Tech Hammer

Ning Wei feels that February in Beijing has a melancholy temperament. Although he does not understand literature and is not very good at using words to describe that feeling, he must describe it as the sky is always neither cloudy nor sunny, it never rains, and the sun is often invisible, and it is the same today.

But then again, as long as you are in a good mood, every day is actually a sunny day.

Ning Wei was in a good mood as he headed to China's Frontier Intelligent R\u0026D Center. High efficiency can bring high results. Let’s not talk about the high economic benefits that the 65nm process chip technology can create. In fact, from the perspective of making profits, there is not much need to upgrade the process now.

In fact, in Ning Wei's view, once the industry starts to quantify production, it is not the most advanced that is the best, but the most suitable. For example, now, if we want to use the three-dimensional structure of CNMD as a basis to design large-scale integrated circuits such as CPUs and GPUs, it will take at least one year of research and development and experience accumulation before we can truly launch a universal chip that fully owns our own intellectual property rights. .

Therefore, there is no need to rush to improve the technology. After all, the current technology is sufficient for radio frequency or other chips with relatively single functions. If you can reach world-class level, you already have enough competitiveness. If you rashly improve the technology, both the equipment cost and the yield rate will drop significantly. From the perspective of cost control, there is really no need to worry too much.

But then again, it would be good to make things first and verify that this process can indeed be successful. If we can really make a 65nm node chip in March in these two days, it will at least scare people. Thinking about it carefully, Ning Wei even thought it was a fun thing. Think about it, everyone will be attending the Wolf Prize Award Ceremony in two days, and they will definitely have to meet and communicate with each other by then.

At that time, everyone can talk about the weather, and then talk about the future. When it comes to technical matters, Ningwei can naturally take out the latest chips with improved manufacturing processes and show them to the big guys, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages. He also emphasized how diligent and hard-working the China Frontier Intelligent R\u0026D Center is. Many people worked without sleep for nearly a month, and finally used their own hands to polish the 180nm process chip to 65nm!

Then I can express my emotion, this is the victory of unity, this is the victory of struggle!

I just don’t know what kind of expressions the big guys will have on their faces at that time. When I think about it occasionally, Ning Wei feels that she is still looking forward to it.

Really, when he was at Jiangnan University, Dean Kong once told him that in the process of climbing to the top, he should not pay attention to any stumbling blocks. If he takes a second look, he will lose. But Dean Kong didn't tell him that the threshold of excitement was also constantly increasing during this process.

For example, when he gave a report at the STOC Computer Conference, it was very satisfying to see the people in the audience who seemed to want to understand, but could never keep up with him. Later, when countless people on Facebook complained about his misunderstanding of the boundaries between computer algorithms and mathematical theories, I felt even more comfortable. It was actually a pleasant thing to let these future big names in the computer algorithm field know in advance the dangers of mathematicians. .

But when I went to give a report at the Computer Algorithm Conference for the second time, even though a group of people sacrificed their vacations and were tortured by his paper until their career progressed, and even won the conference's best paper award in the end, it was not as good as the first time. A feeling of excitement.

Now, almost all the Internet is researching nanomaterials, microelectronic structures, chip design, etc., and a group of professionals are madly complaining about his CNMD technology. Even judging from the speeches on those professional forums, many related first-class university majors and research in China Because of the release of this new structure chip, graduate students and doctoral students in the institution are forced to decide on their own or choose to change the topic and start from scratch when the paper is already halfway done...

There is no way. The technological breakthrough means that their previous research topics have lost their novelty or practicality at least in China. Of course they can continue to work on it, but the graduation thesis is research on something that is already destined to fall behind. This graduation Where to go after that?

Most people who can get a master's degree or a doctor's degree have a clear understanding of their future. It is naturally the most cost-effective to change the direction and study for two more years to get a better future, but complaining and complaining on the Internet is certain. As for those who are employed or are applying for related projects, it is even worse, and the complaints are naturally more severe. Really, it’s really frustrating to feel like you’ve learned knowledge for a long time and then find out that it may not be of much use in the future.

In fact, Ning Wei has seen a lot of these complaints, but has not had many feelings. In other words, these complaints on the Internet have completely failed to arouse his mood, and there is not much complacency behind his back. What can make him excited now is probably looking at the expressions of the big guys.

So the next task is very heavy. Fortunately, there are a few more engineers to help this time. As long as everyone is willing to work hard, there should be enough time. After all, the drawings had been prepared in March, and the main body of the equipment had not changed much. There were just a few key parts that needed to be replaced, which required skilled people to disassemble and assemble the machinery. Whether the replacement of parts is troublesome or not, the most important thing is the subsequent re-commissioning of the equipment, which mainly depends on luck.

If you are lucky, you will be able to successfully debug it quickly. If you are not lucky, it may take some time.

Fortunately, there are three months left, so the test run process can be compressed to the shortest time, which can save a lot of time.

Soon Ning Wei arrived at the China Frontier Artificial Intelligence R\u0026D Center. Engineer Lu was already waiting for him in the laboratory with engineers and technicians from the manufacturer. Ning Wei didn't waste any time. After a brief exchange of greetings, he took a few engineers and started messing around.

This is a very tedious job. After all, it is not the same as dismantling other things. Fortunately, Ning Wei directly called up the drawings given in March. The various spare parts brought by these engineers were not only abundant, but also high in accuracy. It is said that it has indeed reached the standard. In addition, the engineers and technicians sent by the manufacturer are all serious backbone members, and everyone has strong practical skills.

In this way, several people worked continuously for about seventeen or eight hours, and the equipment was finally installed in place according to the drawings given in March.

In fact, this efficiency far exceeded Ning Wei's expectations. He originally thought that the work should be completed in three to five hours. Of course, this cannot be blamed on the engineers and technicians of these manufacturers. It is purely because as a science major. Students, Ning Wei imagined the whole project too simple. This is probably the legendary saying that it is easy to talk but difficult to do.

Even if it is just a simple assembly of parts, under the high precision requirements, there will always be some minor troubles. Engineers were required to solve the problem on site, and even spent three months in the process, in order to provide a reasonable solution as quickly as possible. As for Ningwei, who had previously estimated that he would complete the disassembly and assembly process in three to five hours, it was a good thing he didn't say it directly, otherwise he might directly invite on-site PK by engineering dogs.

Really, it is not unreasonable to have a difference between science and engineering. It is like the difference between studying theory and doing application. Mathematicians and physical theorists have theoretically proven the existence of high-dimensional space, but for those physicists who spend every day in the laboratory and work at the higher-end CERN research center, they want to find the existence of high-dimensional space. direct evidence, or it is still impossible to directly observe high-dimensional space.

This is also the difference between Ning Wei and these engineers. His hands-on ability is not very strong, but his mental ability is very strong. It is obvious that it is faster to use your brain than your hands. However, Ningwei decided to make up for this in March. The supporting laboratory has not been built yet, and the robotic arm on the clean room operating table can only be used reluctantly.

After the supporting laboratories are completed and the high-precision digital machine tools are all debugged and ready for use, Ning Wei will prepare to help March build a more reliable and precise intelligent robotic arm according to the composition given by March. At that time, there was really no need to be so busy manually. All he had to do was make the stent and let Sanyue operate it. At that time, he could calmly cheer for the little girl he cultivated.

Of course, there are advantages to not being able to help. When engineers are busy, Ning Wei can still have a good sleep. So when the debugging started, Ning Wei was very energetic.

The only worry is that it took nearly a day just to replace parts of the equipment. If the debugging does not go smoothly, it will not be possible to produce higher-precision chip samples in March on the day of receiving the award.

Fortunately, the goddess of luck was finally on his side this time. Of course, it could also be March's blessing. After all, March is definitely an expert in debugging. If there is any small problem, we can find the crux of the problem as quickly as possible and provide a solution. In this way, it only took more than three hours to complete the debugging.

Seeing that the machine was running normally, the engineers and technicians from the manufacturer accepted Ning Wei's repeated thanks and a red envelope each after working for a whole day, and then went to the hotel to rest, while Ning Wei started to put on the machine again. Wear dustproof clothes and get busy in the clean room.

There are not many places that require his hands-on work. In fact, even in Intel's dust-free workshop, there are not many places where people really need to operate. In particular, the clean room here also has a robotic arm and a conveyor system specially designed for March. Ningwei's most important job is actually to test the purity of materials and whether various indicators meet the standards in the following two laboratories, and Upload the collected data into the database.

And Ningwei couldn't stay in the laboratory today. Although the awards ceremony won't start until tomorrow night, many big names have already arrived in China today. Although these big guys all pretended to attend the Wolf Award Ceremony, as hosts, everyone knows what these big guys are thinking. There is even an old saying in China that describes this mentality very accurately. The drunkard's intention is not there. Wine...

So I would rather show up and accompany a guest.

Chinese people pay attention to face, advocating courtesy before fighting. Even if the relationship between us is very ordinary or even conflicting, since we are guests from afar, we must first smile and ask why we are here.

So in the afternoon, Ning Wei was summoned to school by Tian Yanzhen as soon as he came out of the laboratory. Because the Apple resource allocation master who previously claimed that he may not be able to arrange the time has already arrived at Yanbei University first.

Tim Cook’s schedule was very low-key this time, and Yanbei University was not even notified in advance. It was not until the big boss’s special plane arrived at the Beijing International Airport that Apple Huaxia notified the school of the big boss’s itinerary. It is said that after attending the Wolf Prize Award Ceremony tomorrow night, the Apple boss will go to the next stop to inspect Apple's foundry in China the next day.

Of course, the main purpose of this visit is also to re-examine Apple's supply chain in China, and to talk to several well-known battery manufacturers in China about the battery supply chain issues of Apple's car-building plan. Really, this reason feels perfect. Because it is a certainty that Apple will build a car this year. Although he highly doubts whether mass production can be achieved according to the drawings given in March, it is obviously not a big problem in Tim Cook's opinion.

So Ning Wei actually wanted to communicate with this big boss, mainly to ask him what he thought. It dares to make such big concessions for the technology of non-mass production models. As for whether he would offend anyone, he never thought about it, because Ning Wei firmly believed that because of his handsomeness and cuteness, everyone would definitely forgive him.

This expression is a bit shameless, and can also be understood as breaking the pot. There are many people who are unhappy with him, so he doesn't care whether he offends others, since he is almost done offending them anyway. I'm not sure whether a guy who never offends anyone is a good person, but generally speaking he doesn't have much ability.

For example, Senior Brother Yu, who is slippery and smooth, is said to have offended all the friends in the laboratory. Now that he has returned to Jiangnan University to work on his graduation thesis, he has been ridiculed by those senior brothers and sisters every day. It is said that he can hardly hold his head up. , Fortunately, Ningwei doesn't have such worries. Although he has almost offended many people, but relying on the tutor's preference and his mathematical attainments, he can basically walk sideways in the mathematics research center, and no one dares to offend him.

This also made Ning Wei have a good impression of Yanbei Mathematics Research Center. Today, he also met the leader of the largest company in the universe for the first time in this home stadium that made him full of good feelings.

Tim Cook's first impression of Ning Wei was that he didn't look too old. According to public information, Tim Cook is 62 years old, more than ten years older than Lao Ning, but he seems to be about the same age as Lao Ning. Of course, it may be that Lao Ning is older.

"Mr. Cook, it's a great honor. I would like to welcome you on my own behalf!" Ning Wei greeted Ning Wei sincerely upon meeting him.

The sincere reason is that at least Apple is considered the first batch of players to surrender, which also helped the March Smart Platform share a lot of pressure during the initial construction and promotion. Otherwise, if we are really suppressed by the big Western companies, we may not be afraid, but we will be in a lot of troubles.

It's just that this sincerity is a bit surprising, mainly because no Chinese people he met before today greeted him like this. Many times, everyone will welcome him on behalf of the Chinese people, rather than on behalf of individuals.

If Ning Wei were to know Tim Cook's inner thoughts at this time, he might be very considerate in reminding the boss that those people are not sincere enough, because generally speaking, no one can represent such a large group.

But Mr. Cook didn't even twitch the corner of his mouth, he just wore a warm smile, looked at Ning Wei and said, "I am also very honored to be invited to attend this award ceremony and to witness a mathematician who represents the times win. He deserves the award he deserves!"

Look, Ning Wei thinks this is the demeanor a boss should have, and maybe secretly he is thinking about how to strangle him to death, but his expression and words can make people feel like spring breeze. He felt that he was still unable to achieve this kind of cultivation, probably because he really lacked years of polishing.

"Thank you, Mr. Cook, why don't you come and sit in my office." After a brief greeting, Ning Wei made an invitation gesture.

"It's an honor." Cook smiled and followed Ning Wei into his office, and was shocked immediately.

How to put it this way, either Ning Wei's office is very simple, or it is hard to imagine that the young scientist who has been called the father of strong artificial intelligence by many people in the industry would work in an environment where he can't see any modern electronic industry products.

It doesn't seem accurate to say that, because there is an electronic keyboard behind the office door. In addition, there are two sofas for guests, an ordinary office desk and chair, and a filing cabinet against the wall. There were many paper documents piled up in a mess, as well as several large notebooks and a pen holder. Ning's mother was actually to blame for such a mess. She was inseparable from classmate Xiao Jiang every day, leaving Jiang Chenshuang without much time to help Ning Wei clean up.

Of course, Ning Wei doesn't actually think his desk is messy. Anyway, for him, as long as he can see it at a glance when he needs something, it's considered clean and tidy. If the arrangement is still visible, it is simply a pure land on earth. And it can't be said that he doesn't usually use modern equipment. It's just that he just rushed back from the laboratory and had to meet the big boss as soon as he got off the car, so he threw the notebook in the car without taking it down.

So Ning Wei probably didn't expect that this scene gave Tim Cook an illusion. Could it be that this guy's program was written on a notebook with pen and paper?

"Sit down, you're welcome. What do you want to drink? Tea or coffee? Um..." As soon as he finished his habitual polite words, Ning Wei paused subconsciously, and then he remembered that he didn't have any of these things in his office. , he can always immerse himself in it quickly when he needs to focus, so he doesn't need caffeine to refresh himself. Naturally, there are no such drinks. There is a water dispenser, but it can only provide boiled water.

The key is that he usually doesn't have many customers, so there seem to be only two cups in the office, one is his and the other is Jiang's. Obviously, neither of them can be used by this old gentleman.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect Mr. Cook to come directly. The conditions here are a bit rough, so we don't prepare tea or coffee here. Otherwise, let's just drink water. There are no ice cubes. Or just drink something cold. Yes. Wait..." Ning Wei was just about to go next door to borrow two disposable cups when Liu Wei knocked on the door and silently brought the cups over.

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay. In fact, my tutor has a lot of good things, but he went to the airport to pick someone up, otherwise we can go to his office to get some good tea to drink. But this time I have experience, so next time Prepare some drinks in the office." Ning Wei said rather embarrassed.

It was indeed not the way of hospitality that Lao Ning taught him. After taking the water, Ning Wei looked at the mineral water in the disposable cup and felt that it was not in line with the status of the billionaire in front of him, but there was nothing he could do. This is really the condition.

Boiled water is simple and convenient and can quench thirst. I would rather not have time to enjoy the fragrance and aftertaste of tea. To put it bluntly, if Ningwei was given a pound of the best Dahongpao, he would probably only think about this tea. It tastes bitter in the mouth, so spit it out immediately. After all, he didn't have time to slowly savor the sweetness and aroma of the tea. There is no time to assemble a tea set or study the tea ceremony. If I have that time, I can write several papers.

"Actually, it's pretty good just like this." Tim Cook said something against his will, and he picked up the disposable cup and took a small sip.

"I've said the same thing. The most important function of water is to quench thirst. If you add coffee or tea to it, the taste will change. Pure ones are the best. Just like Apple's design, advocating It's that simple feeling, in one word, beautiful!" Ning Wei nodded and gave a hat to him.

That's right to say...

Tim Cook began to wonder whether the layout of his office was too exaggerated, and whether the coffee he usually drank was unhealthy. He should tell his secretary to drink ice water from now on.

"Well..." Tim Cook pondered for a moment, and suddenly found that he didn't know what to say when facing this young scientist.

In fact, from the beginning of their meeting, he had been observing the young man in front of him and pondering his thoughts. However, in just a few minutes, everything he saw had subverted his cognition, which made him unable to even figure out what caused him. The young man was content to stay on this land.

This is not the first time he has come to China. He has been here many times before. The number of times has even exceeded double digits. Apple also has many employees from China. He thinks he is very familiar with the thinking of Chinese people, but he would rather be direct. It subverted his previous understanding of Chinese people.

How should I put it? In short, he didn't quite understand Ning Wei.

Fortunately, Ning Wei did not let the chat atmosphere between the two become cold.

"Actually, I have a very good impression of Mr. Cook. Really, Apple is different from many other companies that make money in China. Although there are misunderstandings, at least you are not making money from China while counting in public. It is not good for China to be left behind. When doing business, if you want to make money, you should naturally show an attitude. You cannot say that you are thinking about how to take money out of the pockets of the Chinese people, and at the same time, you are also thinking about how to make these Chinese people kneel down and hand over the money. Hand it over, right?”

"And I have probably read some news reports. In the past twelve years, you have been to China as many as fifteen times. Whether it is to inspect the foundry or do market research, can you explain that you attach great importance to the Chinese market and are willing to Keep communicating. Although I can’t speak for the Chinese people, and I haven’t used Apple products very much, personally I have always believed that as long as you are willing to communicate, it at least shows an attitude issue. If you have an attitude, you are a good comrade!”

Ning Wei said casually.

The above information was all public information that he checked on his mobile phone in March on the way back after he received a call from Director Tian and learned that Tim Cook wanted to meet him. The accuracy should be very high. After all, the information that could be presented to him in March had been compared with many parties.

After thinking for a moment, Tim Cook said: "Indeed, Apple has always attached great importance to the Chinese market. Personally, I have always had a great favorable impression of China. Perhaps in the process of business operations, I have developed a relationship with China. There has been a misunderstanding, but as I said in an interview with CBS, I never think that Chinese people will target Apple's products, because I believe that Apple and the Chinese market have given each other enough respect. And I have never believed that any business logic should be equated with political behavior. This is extremely stupid."

"That's it!"

Ning Wei nodded, and then said calmly: "So you look at Google, you look at Microsoft, you look at Intel, you look at Tesla! What is our purpose of building a commercial intelligence platform? Isn't it just to provide people, including Apple, with We provide resource integration services to high-tech companies all over the world. But in the end, they found a former big boss to stand up and promote the threat theory of artificial intelligence. Can this be tolerated? It is simply gangster logic."

"But Apple is different. You have shown me goodwill, really. I like dealing with Apple, so I also make a very serious proposal today. The era of strong artificial intelligence has begun. Huawei, Apple and I will work closely together. Leading the product development trend in the era of strong intelligence. Really, as long as the three parties trust each other, Microsoft, Intel, Google, and Tesla will all be stepped on by us."

"For example, we are interoperating IOS with Hongmeng, all-round interoperability. In the future, we will directly implement a new generation of intelligent control systems for Apple cars and next-generation mobile phones. We will monopolize the high-quality software market. In terms of CPU and GPU, we will pool the expertise of the two companies. Technicians are working on a new CNMD architecture and strive to break through the manufacturing process to the current 10nm node as soon as possible. Think about it, how many users will Apple and Huawei have around the world by then? It will be enough for us to support a new smart search engine. ?”

"In other words, in a few years we will have a system, a chip, a customer base, a search engine, and all the relevant patents in our hands to unify the world of high-end electronic products. From smart Wearables, smart homes, mobile phones, cars and other consumer electronics all adopt a unified architecture, allowing users to achieve seamless connection. Think about it, who can compete with us in this situation?"

"This is just the first step. Aren't everyone imagining the Metaverse? When Apple and Huawei make money, you will start building the infrastructure of the Metaverse in the west, and Huawei will build in the east. The two companies will not interfere with each other. And I will help you study the underlying protocols and engines that support the Metaverse. After we are finished, we will directly communicate with the data, so that you can truly travel around the world without leaving home. By then, all Internet companies in the world will want to join us Everyone in the Metaverse has to pay us a rental fee, and the three of us will discuss the establishment of the economic system within the Metaverse."

"As long as the layout is completed, the next smart Internet era will be ours! Apple and Huawei can be glorious for another hundred years! As for me, my requirements are not that high. I just hope that I can see my research results in my lifetime and be able to turn this into a reality. How about the world moving forward a little bit? Mr. Cook, would you be interested in this proposal?"

Ning Wei looked at Tim Cook calmly and asked the question that he once asked Mr. Letun, the chairman of Ericsson.

Of course, the promises made to Ericsson are actually mainly focused on future network communication protocols, which is not actually a conflict. After all, Ericsson's network products can still be used to build networks in the next era. 5G and even future-oriented millimeter wave data communications are the foundation for building the metaverse.

Therefore, it can be said that the invitations issued by Ningwei are very serious. At most, these technology companies' reliance on third-party technology will increase a little in the future. Ningwei is also very honest and never hides his ambition and ambition to control standards. .

As for whether it can be realized, Ning Weizhen is not worried at all. This is March's trust in technology.

After all, if the two companies really cooperate sincerely, they need people, money, users, and an ecosystem. It would be unreasonable to fail. And Tim Cook is still courageous, as evidenced by his courage to provide Huawei with 50 million CPUs at this time.

Just standing in Tim Cook's perspective, the experience is completely different.

Because even to death, he never thought that when he was almost standing at the top of the world pyramid, he would still have the opportunity to be offered such a big pie in front of his face. What was even more frightening was that this pie could actually come true.

Really, Ning Wei's statement made his heart move. If Apple does not need to share its ecosystem and users with direct competitors and abandon the closed ecosystem that Apple is proud of, he really has the urge to bypass the shareholders' meeting and directly agree...

If nothing else, if the scenario described by Ning Wei really comes true, just controlling the profits from Metaverse tickets would probably be enough to make Apple live a more prosperous life than it does now, even more prosperous than Google.

The only problem is probably one, which is to make it clear that the chariot and horse are going to be enemies of the whole world. It is estimated that from the moment the contract is signed, everyone will tear off the veil of tenderness and start a real war. Lawsuits with various companies may last for decades, and even more advanced dangers may occur.

To put it bluntly, if you can survive it, maybe as Ning Wei said, Apple can be glorious for another hundred years. If you can't survive it, Apple may still be around. It's hard to say whether he, the CEO, can still be around. Ning Wei gave a choice, but it may actually develop into two stories with completely different directions and extremely extreme results.

Sure enough, he is still a young man, always thinking about doing big things! Wouldn’t it be nice for everyone to discuss something practical? For example, can Apple's next-generation products and electric vehicles use this new baseband chip? Apple's signal problem must be solved first, and then large-scale cooperation can be discussed.