Scholar's Cultivation System Panel

Chapter 280 A major earthquake in the semiconductor industry

Well aware of the current situation facing the company, Peter Wen did not dare to hesitate in this matter. After finishing the conversation with Tonino, he immediately convened a high-level emergency meeting as CEO.

At the meeting, the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology's success in conquering the 7-nanometer extreme ultraviolet lithography machine was revealed.

Of course, this also includes the other party's extremely low defect rate.

To be a senior executive at ASML, one must know the lithography machine technology very well.

Know how difficult research is.

Therefore, when I heard that Xu Yun led the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology to conquer the 7-nanometer extreme ultraviolet lithography machine so quickly, I wondered if I had something wrong with my ears and heard it wrong.

After all, this news is really shocking.

Almost as soon as Peter Wen finished speaking, the people below started frowning and talking.

"This Xu Yun is called the most genius scientist in history, but it is impossible for him to violate the laws of the scientific community. Does the authenticity of the news need to be re-confirmed to clarify the matter?"

"I think this is the news that the other party deliberately released, just to make us worry and get into trouble."

"A two percent defect rate is simply impossible, and it would be a bad idea for me to remain skeptical of this news."

"I see that the other party has not announced this matter yet, so it is difficult to judge whether the news is true or false."

Peter Wen listened to everyone's answers, and couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart when he thought of the bloody and cruel facts.

He didn't want the news to be false.

Unfortunately, self-deception only makes you look stupid.

Reality can only be accepted.

But it should be said that he was not surprised by the performance of the company executives present.

Because I believe it would be difficult for anyone to accept it.

Wasn't it the same when he first heard it.

But now is not the time to complain, it is time to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

So in order to save time, he did not explain to everyone, but turned his attention to Tonino next to him.

"Just now Tonino took a flight back to the company headquarters from the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology. He also saw these news with his own eyes. Let him tell you about it next."

Tonino heard his boss push him out, and he knew the intention.

At this time, I will definitely not hesitate. The next second I straightened my body and said very seriously: "I know it is hard for everyone to believe this news, but what I want to say is that this is the fact. The company is in very danger right now. This situation requires everyone to work together." After saying this, sharp eyes swept across everyone's faces.

Tonino's authority in the company was unquestionable.

Now that even the boss is saying this, no one else dares to have any doubts or disbelief.

After all, Xu Yun is well-known, and it is not impossible to create miracles again in the field of lithography machines.

At the same time, they also know in their hearts that if the photolithography machine of the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology enters the market, its extremely low defect rate and low-cost high-end photoresist will indeed have a great impact on the company.

They are all senior executives of the company, and their own interests have long been bound to those of the company.

You definitely don’t want your company’s business to be robbed.

People who were still questioning at first became worried in the blink of an eye.

After thinking for a moment, he took the initiative to ask Tonino about the method.

"The other party has conquered the 7nm process lithography machine and already has the means to compete with us on an equal footing. What should we do next?"

"Professor Tonino, is our current situation very dangerous?"

"Boss, we must make a decision as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Peter Wen still did not speak, choosing to give the right to speak to Tonino and let him speak on his behalf.

Tonino also understood that now was not the time to be indecisive, and immediately expressed his views on the matter again.

"No need to panic, the situation is far from unsolvable."

"The best thing for companies under the current circumstances is to lift the previous sales restrictions and allow them to purchase our high-end lithography machines."

"Only in this way can we hope to make them give up research on photolithography machines."

"Otherwise, once they conquer the 5-nanometer or even 3-nanometer process extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, we ASML will lose our final advantage and become a victim of changes in the semiconductor field."

"I hope everyone here can understand the situation. It is no longer time for us to be the dominant one."

As Tonino finished speaking from the heart, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

No one thought that the empire that had stood in the semiconductor field for many years would be at risk of collapse in an instant.

It is true that technology succeeds and fails with technology.

In the past, ASML relied on its leading photolithography machine technology to become the world's largest semiconductor equipment manufacturing company.

Firmly control this area and form groups with other supply chain companies.

Nowadays, because technology has been surpassed by others, it seems a little weak.

At this moment, the company executives present in the conference room were also seriously considering the plan proposed by Tonino.

From the bottom of my heart, there is no problem selling high-end lithography machines to anyone. After all, having orders means that the company is booming.

The so-called restricted sale is also a decision made above.

They can only be forced to perform.

So even though they knew this was the best solution, some people still expressed their concerns.

"There is no problem with opening up sales, but will this cause dissatisfaction from above?"

"Professor Tonino, now the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology has conquered the 7nm process extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. Even if we open the sale of the 5nm extreme ultraviolet lithography machine to them, will they definitely give up further research?"

Tonino heard these words, and of course he understood that this worry was very reasonable.

If Xu Yun continues to research higher-tech lithography machines, it will be meaningless whether they let go of sales or not.

But what should we do?

Now that we are in a passive position, we can only use the available methods first.

With his mind running to this point, Tonino put his arms on the table and stared at the executive who asked the question. He answered with a serious expression: "We really can't be sure what choice the other party will make, but now we can only have a glimmer of hope." Do this."

In fact, he is quite optimistic about this plan in his heart.

It is true that the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology has conquered the 7-nanometer process lithography machine, but continued research still requires huge investment.

If you can directly purchase the most advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography machine by spending a lot of money and time, then even if you continue to research, it will definitely not be as intensive as this time.

This is equivalent to giving them a breathing space, and they can slowly make arrangements to resolve the crisis as much as possible.

Otherwise, according to Xu Yun's research and development speed this time, if they can conquer the 5-nanometer process lithography machine in one year, they will really have no way to survive.

"I understand Professor Tonino." The executive nodded immediately in response to Tonino's explanation and said, "Since the situation is out of control, we can't ask for anything more."

At this point in the meeting, everyone basically reached a consensus, and Peter Wen, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up.

"Restrict the sale of high-end lithography machines to them if the other party has not yet conquered the relevant technology."

"Now that they have their own high-end lithography machines, continuing to implement outdated regulations will only make us look stupid. I think the higher-ups don't want us to lose our right to speak in the semiconductor field."

As Peter Wen's words fell, it was equivalent to finalizing the matter.

Everyone else present also understood the meaning of the words, and naturally there would be no objections.

In particular, the senior executive in charge of related business immediately replied: "It's the boss. I'll handle this matter right away."

"go a head."

Peter Wen nodded to the other party, then leaned forward slightly, looked at everyone levelly, and said one last sentence.

"Then let us welcome this earthquake in the semiconductor field!"

At this point, ASML did not care about the reaction from the outside world. After the brief but extremely important meeting, it announced on the same day that it hoped to sell the most high-end extreme ultraviolet lithography machine to Loongson International in Shanghai. .

He even pointed out directly that he was willing to make concessions on the selling price and establish a stable and long-term cooperative relationship.

As we all know, ASML, as the world's most advanced semiconductor lithography equipment manufacturing company, will never worry about lack of orders.

Especially in recent years, with the development of science and technology, the market demand for high-end chips has been increasing, and wafer factories have begun to establish new factories to expand chip production capacity.

Naturally, more high-end lithography machines are needed.

Before this, Loongson International, which was headquartered in Shanghai, very much hoped to cooperate with ASML.

Buy a high-end photolithography machine.

But due to various reasons, it has never been achieved.

It is for this reason that the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology decided to develop its own high-end extreme ultraviolet lithography machine.

If ASML had been willing to sell from the beginning, there might not have been any projects that Xu Yun was responsible for.

It can only be said that it is this external pressure that has contributed to technological breakthroughs.

Now ASML has suddenly changed its style and wants to proactively sell high-end lithography machines to Loongson International.

And there is a sense of forced selling in it.

One can imagine what impact it will have on the outside world and the entire semiconductor industry.

And that's exactly what happened.

When relevant news spread through the Internet, the public's mind was suddenly filled with question marks.

Don't know what happened.

Overseas media, which were the first to learn the news, reported one after another, questioning ASML's decision.

Of course, ASML would not be so stupid as to announce the victory of the 7-nanometer lithography machine for the Institute of Optoelectronic Technology. In the face of media doubts, it chose to remain silent without any response.

It seems like they just did a small business thing, but the impact was huge.

——

Xu Jiang owns several foot-washing centers in Shenzhen City. When he is bored, he would go to a sauna to massage his feet.

On June 9, 2021, before half way in the morning, he asked a few friends to go to his store to have their feet pinched.

While lying on the bed enjoying the service, he casually took out his mobile phone and habitually checked his stock fund status.

As the owner of several foot washing centers, I definitely have some spare money on hand.

In addition, he was in charge of the family's finances, so he got involved in investment and financial management at the instigation of his friends.

At first, he was worried that his funds would be tied up. When the time came, it would be difficult to explain to his wife, so he simply invested hundreds of thousands. He chose the new energy sector that has been rapidly rising in recent years.

After all, a company like Ningde whose market value is soaring like a rocket is indeed very exciting to watch.

Originally, he was worried, thinking that such a high market value might be difficult to continue to rise and would usher in a decline. Especially after consulting friends in the industry, he learned that the domestic production of lithium batteries has far exceeded demand.

It won't be long before the market becomes saturated, which will usher in a series of problems.

There will definitely be a large number of new energy companies experiencing thunderstorms.

At that time, his investment had already suffered losses, and he didn't know whether to continue holding on or cut off the money and leave the market.

But when I think about how I could choose to admit defeat in the stock market when I have never lost money in foot cleaning business, I will be ridiculed by my friends if we discuss this in the future.

So he chose to continue holding it.

Of course, we all know the result. Deepin Technology's solid-state battery laboratory has conquered all-solid-state batteries, and made the cost price almost the same as traditional lithium batteries.

In the end, Ningde successfully obtained the solid-state battery authorization.

Because of this, when the entire new energy battery industry around the world is experiencing thunderstorms, Ningde is soaring higher and higher.

He gained a lot from his first foray into investment and financial management, which made him very happy. He usually brags about it when he meets friends, and feels that he has the potential to develop in this area.

To this end, he increased investment and chose the semiconductor field.

I believe that the domestic semiconductor industry will definitely develop in the future, replicating the outbreak of Ningde.

It is a pity that the semiconductor sector has been in a sluggish state due to the previous articles made by overseas giants such as Synskelton and other companies on EDA industrial software. The entire market is simply green and shocking.

But despite this, he developed an excellent habit of checking it every day.

At this time, the friends next to him saw Xu Jiang's behavior and couldn't help laughing and teasing him.

"I said, Lao Jiang, it depends on your investment. If it doesn't work, you should get out of the market as soon as possible."

"Our semiconductor industry is lagging too far behind. It is impossible to make major progress in a short period of time, not to mention that others will trick you from time to time. I am afraid you can only hold it for a long time and see what happens."

"Playing this thing makes my heart go on a roller coaster. I can't stand it."

Everyone hangs out in the same circle, and no one knows how Xu Jiang, a big boss, could possibly switch to finance.

The last time I made money was just luck.

It's not necessarily a good thing to really sink into this.

As friends, we sometimes give some advice, worrying that Xu Jiang's superiors have invested too much money.

After listening to the words of the friend next to him, Xu Jiang turned his head and answered with a simple smile.

"It's all about playing."

After saying that, he turned his attention to the phone screen again.

Perhaps the market was not very strong this week, and he didn't have much hope, so he just took a quick look and said it was over.

But his eyes widened in the next second.

A shocked expression appeared on his face, as if he was frozen.

A fat middle-aged man next to him noticed Xu Jiang's behavior and immediately asked: "What's wrong, Lao Jiang? Did he fall too much?"

I thought Xu Jiang was completely trapped, which was a bit hard to accept.

When Xu Jiang heard this, he slowly turned his head and replied still surprised: "The semiconductor I bought has reached its daily limit since the market opened today."

Although this sentence was spoken very slowly, others could still hear the excitement and joy that could not be concealed in the words.

"Lao Jiang, what did you say?"

"Has the price limit reached?"

Faced with such shocking news, the others ignored the massage and hurriedly gathered around Xu Jiang to watch.

Soon they discovered that it was not just the semiconductors Xu Jiang bought that quickly hit the limit at the opening, but the entire sector was in the red. Such an ugly scene made people wonder if there was a software error.

"What a really evil girl."

"I took a look at it yesterday, and it was clearly half-dead."

"Looking at such a strong momentum, it is estimated that it will continue to rise in the next few days. If I had known better, I would have bought some."

Compared with other people's comments, Xu Jiang was undoubtedly very happy at this time, and it can be said that he gained a lot of face.

"You have all seen this time, I am indeed talented."

He raised his gaze to look at a few people and boasted, and the frustration he felt for a while disappeared instantly.

Although it is difficult for others to believe this sentence, Xu Jiang's luck is so good.

When they play, they basically end up cutting off their bodies and leaving the field.

Just when everyone was envious of Xu Jiang's luck, the man at the end who had been resting with his eyes closed suddenly opened his eyes and thoughtfully talked about something he knew.

"correct."

"I seem to have seen an overseas news last night, saying that ASML, the world's top semiconductor equipment manufacturing company, offered to sell us high-end extreme ultraviolet lithography machines."

"Is this the reason why you don't want to tell me?"

For middle-aged men like them, they may not know much about such sophisticated things as semiconductors, but they still have market acumen. They quickly noticed the important information from this sentence and felt that this was probably not a simple news. So simple.

After hearing this, without saying anything more, they all took out their mobile phones and looked up the Internet.

And just as they guessed, Asmai's decision immediately caused an uproar after it was reported back to the country last night.

Not only did the semiconductor sector become popular across the board, countless netizens started heated discussions and were very curious.

After all, Xu Yun publicly stated in an interview with reporters a few months ago that the first domestic extreme ultraviolet lithography machine will be delivered this year. Seeing that the agreed time is getting closer, ASML suddenly showed a strong desire to sell high-end products. Lithography machine idea.

It’s hard not to relate.

Unfortunately, without knowing the other party's true intentions, the official media just reported the news normally.

I didn’t go into these in depth.

This leaves netizens to analyze and discuss on their own on each platform.

However, everyone holds the same view, that is, a good horse will never turn back to eat the grass.

I think there must be a conspiracy in this matter.

"You were indifferent to me back then, but today I have made it impossible for you to reach for it. Facts have proved that no matter how good someone else's home is, it is not as good as having it yourself."

"The weasel had no good intentions in sending New Year greetings to the rooster. He suddenly became so enthusiastic and there must be something wrong with him."

"I wonder why the semiconductor industry has changed as soon as I wake up. The sun has not even risen to the west."

"I hope Loongson International will not be fooled. Our own high-end lithography machine, Professor Xu, will soon be developed. There is no need to spend money to buy their products at this time."

"The other party's move is really sinister. Seeing that we were about to research it, they suddenly sold it again."

"It seems that our domestic extreme ultraviolet lithography machine will soon have good news, otherwise ASML would not have such a big change suddenly."

"Professor Xu, please give us some information. It's too painful to speculate like this."

But under these high-profile comments, some people also hold a more optimistic attitude.

I think this is a good thing for the domestic semiconductor industry.

It can successfully solve the problem of chip difficulty.

No more worrying about not being able to produce high-end chips.

"I think this is a good thing. With high-end lithography machines, our Kirin chips will be ready for mass production soon. After all, no one knows the progress of the research and development of domestic extreme ultraviolet lithography machines."

“I don’t think there is any impact on purchasing other people’s lithography machines and researching on your own projects.”

"If the price is right, I might consider buying it."

"Even if you make it yourself, it will cost a lot of money. It's better to just buy someone else's finished product."

As the saying goes, some people are happy and some are sad. While netizens are constantly discussing the impact of the popularity and causing changes in the industry, some people overseas are dissatisfied with ASML's approach.

"Who allowed them to do this and why we didn't get any information beforehand."

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

In the top office of the security building, Oakes did not hide his anger at the department heads in front of him.

Since the appearance of the door frame robot, they have become highly nervous, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

It even provided support to the Boston company, hoping that they could reproduce this kind of robot.

But several months have passed, and there has been no progress at all. Without detailed technology, there is no way to create a door frame robot as flexible and powerful as the one in the video.

This made him, the security chief, very frustrated.

Originally, they wanted to regain their lost face in the semiconductor field, and use semiconductor technology to make the other party recognize the gap, and prove from the side that they are still the most powerful.

In fact, this matter went very smoothly, especially with the help of EDA industrial software, which doubled the effect.

But just when he was waiting to see Xu Yun's trouble with the lithography machine, he was stabbed in the back by one of his own.

ASML ignored the regulations and sold high-end photolithography machines on its own.

However, everyone in this position is not a fool. If ASML is not sold sooner or later, there must be other reasons for taking risks at this time.

The head of the department, who stood silently in the office and received the superior's lecture, waited until Oaks stopped and then responded and expressed his opinion.

"Sir."

"I'm afraid this matter is not that simple. We should first understand the situation clearly with ASML."

Oakes was also angry for a moment after receiving the news, but then gradually calmed down and gave the other party affirmation.

"You're right."

As soon as he finished speaking, another person mentioned: "According to some of the information we have, Professor Tonino, the technology executive of ASML, went to the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology in the name of exchange in the past two days."

"Could what happened today have something to do with this?"

Listen to this sentence and think about it carefully. It is indeed worth thinking about.

Oaks paused for a few seconds and said in deep thought: "Leave this matter to you and get in touch with Asmai as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

The other party responded immediately after receiving the order.

After saying that, he turned around and walked outside, ready to complete this matter immediately.

In addition to Oaks, companies in the entire semiconductor industry chain were also puzzled. After seeing the news, they contacted ASML to inquire about the situation.

——

"Just now we contacted Mr. Peter Wen, the CEO of ASML, and the other person's answer was that everything they did was to avoid ASML being replaced."

At the Qualcomm headquarters in Liga Nifoa, CEO Anrenkov walked quickly towards the conference room, while the female secretary following him reported the situation.

Hearing this, Anlenkov suddenly stopped and turned around to look at the female secretary in front of him with a frown.

"Avoid Asmer being replaced?"

He doesn't understand who can replace it as the world's top semiconductor equipment company.

They even sold photolithography machines in violation of regulations.

But as soon as this idea appeared in his mind, he seemed to realize something.

Subconsciously blurted out: "Could it be that it is the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology..."

In his opinion, if anyone can pose a threat to ASML at this time, it is only the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology.

After all, Xu Yun has publicly stated that the first extreme ultraviolet lithography machine will be launched this year.

But he never believed that Xu Yun alone could bridge the technical gap and rapidly improve lithography machine technology.

Because of this, when Oaks proposed a counterattack plan, he agreed without hesitation and further set up various overlord clauses in chip sales to implement the plan.

Even if this led to multiple manufacturers issuing a joint statement stating that they would no longer purchase their chips, they didn't take it too seriously.

Because he knows very well that as long as he wants to use high-end chips, he must go back and cooperate with them.

But if the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology really conquers high-end lithography machines, then Kirin chips will return, and their high-end chips will lose their irreplaceable characteristics.

The company will lose this order completely.

His worry did not last long, and he saw the answer in the female secretary's eyes the next second.

"Yes boss."

"Mr. Peter Wen personally admitted that the other party has conquered the 7-nanometer process extreme ultraviolet lithography machine."

"And said that the entire semiconductor industry will usher in a major earthquake."

"Let's prepare early."

The female secretary spoke the news in a deep voice, causing Anrenkov's expression to freeze on her face.

Obviously the results far exceeded his expectations.

Although this news is too shocking, Anrenkov does not doubt its authenticity.

First of all, Peter Wen would never joke about this kind of thing, and ASML's actions also confirmed this news.

It can only be said that in this game in the semiconductor field, he lost to his own self-confidence and contempt for his enemies.

The whole person stood there in shock for a few seconds before hearing him slowly speak with sincere emotion.

"It seems that you have created another miracle. I really don't know whether it is good or bad for human civilization to have such a scientist."

"boss."

"What do we do next?"

At this time, the female secretary saw that her boss was a little distracted, and she couldn't help shouting softly.

Anlenkov was startled by these words and came back to his senses. He shook his head a little to clear out the chaotic thoughts, and then asked the secretary: "Are everyone in the conference room here?"

"The core leaders are already in place, and everyone is waiting for you to come over and hold an emergency meeting."

The female secretary replied.

After hearing this, Anlenkov no longer hesitated, and immediately took steps again to lead the female secretary towards the conference room.

To be able to sit in this position and manage such a huge company, he must have a big-picture perspective and strong psychological endurance.

Now that the matter has become a foregone conclusion, it makes no sense to regret or hold anyone responsible. The key is how to eliminate the impact of this matter as soon as possible to ensure the company's interests.

Soon he led the female secretary into the conference room and sat down at the main seat of the conference table.

Looking up, he could see that many people present had solemn expressions.

It is easy to understand that this situation occurs, after all, Asmai's decision this time was too unexpected and sudden.

It is difficult to estimate subsequent developments.

At this point, Anrenkov naturally won't show off.

Immediately afterwards, the truth of the matter was told.

"I want to announce a regrettable news here today. Just a few hours ago, ASML announced that it would liberalize the sale of high-end lithography machines."

"The reason is..."

"The Institute of Optoelectronics Technology has manufactured a 7-nanometer process lithography machine."

As Anlenkov's words fell, a commotion suddenly broke out in the conference room.

They speculated that something must have happened with ASML's abnormal behavior this time, but they did not expect that the Institute of Optoelectronics Technology had manufactured a high-end lithography machine.

Thinking of the fact that Kirin chips, which they had previously regarded as a strong rival, would be re-listed.

His brows frowned a little more unconsciously.

The entire conference room was silent for nearly two minutes before someone finally couldn't help but speak.

"We should have thought about the strength and level of this most talented scientist in history. Now it seems that it is very stupid to restrict the other party from purchasing our high-end chips."

"While the other party is still unable to mass produce Kirin chips in a short period of time, we must resume orders."

"If possible, we will even take the initiative to lower the price and use greater discounts in exchange for renewed cooperation from the other manufacturer."

"We must act as soon as possible. We cannot remain silent in this shock to the semiconductor industry."

Anrenkov had already made a decision in his mind. At this moment, he listened to all the opinions of other people present. Then he stood up and faced everyone and said: "Then take action as soon as possible according to these measures."

"Proactively abolish the previous high-end chip procurement regulations, contact previous cooperative manufacturers and try to re-cooperate."

"In addition, we will lower the price of our latest generation of high-end chips."

After several consecutive decisions were made, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately became oppressive and urgent.

Everyone understands the impact of this incident on the company, and naturally they do not dare to be careless.

This time, Anrenkov acted vigorously and resolutely. The urgently held high-level meeting of the company ended with just these few words.

Qualcomm soon became the second semiconductor giant to show goodwill to domestic manufacturers after ASML.

This was something I would never have dared to think about before.

But in this incident, who is the most worried about the semiconductor company in the supply chain?

That must be Neon's photoresist company.

After all, Xu Yun has long developed a new low-cost high-end photoresist. Now, with the addition of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, it is undoubtedly even more powerful and can easily open up the high-end photoresist market.

I recommend a new book about the transformation of the heroine. If you like it, you can read it.

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