Chapter 165

"Silicon Graphics?" Li Dongling couldn't help but ask upon hearing Huang Lingyi mention Silicon Graphics.

"Mr. Li has heard of this company too?"

Ni Guangnan and Huang Lingyi couldn't help but look toward Li Dongling upon hearing this.

Li Dongling nodded first, then shook his head, which left the two of them somewhat puzzled. Li Dongling said, "I have heard of Silicon Graphics' founder, Jim Clark!"

After all, separated by an ocean, and with domestic media not paying too much attention to companies and big figures in the American tech industry, the news was not very well-informed.

What Ni Guangnan and the others were concerned about was MIPS, which had been acquired by Silicon Graphics three years ago. This company was one of the first to enter the processor industry. Even now, it was one of the few companies in the global processor industry that was still playing with its own chip architecture. If one had to make a comparison, MIPS was very similar to ARM, which would later dominate chip licensing.

Seeing the gazes of Ni Guangnan, the other person, and Wu Xinyi on the side all cast toward him, Li Dongling laughed, "I heard that recently in America's Silicon Valley, an internet wave is rising. The leader is a company called Netscape, which was just founded last year. It is currently applying for a NASDAQ listing this year and is very likely to complete its listing this year!

This Netscape is the very company invested in by Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark. Once the listing is successful, they will all become multi-millionaires!"

Jim Clark was indeed the founder of Silicon Graphics. This company created the first single-user workstation and produced special effects for Hollywood movies like "Jurassic Park" and "Forrest Gump," with annual revenue exceeding four billion dollars.

But just like "Boss Qiao" who was kicked out of Apple, Silicon Graphics had also introduced venture capital firms for development back in the day. But once Silicon Graphics grew, when Jim Clark, the founder, had conflicts with the venture capital firms and Wall Street institutions, he was still swept out the door just the same!

After leaving Silicon Graphics, Jim Clark teamed up with another technician to invest in Silicon Valley's current darling, Netscape!

Hearing Li Dongling say that a new company founded only last year could potentially list this year with a quite high valuation, and that once the listing was complete, Netscape's executives would all become multi-millionaires, Ni Guangnan, Huang Lingyi, and Wu Xinyi were all stunned, as if they were listening to a fairy tale. This completely overturned their imagination.

How much is the average domestic wage right now? Yet in America, for one person to go from a poor kid to a multi-millionaire only takes one year. If this were to spread domestically, who knows how much madness it would cause. This internet thing is just too eye-catching. Even for someone who has no interest in money, can they remain indifferent when faced with hundreds of millions of dollars?!

Thinking of Netscape, Li Dongling couldn't help but sigh. When it comes to "harvesting leeks," the Americans really know how to play. A one-year-old Netscape could complete a listing, then manufacture a tech genius, and then manufacture a stock price miracle, which is enough to attract people all over the world to speculate on Silicon Valley internet companies, and then it's time to harvest the leeks...

Netscape is about to set off an internet frenzy. Li Dongling is also preparing to package Feiyan and send it to NASDAQ, making it the first Chinese internet concept stock company on NASDAQ. It's impossible that such a large field of leeks can be harvested by Americans but not by Li Dongling. Is there any justice left!

Skipping the topic, Li Dongling asked, "How does MIPS's MIPS chip architecture compare to Intel's X86 architecture?!"

"It's not as good as Intel's X86 architecture, but we have no choice. The chip architecture landscape is not like it was in the eighties; there isn't much room left for us to choose." Huang Lingyi sighed and said.

Back in the eighties, there were a bunch of chip manufacturers, all using their own designed chip architectures. After Intel launched X86, it changed everything and almost wiped out all other chip manufacturers.

And MIPS is one of the few surviving manufacturers that still researches its own chip architecture. It is currently living quite comfortably; it produces its own chips and also licenses chip designs to other manufacturers.

Other companies that cannot obtain Intel's X86 architecture, including Toshiba, Sony, Cisco, Infineon, and others, are all cooperating with MIPS.

Obtaining the chip architecture from MIPS to develop Dongxin Semiconductor's own chip processor is the most convenient path right now. It is much stronger than fumbling in the dark to develop it on one's own.

"In addition, MIPS's chip architecture licensing fee is quite expensive!" Ni Guangnan also said, essentially providing a preemptive warning, estimating that it would likely cost at least several million dollars in licensing fees.

After hearing this, Li Dongling nodded noncommittally, then made the final decision, "Then let's purchase the chip architecture from MIPS!"

"As long as Dongxin Semiconductor's computer processor can be successfully developed and can be sold commercially in the future, then perhaps one day, Dongxin Semiconductor will be able to acquire MIPS!"

Hearing this "tall talk," Ni Guangnan and Huang Lingyi couldn't help but smile bitterly. Now that they haven't even seen the shadow of a processor, talking about acquiring MIPS and making those foreigners work for Dongxin Semiconductor—they just took Li Dongling to be joking.

Li Dongling didn't explain too much, just laughed. Right now, Dongxin Semiconductor is still just taking its first stumbling steps; it's too early to talk about those things. But if the day comes when they really need to challenge the likes of Intel and AMD, then they will definitely need to recruit troops and buy horses, and companies like MIPS will definitely have to be taken down!

After Ni Guangnan and Huang Lingyi finished talking with Li Dongling, they left directly. Their minds were all on research and development. If it weren't for Li Dongling coming over today, they would definitely still be buried in the laboratory at this moment and wouldn't waste any time at all.

After the two left, Li Dongling looked at Wu Xinyi, "Thank you for your hard work here at Dongxin Semiconductor!"

Hearing this, even a veteran of the industry like Wu Xinyi couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart. Being the head of Dongxin Semiconductor is not an easy job; he is essentially catching flak from both sides.

Dongling Gao Ke is constantly urging Dongxin Semiconductor to develop the various chips it needs, while Ni Guangnan wants to develop computer chips. He has to coordinate the relationship between the two sides and is also responsible for raising funds. All the internal and external affairs of Dongxin Semiconductor are pressing down on him.

"These are all things I should do!" Wu Xinyi said.

Li Dongling nodded. He didn't feed Wu Xinyi any "poisonous chicken soup." Having seen big storms and waves, Wu Xinyi wouldn't buy into that. Back then, the promises made at Huajing were even bigger than Li Dongling's, but in the end, it was still a mess, causing people like Wu Xinyi to leave one after another.

"You still need to be more patient with Academician Ni and Professor Huang. In addition, for other projects, mainly the Little Smart phone chip, it must be successfully developed this year; we cannot delay this year's R&D and sales!"

Li Dongling looked at Wu Xinyi and said. Hearing this, Wu Xinyi felt a bit helpless; he knew this was not an easy job, but he could only grit his teeth and agree.

"This year, your salary and benefits will be on par with department managers at the Dongling Gao Ke headquarters, and you will be eligible for bonuses, year-end bonuses, and so on!"

Wu Xinyi, who had just been looking worried, couldn't help but show joy upon hearing this, which he couldn't hide even if he wanted to.

Dongxin Semiconductor, which is still losing money, is destined to be incomparable to the Dongling Gao Ke headquarters in the short term. Giving Wu Xinyi the same treatment as Ren Yuefeng, Hu Zixian, Zhang Ao, and others meant that in the future, he would be able to receive equity rewards from Dongxin Semiconductor, and with his annual salary plus bonuses, he could earn over one million RMB per year!

With such salary and benefits, what is working like an ox or a horse? Wu Xinyi no longer had any dissatisfaction. If he didn't do this much work, he would feel he was letting down the bonus Li Dongling was giving him!

"Mr. Li, rest assured, I will definitely guarantee that the Little Smart phone chip will be successfully developed this year!" Wu Xinyi made a military pledge to Li Dongling.

After handling these matters, Li Dongling prepared to leave. This time, Li Dongling came mainly to reward the Sirius project team and distribute another bonus, and also to meet with tech titans like Huang Lingyi. With them around, the success rate of Dongxin Semiconductor's projects has increased several times over.

However, just as Li Dongling was about to leave, news suddenly came from the lithography machine side, which led Li Dongling to the top floor.

Dongxin Semiconductor's lithography machine project had always been in a state of secrecy and had not been publicized with great fanfare. Before entering the laboratory, there were security personnel and access controls. After passing through several checkpoints, he finally entered.

"Mr. Li!"

When Li Dongling went in, the three chief engineers in charge of Dongxin Semiconductor's lithography machine project—Zhou Shi, Zhang Shiying, and Wang Xia—were already waiting there.

Looking at the smiling Zhou Shi, Li Dongling couldn't help but say, "It seems Chief Engineer Zhou has good news to tell me!"

"It can be considered good news!"

Zhou Shi led Li Dongling directly into the laboratory, where many technicians wearing dust-free suits were constantly busy.

Looking at the machine that occupied a significant amount of space before his eyes, Li Dongling couldn't help but ask Zhou Shi, "You made it?!!"

"It's not yet a complete success, but it can indeed experimentally produce 450-nanometer chips!"

What was in front of Li Dongling was indeed a 450-nanometer lithography machine. Although it was still just a laboratory product and far inferior to Nikon's most advanced 250-nanometer lithography machine, it was still the most advanced lithography machine in the country. The production line that Shougang is currently introducing is only 700 nanometers.

This definitely counts as a pleasant surprise. Li Dongling really didn't expect that Zhou Shi and the others had actually pushed the lithography machine to 450 nanometers.

"However, many parts of this machine are purchased from abroad, especially from Japan. I'm afraid it will still take a long time before it can walk out of the laboratory!" Zhou Shi told Li Dongling the truth.

Laboratory products are, after all, experimental items. Performance, reliability, product yield, etc., are all issues. From walking out of the laboratory, the short ones might take half a year or a year, and the long ones could take several years.

"In any case, it has been developed, hasn't it?!" Li Dongling said to Zhou Shi and the others.

Emerging from Dongxin Semiconductor, the car drove toward the outside. Li Dongling let out a long breath, looking at the slightly old houses on both sides of the road, and looking into the distance, he could still see many fields.

Li Dongling didn't know if a high-tech chip industrial cluster would be born in this area where Dongxin Semiconductor is located in the future, with countless chip manufacturers and high-paid practitioners gathering here, making this the region with the highest technological content and the most expensive land in the provincial capital...

(End of chapter)