Video Game Empire

Chapter 252: Fairchild Semiconductor

With the gradual maturity of computer-aided software, the design of digital (integrated circuits) is becoming simpler, and many design tasks can be automatically filled according to certain logic through computer software. ︾︾ǎn︾小︾ said, but in contrast, the design of simulation is more complicated, and even in later generations, it mainly relies on the manual design of engineers.

A graduate majoring in semiconductors, with two or three years of study practice, can start designing numbers. But if you want to design a good simulation, you can't become a talent without ten or eight years of hard work. And again, the numbers change very quickly. According to Moore's Law, the number of components contained on an integrated circuit doubles every 18-24 months. This law mainly refers to numbers.

Technologies like p, memory, etc., will be updated in one or two years, and will be completely eliminated in four or five years. In contrast, a good analog product can even have a life span of twenty or thirty years. For example, the audio operational amplifier n5532, since its introduction in the late 1970s, is still one of the most commonly used audio amplifiers until the 21st century. Almost 50% of multimedia speakers use n5532, with a life span of more than 30 years.

Compared with the digital industry, which needs to continuously update products and technologies to ensure competitiveness, simulation can be more leisurely and fresh. However, it is precisely the peculiarity of the ever-changing fierce competition in the digital field that allows a dark horse like Dongfang Electronics to rely on one or two new architectures to rapidly rise like a comet.

But this rise is only in the digital realm, the analog industry relies on the accumulation of time. If Dongfang Electronics only relies on its own investment, it will take a long time to improve. And make up for this shortcoming. The best way is to buy. Although Fairchild Semiconductor has declined, its heritage is still there. At least it still occupies a large market share in many segments such as discrete devices and amplifiers.

Li Xuan had collected a lot of information about Fairchild before. After careful analysis, he felt that it could be saved. The decline of Fairchild in the 1970s was mainly due to insufficient investment. The 1970s was the golden explosion period for memory, which was the rise of Intel, while Fairchild did not make any achievements.

At the end of the seventies, the processor also increasingly showed its importance. In another time and space, Intel relied on 4004, 8008, 8080, and 8086 to accumulate and grow all the way, and finally relied on the 86 series to dominate the world. And Fairchild also did nothing in this field, so the entire seventies were extremely lost for Fairchild.

After Schlumberger in France took over Fairchild. Immediately exposed the problem of laypeople leading experts, Fairchild's research and development focus began to shift to the field of artificial intelligence. Of course, if Fairchild can take advantage of the trend to enter the field of intelligent robots, the future development prospects are still bright. Since the 1980s, the internal production lines of large manufacturing enterprises have become more and more intelligent, and many positions that used to use workers have been replaced by robot equipment.

But Fairchild obviously failed to seize this opportunity. Instead, sales continued to decline because the front was too long. If Dongfang Electronics can successfully acquire Fairchild, Li Xuan will naturally not let it enter the digital field again. The Oriental Research Institute in his hands is good enough in this regard.

Fairchild's strengths are still in the field of analog semiconductors. Relying on the early accumulation, Fairchild can still be in the market segments such as discrete devices, amplifiers, and power supplies. There is still a lot of market share. If Li Xuan can invest a lot of money to recruit technical talents in related fields, there is still a chance to re-emerge in these market segments.

And Fairchild has a large number of patents and technologies in the hands. It is also of great significance to Dongfang Electronics. Fairchild is the first company in Silicon Valley to establish a professional integrated circuit production line. Dongfang Semiconductor Corporation, which is in charge of Zhang Zhongmou, has built a new wafer factory through acquisitions and by itself. It can quickly form production capacity, but there is still a big gap with Texas Instruments, Intel, B and other companies in terms of process innovation.

Now Dongfang Semiconductor has cooperated with Texas Instruments and b. Obtaining part of the technical authorization, but this is controlled by others, and Fairchild has strong reserves. Most integrated circuits now use os technology, which is characterized by high speed and high density. But it also has the shortage of high power, which brings a series of troubles such as power consumption and easy heat generation.

So from the 1980s, the new low-power os technology gradually replaced the os technology. The first to use os technology on the processor is the 80286 processor that Intel launched at the beginning of this year.

Li Xuan can make a golden finger in the design of the processor, but he can't do anything about the manufacturing process. For example, the s structure and technology were proposed as early as 1963, but it was not until 1982 that the real commercial application was realized by Intel. Every progress in craftsmanship requires countless sweat behind it, which is accumulated by countless experiments. In this regard, a newly established company like Dongfang Electronics suffers a lot.

Fortunately, Li Xuan relied on the r structure to block 86 in its infancy in advance. Now Intel readjusts its strategy, abandons the 86 architecture, and starts to switch to the rs camp, which has won a lot of time for the Eastern company. The reason why Li Xuan lifted the hostile relationship with b and instead resorted to cooperating was to obtain sufficient technical support from b.

In another time and space, it was Company B that first used the mature os process in the rs processor of its mainframe in 1984. Motorola launched a low-power s version of the 68000 in 1985 through a partnership with Hitachi. And Fairchild's research and development in os technology is also not behind. Li Xuan remembers that it also launched its own mature os technology in 1985.

And in addition to the os circuit, Fairchild also has a very strong technical reserve in the circuit. As early as 1978, Fairchild launched the mature third-generation as technology. In addition, Fairchild's chip packaging process can also bring many improvements to Dongfang Electronics.

It can be said that the acquisition of Fairchild will not only allow Dongfang Electronics Group to walk on both digital and analog legs in the semiconductor field, and its pace will be more stable, it can also quickly make up for Dongfang Semiconductor's shortcomings in chip production technology. To deal with the aggressive challenges in the near future, including rivals such as Intel Corporation.

"The acquisition of Fairchild, in addition to bringing us technical supplements, is also a huge boost to the company's reputation! This is Fairchild, the military academy of the American semiconductor industry! The acquisition of it will definitely make the 'East The name "Electronics Company" is imprinted in the minds of all electronic engineers in the United States!" Li Xuan said excitedly.

John Martin and Zhang Zhongmou nodded without hesitation. They both clearly understood the influence of the word "fairy boy".

"You are responsible for the acquisition plan, and Zhongmou is responsible for assisting! Although Fairchild will not be merged into Dongfang Semiconductor in the future, the two of you will definitely carry out in-depth cooperation in production technology in the future!" Li Xuanchao Han Peng and Zhang Zhongmou said. head.

Analog semiconductors are different from digital semiconductors~www.readwn.com~ Its production lines are mostly dedicated production lines. So, even three decades later, there is no trend toward separation of fabless design companies and foundries in the analog semiconductor world. Therefore, merging the dedicated fab of Fairchild Semiconductor into Dongfang Semiconductor will not bring much improvement in efficiency.

"At that time, the French company acquired Fairchild Semiconductor from Fairchild Photographic Equipment Company in New York. The acquisition consultants of the two parties were Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs! So these two companies should be familiar with Fairchild Semiconductor, and we can use them to communicate with the French company. communicate!

An M&A project of hundreds of millions of dollars, a listing project of hundreds of millions of dollars, I believe this is enough to attract these dǐng-level investment banks on Wall Street to try their best to win it! "Li Xuan said with a smile.

Although he has no intention to package the two projects, as long as the two news are released together, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and other companies will pay more attention. And the more intense the competition between them, the more relaxed the conditions given to the Eastern Group. For example, in the rate of contracting projects, each drop is a difference of several million dollars! (To be continued..)

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