Chapter 113 - 109: We Build It Ourselves _1

Speaking of XW151, its creation was actually fraught with difficulties.

First, XW151 is a ternary system, so it requires ternary chips to operate.

The foundational technology of XW151 was derived from imitating the SC09, which pairs with the X32035 chip.

In this parallel world, the ternary states used are not 0, 1, 2, but -1, 0, 1, also known as balanced ternary.

The advantage of this is that it uses fewer components, is more efficient, has a stable structure, and produces less heat. However, there is a clear problem: modern diodes, the basic elements of chips, cannot represent three states since a single diode cannot indicate three states.

The reason B-level Base uses silicon carbide chips is due to relying on the states of compounds to create this -1, which ordinary silicon wafers can’t achieve.

To address this issue, the microelectronics engineers at New Yuan finally came up with a solution: still use diodes, but consider two diodes as one basic unit to represent three states.

One diode can represent "0" "1" two states by being switched on or off in a circuit, while two diodes can represent "00" "11" "01" "10" four states. Engineers artificially defined both "01" and "10" as the third state, making these two diodes suitable as basic elements of a ternary system.

Although twice as many components are used compared to binary systems, it is not cumbersome because ternary systems are more efficient, and ultimately, the number of transistors used is roughly the same.

Among various numeral systems, theoretically, the base e system is the most efficient, where e is the irrational number commonly approximated as 2.71828 in mathematics.

Obviously, humans can’t create computers with 2.71828 bases.

But the closer to this number, the higher the efficiency, which is also the reason why some keep advocating for ternary systems.

Microelectronics engineers simplified (castrated) the X321 series chips from the X32035, based on the diode to simulate a ternary operation.

X32035 was too versatile, capable of performing AI computations, and could be used to build supercomputers. For the X321 series, which was solely used for car systems, it was an extravagance.

The 321 series eliminated nearly 70% of its components, retaining only AI calculations and dual-channel parallel processing. However, since it was constructed using a diode simulation, it only reduced in volume by 10%, with a rated power of 125W.

By the year suffix, the first batch of X321-2015 chips (simply referred to as the 32115 chip) produced on the 28 nm production line by SinoCore International was scheduled to start manufacturing in November, with the average cost of contract manufacturing being around 2700 yuan per piece. While expensive, it was still acceptable for automobiles.

TSMC might be cheaper due to its yield rate and production line advantages, but after all, there is support for national products~

However, the XW151Fs used in these agricultural machines are still the precious X32035s, which are now in great demand.

After discovering that X32035 could be used to build supercomputers and SC09’s powerful AI logic, New Yuan began to design its own supercomputer.

Temporarily named "Stellar One," the supercomputer plans to use 3700 out of the 4178 X32035 chips, achieving a peak operating speed of 36 quintillion operations per second and a sustained operating speed of 29 quintillion operations per second.

However, it still needs to wait until December to complete because to maximize the power of this supercomputer, customized storage chips and memory particles that use diodes to simulate ternary needed to be produced, which was tasked to Modu Huahong Semiconductor.

The peak operating speed of Stellar One is seven times that of Tianhe-2, which used a whopping 32,000 CPUs, fifteen times the count of Stellar One.

This is the power of mature ternary chips combined with ternary architecture, drastically increasing efficiency over binary systems.

After watching the cornfield harvest for half a day, Lin Ju got into his CS75.

It was the same car as before but it had been significantly modified by the engineers. Except for the powertrain, which was from Southern Automobile, all other electronic equipment had been replaced, and more importantly, it inherited a specialized version of SC09.

Not the doubly castrated XW151, but the unaltered original SC09 spaceship intelligent control system!

Now, this CS75 has an added titanium alloy reinforcement frame, integrates sensors worth over a million in value, and has half the space of the trunk next to the rear seats sealed off to install control system components and cooling.

The specially optimized SC09 has now become Lin Ju’s driving assistant "Xiaoxin," resulting in an intelligent car that blends old and new.

After getting in the car, Lin Ju loosely held the steering wheel to avoid electronic capture then directly said:

"Xiaoxin, take me to the Aviation Power Department."

"Received, the route has been planned and we are now departing."

Still using the neutral voice package, the car shuddered gently, starting with the silkiness almost uncharacteristic of a gas vehicle, and headed towards the base.

...

Lin Ju had originally wanted to check on the progress of two aviation engines, but he ended up being blocked by Androff.

"Boss, we have a problem to solve."

"What problem?"

Lin Ju asked warily, as Androff always had a way of drawing him in, and, frustratingly, he would willingly bite every time. He feared that his finally replenished wallet was about to be emptied once again by this Russian.

"The transportation issue for New Yuan No. 3. Its core stage is 11 meters in diameter, the first stage is 77 meters long, and its empty weight is 105 tons. Except for barely transporting it on the largest Antonov An-225, no other aircraft can carry it by air."

"But it could be shipped by sea or river, right? That shouldn’t be a problem for waterways."

Androff looked at Lin Ju with shocked eyes:

"The Forward Space Station requires 16 launches of New Yuan No. 3. If we use waterways, it will take over a year just for the shipping time, not to mention that preparing New Yuan No. 3 would take at least a month. Water transport is definitely not fast enough."

"..."

Headache~>_<~

Buy an An-225? The Antonov factory wasn’t willing to sell it last life even after they blew it up, so how could it be easy to purchase now?

Despite claims that the An-225 is too large and unnecessary, how could a giant aircraft, capable of transporting 250 tons of cargo and featuring a 6.4-meter-wide, 4.3-meter-high cargo bay, be unused?

Right now, the An-225 is still taking cargo orders every day. It’s expensive, yet it has a backlog of orders because of its unique capabilities.

Some oversized cargos really do require air transport, and the An-225 is the only aircraft capable of handling them.

Why would Antonov part with such a cash cow? The only way is if they asked for an astronomical price, but Lin Ju refused to be taken advantage of.

But the creation of the Forward definitely requires fast transport, the wait for sea transportation is far too long.

"Can’t New Yuan-2A handle it? Its low Earth orbit payload capacity is also over 100 tons?"

"Boss, some of the sections are 12 meters in diameter, New Yuan-2A with a 6-meter diameter simply won’t do."

"So what do you suggest? Should we just build another rocket launch site at New Yuan... That won’t work either, damn~ why am I not from Qiongzhou? It’d be so much better to just walk out and launch."

Lin Ju truly couldn’t think of a solution. Launching such a giant rocket in the interior or next to a big city was definitely not feasible, especially not frequent launches; he’d probably get the old men and women blocking the spillways in protest.

If there’s really no other option, should he spend more money to build another base in Qiongzhou? Money is a small matter, but what about the New Yuan base? That’s such a waste, and moreover, very time-consuming.

At that moment, Androff, seeing Lin Ju aggravated to the extreme, finally spoke up:

"Boss, how about we build a giant transport plane? I’ll design it."

"Us? You?"

"I majored in aerodynamics, boss. You just need to invest a little, promote me to B+ and then upgrade me to a B-level aviation engine engineer. Handling a big aircraft of the An-225 level is no problem. You have to believe in our power."