years, many domestic research institutes that developed photolithography machines and other technologies were "defending against internal but not external"!

That is, when foreign companies visited, those research institutes would show all their family assets and explain their technology and R&D results to the other party in detail, without hiding anything. This allowed foreign companies to easily probe the reality of the products being developed by this research institute, and some even went back to counterfeit them and register patents overseas first.

But domestically, major research institutes were wary of each other and didn't report or exchange their R&D results, guarding against their own people very tightly.

This phenomenon, in the final analysis, was closely related to R&D funding. In the case of insufficient funding, funding needed to be grabbed. No one wanted to be overtaken by others to launch R&D results, let their efforts be destroyed, and then have the funding grabbed away.

But Li Dongling didn't want the research institutes cooperating with Dongxin Semiconductor to encounter companies like Nikon, Canon, and ASML visiting, and then Dongxin Semiconductor would be sold out completely, with their underwear exposed in front of these competitors. The necessary sense of precaution should be had early!

But for engineers like Zhou Shi who had been in the research institute for decades, suddenly asking them to leave the research institute they had been in for a lifetime and join Dongxin Semiconductor was too much of a shock, making it difficult for them to accept.

For engineers of Zhou Shi's generation, they basically stayed in one unit for a lifetime—from graduation to work, marriage, having children, and retirement, all in one unit. Once they entered that door, by the time they came out, it was already a lifetime.

Now suddenly asking them to leave the research institute and join Dongxin Semiconductor made them all hesitant. Li Dongling's meaning was very clear: only if they joined Dongxin Semiconductor would Dongxin Semiconductor be willing to continue investing money in photolithography machine R&D. This was a prerequisite.

But suddenly leaving the place they had been in for a lifetime, whoever it was, would have reluctance and confusion. Never mind anything else, just say the old things that had been in the house for more than ten years—they might not be useful anymore, but when it came to throwing them away, they would hesitate and be reluctant. If they threw them away directly, they might even feel empty for a while.

"Eat first, Chief Cheng Shi Zhou," Li Dongling said to Zhou Shi and the others, "The logistics department has already prepared food. This matter is not urgent. Chief Cheng Shi Zhou and the others can consider it slowly. Dongxin Semiconductor needs to negotiate with the 45th Research Institute, and also needs to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Machinery and Electronics and the Electronic Department!"

It would have been better if he hadn't said this. Hearing this, Zhou Shi and the others were even more anxious. They had already waited for nine years, and the gap with foreign photolithography machines had expanded from 1000nm process to 250nm. If foreign photolithography machines entered below 100nm, they wouldn't need to chase anymore, because it was absolutely impossible to catch up!

Right now, every minute was crucial for Zhou Shi and the others. How could they relax? If this dragged on, would it drag on for another eight or ten years? No one could say for sure. Their ages couldn't afford to gamble anymore. This was the last golden period for R&D personnel. Once their eyes were old and their vision was blurred, it would be too late to say anything.

"We are willing to join Dongxin Semiconductor!"

Zhou Shi saw that Li Dongling was about to go out and take them to Dongxin Semiconductor's restaurant for dinner, and finally shouted at the last moment.

"Regardless of what Dongxin Semiconductor negotiates with the 45th Research Institute, we and the engineers of the photolithography machine project team are willing to join Dongxin Semiconductor!"

"But Li Zong, you also need to promise me two things, otherwise, I will take the train back to the 45th Research Institute today!" Zhou Shi said to Li Dongling with a firm gaze.

"Please speak!"

"The first thing, Dongling High-Tech must really support our photolithography machine R&D. This R&D might be very expensive, costing more than 10 million!"

Zhou Shi said. In his view, an investment of over 10 million was already quite exaggerated. Before photolithography machines entered below 100nm, R&D hadn't reached such an exaggerated level.

Twenty years ago, in the 1970s, semiconductor manufacturers like Intel didn't purchase photolithography machines and could assemble photolithography machines by hand using parts. In the last 20 years, photolithography machines had become more and more expensive.

Domestic photolithography machine R&D didn't stop because technology couldn't keep up in these ten years, purely because of funding and the market. There was no money to engage in photolithography machine R&D, and there were no buyers after development. Buying foreign photolithography machines was cheaper than buying domestic ones, and buying chips was cheaper than manufacturing chips. If they couldn't sell them, no one would play.

"The first point, I promise!" Li Dongling said directly. Never mind 10 million, in his previous life, the investment in developing this thing was calculated in hundreds of millions. If Zhou Shi and the others could really spend 10 million to let Dongxin Semiconductor develop its own photolithography machine and catch up with the process to within 450nm, that would absolutely be a huge profit.

In his previous life, until 1999, Nikon used 450nm photolithography machines for export, which showed that including domestic ones, there were few companies in the world that could develop this thing.

"The second point…"

Speaking of the second condition, Zhou Shi felt his old face burning. He also knew that the second condition was somewhat pushing his luck. But to leave the 45th Research Institute, where he had been for decades, and have absolutely no feelings for it was really difficult for him. If he was full, and his old friends and old partners were gnawing on steamed buns, he really couldn't feel at ease in his conscience.

"Can you include the 45th Research Institute as a cooperation unit for Dongxin Semiconductor's photolithography machine, invest some funding in the 45th Research Institute, and help Dongxin Semiconductor develop silicon wafers, precision workbenches, and other products?"

"Don't worry, the 45th Research Institute's technical level is there. It was just that funding was insufficient in the past and experimental equipment was poor. As long as there is funding, they will definitely be able to develop results."

Li Dongling looked at Zhou Shi, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded, "As long as they can develop things, Dongxin Semiconductor will invest money in them!"

The semiconductor industry is a complex industrial chain, from raw materials to photolithography machines, chip design, production, electronic control software, optical systems, etc., requiring at least 400 or 500 companies.

If Dongxin Semiconductor fought alone, it would be too tired, and he didn't know how much time it would take. If he could find helpers, the chance of winning would be a few points higher.

If he could be like Samsung in his previous life, Dongxin Semiconductor would establish its own industrial chain system, supporting and cultivating a group of companies like Yangtze Memory, Will, AMEC, Sanan Optoelectronics, etc. Then when Dongling High-Tech competed with companies like Samsung, Nikon, ASML, and Intel in the future, it wouldn't be fighting alone, but the opposite side fighting Dongxin as a group—or to put it another way, Dongxin Semiconductor leading a group of younger brothers to have a fair, just, and public duel with the opposite side, playing a group fight!

The 45th Research Institute might be a start. If it could really be supported, then even if Dongxin Semiconductor spent more money, it would be worth it.

"We will call the engineers of the photolithography machine project team over tomorrow and start the R&D of the new generation photolithography machine. We have delayed too long and cannot delay any longer!"

Zhou Shi heard Li Dongling promise these two points, and joy appeared on his face, immediately saying to Li Dongling. They didn't plan to go back and were ready to start R&D immediately. Many of Dongxin Semiconductor's equipment, and even computers, needed them to become familiar with.

Li Dongling heard this, somewhat crying and laughing, and pulled Zhou Shi and the others toward the restaurant, "Eating is still the priority. Besides, the salary and treatment haven't been negotiated with you yet…"

"This is not urgent," said Zhang Anshi, "If we haven't developed anything, we wouldn't feel at ease taking Dongxin Semiconductor's salary."

Regardless of how Zhou Shi, Zhang Anshi, and Wang Xia said it, Li Dongling still kept the treatment of Dongxin Semiconductor's R&D personnel at the same level as Dongling High-Tech's technology department. The salary of main personnel like Zhou Shi was on par with Dongling High-Tech's technology department manager Chen Tao, exceeding 7,000 yuan per month. Plus bonuses, year-end bonuses, etc., Zhou Shi and the others' annual salary at Dong

Such a price was already the absolute limit within the country. Hearing about such a salary and benefits package, Zhou Shi and the others were startled, waving their hands repeatedly in refusal, "This isn't appropriate!"

The combined salaries of their few people were enough to equal the total payroll of the 45th Research Institute for several months.

"As the Chief Cheng Shi of Dongxin Semiconductor, Chief Cheng Shi Zhou, along with Cheng Shi Wang and Cheng Shi Zhang, you deserve this level of compensation. If you cannot even receive the top salary in the industry, how will Dongxin Semiconductor be able to attract more young, or even top-tier overseas engineers to Dongxin in the future?!"

Li Dongling pushed several large platters of hearty dishes—all of them pork knuckles, beef, chicken, duck, and fish—in front of Zhou Shi and the others. Regardless of how the domestic semiconductor industry treated its people, Dongxin needed to reach the industry peak, or even become a benchmark, to let more industry geniuses join Dongxin Semiconductor.

If Zhou Shi, the Chief Cheng Shi of Dongxin Semiconductor, only had a salary of a little over two hundred yuan, then what young person would still be willing to enter this field? You can't expect the horse to run without giving it grass; wouldn't that be playing the rogue!

With the stance taken by Zhou Shi and the others, regardless of how the negotiations between Dongxin Semiconductor and the 45th Research Institute turned out, the foundation of Dongxin Semiconductor was considered established. This was a move for the sake of precaution; it might not be used in the short term, and it might take three or five years to yield results, but just like a mushroom bomb, whether this thing exists and whether it is used are two completely different matters!

After Zhou Shi and the others arrived, the lithography machine engineers from the 45th Research Institute also arrived one after another. Many of them, upon hearing about the benefits package for Zhou Shi and the others, ran over directly without even filing a report to the 45th Research Institute. This would inevitably lead to squabbling between Dongxin Semiconductor and the 45th Research Institute later on, but the lithography machine department of Dongxin Semiconductor was already up and running.

And at noon the next day, Li Dongling waited for the arrival of another person.

(End of chapter)