Black technology starts from the steel suit

Chapter 197 Ambition in the Chip Field

"Mr. Tang, why did you come out in person? It's too polite..."

"Of course I have to go out to greet the distinguished guests, otherwise it would seem that I am too impolite." Tang Guoliang stretched out his hand enthusiastically: "Thank you very much. If it weren't for Professor Wang, we probably haven't represented you yet. The capabilities of seven-nanometer chips.”

"The kindness of saving your life is unforgettable. I won't say much about other imaginary things. I'm sure I'll do a good job for you today." Tang Guoliang rubbed the dark circles under his eyes His eyes, obviously these two days of overtime work, his boss is about to vomit blood.

"Then I'm looking forward to your good news." Even if Wang Feng said to Tang Guoliang, he also said to David Xiao.

"Mr. Tang, happy cooperation." David Xiao said to Tang Guoliang in fluent Mandarin.

"Pleasant to work with, happy to work with."

The factory is in full swing, not only the workers are very enthusiastic about work, but even the management is very enthusiastic about investing. There are two new factory buildings that are being built overtime.

"Thanks to you, Professor Wang, during this period of time we can be said to have received orders and received soft hands. Laymen all praise Huawei for being amazing, but in my opinion, it is your Huaneng battery that is amazing! Technology such as improved lithium batteries, all You got it out of me."

"It's all working together." Wang Feng didn't take the credit, but said with a smile, "Actually, you should be grateful to domestic consumers. No matter how good a product is, someone must pay for it."

"I heard that Huawei's mobile phone sales hit a new high this time, which shows that one is that our products are constantly getting better, and the other is that our consumers' awareness is constantly getting stronger."

"Consumers think they are just buying a domestic mobile phone, but in fact, they are supporting the entire mobile phone industry chain. Your SMIC, our Huaneng, and at least thousands of other domestic companies have all developed because of this."

"What you said is very profound." Tang Guoliang said, "This is the power of industrial clusters. When an industry rises, it drives the entire industry chain behind it. As the saying goes, one new trick can spread all over the world."

"Take Sweden as an example. It is nothing more than IKEA furniture, Scania heavy trucks, SKF bearings, Ericsson, Electrolux home appliances and other giants. This is the power of industrial clusters.”

Wang Feng shrugged, "There is also South Korea. Samsung itself accounts for more than 20.00% of South Korea's GDP. Some people think that it is a country disguised as a company, because they not only have their own shipyards, energy departments, banks, etc. And its own military factory."

"This sentence is correct, but it is also incorrect. Although Samsung has so many departments, there is always only one core department: Samsung Electronics. Without Samsung Electronics, it has lost its value." David Xiao added aside that as a member of Wall Street, he knows this all too well.

"Samsung Electronics is the pillar of their industry, and other industries are just side effects of this pillar industry. If Samsung Electronics does not exist, it will lose the value of investment."

"Oh, so it's like this..." As an outsider, Wang Feng naturally didn't understand this.

Wang Feng, Tang Guoliang, and David Xiao chatted all the way. The production line was still under intense preparation. Wang Feng and the others went to his office first.

David Xiao didn't go, he wanted to watch this for a while to taste the local delicacies.Several people made an appointment to meet again in the evening.

In the office, Tang Guoliang poured Wang Feng a cup of tea, and the two sat together.

"To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that our nanotechnology is not particularly mature, maybe the major IT giants have already smashed their orders in this period of time."

"Xiaomi's Mr. Lei has always wanted to make a chip of his own, but due to various reasons, he failed to realize his wish. It is rumored that Mr. Lei's capital chain is not good. Without money, naturally he cannot make chips."

"To be honest, this news has a certain truth. But it is not the main reason. With Mr. Lei's ability, even if they don't have enough money, it is still very easy to get some sponsors. So the fundamental reason is that We simply don’t have the ability to do foundry, and even after the design is finished, we still have to ask others to help with the foundry... From this perspective, it’s almost meaningless to design chips by ourselves.”

"Because in this way, if others want to get a card, you can still get a card very easily."

"The same reasoning applies not only to Mr. Lei, but also to the boss of the ov factory, Mr. Ma who wants to join the Taobao business, and Mr. Ma who wants to make a career on the PC side."

"They also talked to me, but they basically gave up later. Intel's 14nm chip seems to be losing ground in front of the 7nm Ryzen, but judging from the market's reflection, it is stabilizing the other side. .”

"Doesn't Intel have a 7nm process reserve? I don't think so. Maybe the 14nm process is more mature and the cost is lower, so they still choose to continue to cultivate at the 14nm node. But this does not mean that the other party has given up. The node of 7 nanometers has been reached."

"Even if we can make some achievements on the 14nm node, we can barely make it... But the technology is not as good as Ryzen, and the maturity and performance are not as good as Core, especially the cost is higher than the other party. … Where do we position ourselves in the market more appropriately?”

"Is it really just a matter of losing money and making money?" Tang Guoliang has been in this industry for more than 20 to [-] years, and he sees it very clearly.If you want to enter the industry, you must first understand your market position.Judging from the market positioning left to you by the two major manufacturers at present, the entry of computer chips into the market is basically to lose money and make money. First, build the brand, and other things cannot be considered. "

"Of course, it might not matter if they just lose money. After all, they still have some money. What they fear most is losing money without seeing any hope, and they still lose a lot of money!"

"Then according to what you said...Have these two talked to you again?" Wang Feng asked curiously: "Of course, if it's not convenient to say it, then don't say it."

"There is nothing to keep secret. Although the 7nm production line is still being debugged, there are quite a few people who are eyeing him. First of all, there is nothing to say about Huawei. The initial productivity must be given to them. After all They're still fighting."

"But besides Warwick, there are those people I just told you, who are about to move now...Of course, there are other people besides them, but those departments involve the principle of confidentiality...Of course, I don't mean you Not to be trusted, but I can't break the rules."

"As far as I know, the chips of some of the above have entered the design stage and completed the bidding. Of course, it is more likely to be hunting than bidding."

"The best way to expand is actually to acquire or poach people. They are probably buying horse bones with a lot of money... But this is also a good thing. The industrial chain is integrated, and the strength is gathered to enhance their competitiveness... Only in this way can they compete survived. Our strength here is still too weak."

"However, even if the chip is designed, it is still not enough. We need to be able to manufacture it, but it is a pity that our technology is not mature enough at present, and the grasp is not strong enough..."

"Of course, I'm definitely not raising prices from the ground up. After all, the above giants have given us a large part of the excess in the form of investment, as well as grants and policy incentives from relevant departments...so you don't have to worry."

The night slowly fell, and after receiving the call, Tang Guoliang put down the lunch box in his hand: "Professor Wang, please, let's go to the factory together to have a look. To be honest, I haven't been this excited for a long time."

"How much does it cost to tape out a seven-nanometer process chip?"

"Professor Wang, let me tell you this, the biggest one I have done so far is just a tape-out of 14nm process, only one time, and the cost is about 2 million!"

"This time the scale has almost increased tenfold, tenfold!"

"Mr. Tang, calm down. You have to have confidence in yourself. And isn't it just 20 billion... Well, I'm really nervous too." Wang Feng originally wanted to criticize, but after thinking about it, he decided to forget it. , This is indeed not a small sum of money.

……

If they can still face this tape-out calmly, then in the factory, the mood of most chip engineers at this moment can no longer be described as nervous: their current mood It's like a landmine that has been tightened tightly, and it doesn't know when it will explode.

Older engineers are better, at least they have tape-out experience: Although this time, both the value and scale, as well as the importance of the above have risen by more than one level, but everyone can still find a way to hold back. Take a look at the excitement in your heart and devote yourself to your work with all your heart.

The same cannot be said for young engineers. This is their first time participating in tape-out, and then they get involved in such a large project in a daze.

It is said that taping is a rite of passage for chip engineers entering the industry.

I have experienced the worry, entanglement, and uneasiness before tape-out.You will especially understand the state of mind of a mother who is about to give birth.Tang Si was looking forward to and fearing the B-ultrasound, but he was still nervous. The feeling of anticipation and worry was so complicated.

The joy of success after the tape-out of the chip is like seeing one's own child, a sense of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.So taping out is almost like having a baby.

However, if there are many chip tape-out experiences, this feeling will fade.This is limited to the first one or the one in which you feel more involved and deeply invested.Just like the old generation had seven or eight children, the later ones will not have as deep feelings as when the eldest was born.

Therefore, if you invest too much in your emotions, you will be easily hurt.However, the relationship between the chip and yourself without investing your own effort and emotional projection can also be very rusty, and this is a two-way street.

There is also a situation where there are hundreds of engineers with super-large chips, and each of them only participates in a small part of it.This kind of students who do not have such a direct sense of participation will feel proportionally reduced... But the inner pride is still unabated. This is the charm of big projects!
But, in any case, only tape out can turn your ideas and sweat into an actual part of this world, and participating in the actual operation of this world is the first step you should be proud of anyway.

Li Yihuan just graduated this year. After passing his thesis, he did not choose to continue his doctoral studies, but chose to enter the industry, so he was recommended here by his supervisor.

He thought he would hand over a 65nm chip for the first time, or better, a 28nm chip, which is already the best result. After all, most companies still consider cost when choosing. Once the 28nm chip tapeout fails, those small and medium-sized enterprises are estimated to go bankrupt.

Even large companies cannot withstand this kind of failure, so almost no one chooses the 14nm process.

But he didn't expect that his first year at work would be so exciting. Before he had time to give himself up to a design he didn't like, he participated in the "Goddess" party in a daze!

He still remembers the scene when Xiaomengxin followed his senior brothers and sisters to watch their first filming as a little guy who didn't understand anything: he couldn't remember the specific details, but he only remembered a very thrilling scene at that time:

The back-end company initially informed them of the die size they could use, but forgot to reduce the area of ​​the I/O Pad, and these Pads accounted for almost one-fifth of the available area.When those technicians discovered this problem, they were a little flustered, and sent an email to ask if they could change the design to make the FPGA Array smaller.

It is impossible for them to have the energy to redo, and they firmly denied it.Later, the other party still showed a strong professional demeanor, using CUP (circuit under pad), manual layout and other stunts in the gaps of the modules, and stuffed their FPGA into it.

He was very impressed by the engineers of the back-end company. I don’t know if they would complain and regret taking up this drudgery, and I don’t know if they have stayed up for many days and nights.That's what professionals do, take the job and get it done.Look easy, they just won't let you see their hard work.

There is no such thing as easy work in this world.The backend is fully delivered and samples will be collected and packaged in March next year. They also designed an adapter board between the samples and the VLSI test platform.

Senior brother and senior sister took time out to complete their doctoral dissertation and defense. They were really nervous at the time, because the funds were only enough for one tape-out, and failure meant that the Ph.D. was almost for nothing...Because they could not graduate, unless they found someone willing to sponsor them to do it again tape out.

Fortunately, all went well, and their chip finally worked.At the moment when the test data was successfully returned, everyone was not excited, only breathed a sigh of relief, and the whole person slumped on the chair, almost out of their bodies.

Thinking of this, he recalled a passage from a semiconductor senior in the NHK documentary "Autobiography of the Founding of Electronics": "Every time the chip tape goes out for two or three months, I feel very uneasy and can't sleep well. I always think about what will happen. There will be no problem, whatever is right is wrong.

When the chip came back, I pressed RESET for the first time, and my heart was extremely nervous. When RESET was released, it was a moment to distinguish between heaven and hell.The numbers of the logic analyzer were chaotic, and the mood fell into hell instantly, and no one wanted to talk.If everything is normal, it's like being in heaven, like the whole world is revolving around you, like I'm the king of the world. "

Looking at the familiar scene in front of him, he seemed to hear cheers, but it seemed to be a softly soothing voice... just like it was back then!
(End of this chapter)