novelslam Chapter 1382 Cooperation (5K)
Chapter 1382 Cooperation (5K)
Chapter 1382 Cooperation (5K)
Yike and Bingxin will face severe challenges in the foreseeable future, but this will not delay existing development plans.
Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Samsung have all responded strongly to the Yike system, and the semiconductor industry conference led by the US BIS has also been quietly held several times to conduct close discussions around the Oriental Yike system.
At the same time, Yike co-founder Yu Hong has arrived in Washington, waiting for consultations with several economic advisers from the White House, but to her surprise, such consultation meetings have been postponed again and again.
Yu Hongren was in Washington and could personally feel a certain atmosphere concerning Yi Ke. He also felt a certain entanglement after meeting lobbying chief Zhao Zhishan and some friends in Yi Ke's camp.
On December 12, Yu Hong, who had been waiting in Washington for a week, received a clear reply that Christmas was approaching and the store would not be opened for the time being until after the holiday.
Yu Hong also felt the festive atmosphere of Christmas in Washington, but it seemed that there was still a week left... This was probably some kind of difficult and tricky reaction that Yi Ke was unable to handle.
On December 12, she spoke with Fang Zhuo on the phone and briefly talked about the informal contacts in Washington and the still-hot sales of Yike products.
Just as the "world's first" brought a huge impact to Washington and the semiconductor industry, the impact of Mars 8.8 and Mars 8.8 Pro on consumers was equally huge, thereby boosting the sales of other products.
From last year to this year, Yike has invested a lot of energy in the field of smart home, which has won the favor of many consumers. The "Gaishi" tablet has become the second sales curve, followed by Yike's cross-field entry into laptops.
From the hotel room where Yu Hong was staying, she could see the shining Yike billboard on the street, and below she could vaguely see customers chatting in the Yike experience store.
She couldn’t help but say to her boss on the other end of the phone: “Our product is great. I wish we could keep improving.”
This has been the purpose that Yike has been practicing since its establishment. With the passage of time and the accumulation of products, it has changed from being ignored in the beginning to a business spirit created by Yike.
"Actually, I'm still quite optimistic." Fang Zhuo replied, and then smiled, "I just hope for one thing now."
Yu Hong looked out at the night view of the city in the distance and asked, "What?"
"I hope that I won't end up like Lee Kun-hee, who was hospitalized when he was very old, and was dragged out by you guys when something happened." Fang Zhuo said seriously.
Yu Hong couldn't help laughing. When Mr. Fang was interviewed by Bloomberg, his hidden malice and ridicule were quite obvious under the magnifying glass, but...
Almost no one criticized his demeanor, as if everyone thought that someone who once criticized a competitor under the spotlight should do such a thing.
"Okay, keep in touch. You can entertain your guests. I'm going to spend Christmas in Washington." Yu Hong glanced at the time and was about to end the call.
"Be careful, and run away if something goes wrong." Fang Zhuo did not forget to remind him, and then waited until the other party laughed and then there was only silence.
He shrugged, put down his phone, and continued to work in the office on the welcome ceremony for today's visitors.
The head of Yike took the guests seriously, and the guests also took this secret visit very seriously.
As AMD's first female CEO, Lisa Su has not received high praise. Although she has made several good decisions since joining AMD in 2012, no one thinks she can make a comeback after taking office as CEO this year.
The CEO of Intel, the biggest rival, has said directly that no matter how strong Su Zifeng's technical understanding and management skills are, she cannot pull AMD back from the edge of the cliff.
Indeed, AMD's current situation is already very bad, with its stock price falling to $2, and even this may not be the lowest.
How to get out of the predicament, or in other words, how to continue living, this is a big problem facing Su Zifeng.
After much thought, she decided to focus on improving the competitiveness of her products. However, AMD's partner GlobalFoundries' process technology performance has been poor from last year to this year, and it has become a burden to the cooperation.
At this time, Bingxin International, which has developed the world's first 16nm process, came into view.
Before this secret visit, Su Zifeng made a special call to Nvidia's head Huang Renxun to earnestly seek advice and discuss the risks faced by IceCore and Yike as well as the opportunities therein.
In the end, most of her ideas were supported by Huang Renxun, so she became more determined to fly to Shanghai.
As for why I believe in Huang Renxun’s judgment…
This is my cousin, and he speaks much more frankly than outsiders.
Su Zifeng was extremely low-key during her visit to Shanghai. She was led by her secretary to Yike 23. Before entering the office, the first thought that flashed through her mind was a recent review from Time magazine.
——This is a living business legend leader.
Ding.
The door of the president's office was opened by Liu Zonghong using his facial recognition.
Su Zifeng had just taken a step and hadn't yet greeted the head of Yi Ke when she heard mechanical sounds coming from both sides.
"Hello, President Su!"
Su Zifeng looked around in astonishment, and saw two robots standing on both sides like doormen, who were slowly bending down as they greeted her.
She made a "hmm" sound, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should respond to the robot or say hello to Mr. Fang first.
"Welcome, Mr. Su. Please take a seat." Fang Zhuo was very satisfied with the robot's performance and welcomed the head of AMD with a smile.
This time, Liu Zonghong closed the door and left without pouring tea or coffee.
"Boss Fang, is this the product that Yike is going to release? It's really..." Su Zifeng paused and commented, "Unique!"
"Haha, it's just an internal research and development project. I think it's quite interesting." Fang Zhuo said this and ordered, "Hey, Siri, pour me two cups of coffee."
The robot closer to Fang Zhuo slid in front of the automatic coffee machine, pressed a button, waited a moment, slowly took out the coffee cup, and slowly slid in front of Fang Zhuo.
Then it repeated the action once more.
Fang Zhuo first placed the coffee in front of Su Zifeng, and then took a sip of the second cup of coffee himself.
The robot's process took quite a long time, and some coffee even spilled out, but Su Zifeng watched it intently, even a little stunned.
If the greeting just now made her marvel, then the current execution almost made her jaw drop.
She held the coffee cup and said in shock: "This... Mr. Fang, you..."
"It's just a trick to tease the customers. If I move the coffee machine to another place, it will most likely not work. The current effect is the result of repeated execution and correction many times." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "It's just a bluff. After special optimization, it's still far from the effect we want."
Su Zifeng drank a few sips of coffee silently and said honestly, "I am really surprised... Will this be Yike's next blockbuster product?"
"It's hard to say. Well, I should say, most likely not. It's quite difficult. First of all, there must be a core that can understand our real requirements. If this core is not smart enough, the product will only become a specific toy." Fang Zhuo pondered for a moment, "Without an intelligent core, deep learning is impossible. Secondly, the fine perception of the external environment, such as vision, hearing, and touch, needs to be improved, otherwise more complex grasping, movement, and operation will not be possible."
He said this and then laughed, "Now this is just a big toy. To become a truly mature product requires progress in the overall system engineering."
Su Zifeng couldn't help but look back at the industrial-style robot and sighed, "Yes, keep improving."
"This robot is quite intimidating. I sent the video of it pouring coffee to Rubin of Android, and he almost jumped to our Yike on impulse." Fang Zhuo mentioned an interesting story.
Andy Rubin, the founder of Android, is an avid robot enthusiast and was amazed by the performance in the video.
If Fang Zhuo hadn't revealed that this was just a joke, he would have almost flown to Shencheng.
Su Zifeng's planned opening was completely disrupted by the Yike robot. She calmed herself down and congratulated Yike on its undisputed hit product.
"Mars 8.8 is really easy to use, and its achievements are something to be proud of," Su said, pulling out the latest version of Mars from her pocket. She added, "This is my compliment from a consumer's perspective."
"Thank you, Mr. Su, for being one of the 2636 million users of our Mars series." Fang Zhuo expressed his gratitude and gave the latest sales figures.
The sales figures of Mars 8.8 and Mars 8.8 Pro in the first month after the launch were 2636 million units. Now that there is only one week left before Christmas, perhaps the sales volume can exceed 3000 million units.
The title of the world's number one and the popularity driven by public opinion have helped the Mars series to break Yike's sales record every day since its release.
Su Zifeng suddenly heard the undisclosed sales of Yike, and envy suddenly surged in her heart. She murmured, "The best-selling mobile phone in history..."
Fang Zhuo heard this comment and corrected him: "No, Nokia 1100 sold more than 2003 million units from 2009 to 2.5. That is the best-selling mobile phone in history."
Su Zifeng glanced at Mr. Fang and re-evaluated: "The best-selling smartphone in history!"
"It is still the best-selling smartphone in the first month in history." Fang Zhuo added qualifiers. As long as there are enough qualifications, it will always be number one.
Su Zifeng listened to the confidence, ease, and teasing in these words, and could only say two words: "I admire you."
Fang Zhuo grinned: "Not bad."
Su Zifeng: “…”
She vaguely felt that Mr. Fang was a little different from what she had imagined. She thought that the Mr. Fang she met this time would be more strict and cold. Unexpectedly, well... it's hard to say.
"Mr. Su, when you came here, I thought you would go to Luzhou first." Fang Zhuo mentioned the secret visit from the other side.
Su Zifeng said directly: "Luzhou's technology and craftsmanship have been verified on Mars 8.8. If I can reach an agreement with Mr. Fang, I will be even more excited to go to Luzhou."
"Why not choose a station reporter?" Fang Zhuo raised a question that was indeed questionable.
Ever since Bingxin came up with 16nm, AMD has been one of the first manufacturers to inquire. Although Bingxin was launched ahead of schedule this time, there are still risks due to its location in mainland China. Moreover, Taiwan reporters have expressed their willingness to work overtime. Therefore, from last month to now, there are many manufacturers who are interested, but few have actually placed orders.
And the fact that Su Zifeng came here directly this time has undoubtedly expressed a certain attitude.
Su Zifeng gave an answer: "Because Yike has money, Mr. Fang is also willing to pay."
Fang Zhuo: "Well..."
He didn't expect that this answer was quite shallow.
"Our cooperation with GlobalFoundries has not been smooth, but we have signed an exclusive foundry agreement. If we change manufacturers now, we will need to pay at least $4 million." Su Zifeng did not try to be mysterious. "This money will be a huge obstacle for me to make a decision."
GlobalFoundries was originally spun off from AMD, and the two maintained exclusive cooperation, but GlobalFoundries' technology is so-so, and its 28nm process has the same solution problems as Samsung. After falling into the pit, it is eager to catch up, and its current 20nm reputation is not very good.
Also, Lisa Su only became CEO this year.
Fang Zhuo understood, unless... she could find a sponsor who was willing to pay.
What manufacturer is Taiji?
Can it pay to fill this hole?
No, it has no shortage of customers.
Can the ice core be dug out?
Or, is it possible to collaborate in a more complex way?
Fang Zhuo frowned slightly and then quickly relaxed his brows, saying with a smile, "Boss Su is a very honest person. Well, I have three questions."
Su Zifeng took a sip of coffee first, then listened attentively.
"Is the building for sale?" Fang Zhuo asked.
When Su Zifeng heard this unexpected question, she thought about it and gave an equally unexpected answer. She smiled bitterly and said, "It was sold last year, Mr. Fang, you're asking too late."
Fang Zhuo blinked and said, "Oh, I didn't pay attention to this."
He then asked, "Is ZEN for sale?"
Su Zifeng's expression changed slightly, and she shook her head firmly: "Mr. Fang, this is not for sale."
ZEN is the x86 processor core developed by AMD, and AMD hopes to make a comeback with it.
Fang Zhuo also took a sip of coffee before asking the last question: "Is the company for sale?"
Su Zifeng became more determined: "Mr. Fang, I won't sell it."
"Boss Su, let me give you a price. Listen to it." Fang Zhuo turned his thoughts and considered AMD's situation. He slowly spoke, "According to my idea..."
Su Zifeng interrupted, "Mr. Fang, no need to say more!"
"So determined?" Fang Zhuo said.
"I'm afraid you'll offer me a price that I can't refuse..." Su Zifeng said helplessly, "Besides, even if you offer, Yike won't be able to successfully acquire us. The SEC won't approve it."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be based on Yike. We can have more acquisition methods. If you don't mind, we can also dismember AMD. I can guarantee that you will have a great deal of independence and extremely abundant funds." Fang Zhuo said seriously.
Su Zifeng took a breath and suddenly felt quite pressured. She looked at Mr. Fang again and saw that his expression seemed much colder.
This is the world's number one president in my imagination.
Ambitious.
She stood up and stressed, "Mr. Fang, I'm not here to sell the company. If you keep talking like this, I'm afraid I'll have to end this visit early."
"Okay." Fang Zhuo sighed and said, "Then how can a small company with a market value of 20 billion US dollars make me pay 4 million US dollars to support it?"
AMD is now just a Karami with a share price of $2 and a market value of $20 billion.
Yi Ke and Bing Xin are facing changes. If there is nothing too attractive, he does not want to create trouble now. At most, he will let the MIGA fund buy some stocks for financial investment purposes.
"AMD can provide long-term cooperation," said Su Zifeng.
"Long-term cooperation?" Fang Zhuo asked with a smile, "How long? What if AMD is forced to terminate its cooperation with Bingxin?"
"If there are such force majeure factors, AMD will actively help lobby and speak for Yike and IceCore. Even if the cooperation has to end, AMD will be IceCore's last foreign partner." Su Zifeng said seriously, "We are very optimistic about IceCore's technology level at 16nm. In fact, if it can continue to evolve at this benchmark, it will be enough for many years."
No matter what, AMD must survive now.
Bingxin not only came up with 16nm, but the team led by Hu Zhengming and Liang Mengsong is also responsible for FinFET technology, and will inevitably continue to optimize FinFET.
Intel is about to launch the 14nm Core, and AMD's flagship product this year is still the 32nm eight-core FX-9590. The laptop version is slightly better, with the 28nm Kaveri-based quad-core 7600P.
This is a far cry from Intel!
Next year, in cooperation with GlobalFoundries, HKMG's 28nm process will be used, which is better than this year, but will be increasingly lagging behind its competitors.
Su Zifeng is really fed up with GlobalFoundries, but she just sold the building last year and it is still losing money this year. She can't easily tear up the foundry contract. IceCore has a strong technical team and Yike has sufficient funds. Both are now facing troubles...
If AMD builds a framework for deep cooperation at this time, it will be able to quickly improve its product strength.
As for the geopolitical risks, let AMD survive first, and then see how the Yike system mediates. If it can mediate for two years, it will be a profit.
If the cooperation is really terminated in a short period of time, at least the money for breach of contract with GlobalFoundries will be repaid, and we can talk about the next things slowly.
Su Zifeng has emphasized internally more than once that AMD must now focus on products and reduce financial leverage, and this is a change that the Yike system can bring about in a short period of time.
In addition, Yike now has its own notebooks, which is also a cooperative project.
As Mr. Fang said, AMD is just a company with a market value of 20 billion US dollars. While the bigwigs above are fighting each other, AMD should seize the opportunity to develop more.
Fang Zhuo touched his chin, it was quite interesting, AMD was selling buildings and factories, it had already become a giant company.
Su Zifeng looked into the eyes of Yike's boss and made a small request: "Mr. Fang, if possible, I really hope that China will also investigate Intel's monopoly."
Fang Zhuo was speechless: "Do you think the antitrust law is in our company?"
What is also...
He pulled the drawer open and continued, "To check the intel, why don't you just bring the investigation documents over? I have the bureau's official seal right here, just stamp it."
Su Zifeng pretended to stand up and was about to look at the official seal in the drawer.
Fang Zhuo: “…”
Your last name is also Su, so you are like this too, right?
He said unhappily: "If Intel has a monopoly, you can just report the problem directly. What's the point of telling me?"
Su Zifeng nodded seriously: "Mr. Fang, I understand."
Fang Zhuo: “…”
He looked at the head of AMD, making sure that she really didn't understand. Yi Ke only did things occasionally, and Intel was still cooperating with Yi Ke on baseband.
(End of this chapter)