Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

328: Chapter 328 Delivery of the Flint-14 Lithography MachineOn the 25th, the sky over Huizhou was as blue as if it had been washed.

The Xinghuo Chip factory was located in the Daya Bay Economic and Technological Development Zone in Huizhou, covering an area of 1,200 mu; it was one of the largest chip manufacturing bases in Asia.

The factory grounds were lush with trees and featured wide roads, making it look more like a university than a factory.

But the real secret lay underground.

The cleanroom was located fifteen meters underground and required passing through three security checks, two clothing changes, and one air shower to enter.

The air in the workshop was ten thousand times cleaner than that of an operating room.

There were no more than ten particles per cubic meter, whereas an ordinary office had millions.

At this moment, dim blue lights illuminated the massive silver-gray equipment.

It was twelve meters long, three meters high, and weighed fifty tons.

Sui Guang-14—the world’s first commercial extreme ultraviolet lithography machine to use a free-electron laser light source.

This was the technology Su Chen had exchanged for with five billion in system funds at the beginning of the year.

After six months of intense research by the Xingchen Academy of Sciences, it had finally transformed from blueprints into a physical reality.

Three identical machines were currently undergoing debugging.

Li Wanqing stood beside the equipment, facing the live broadcast camera.

The 38-year-old Li Wanqing was wearing a white cleanroom suit and a cleanroom cap, with only her face exposed.

Behind her were the engineers who were working, each of them focused on operating at their respective stations.

”Everyone, this is a historic moment for Xinghuo Chip,” her voice was calm but carried irrepressible pride.

”Sui Guang-14 was originally scheduled for delivery in 2019, but today we have rolled it off the line six months ahead of schedule. This is a technological revolution.”

The large screen displayed technical parameters next to the live broadcast feed:

Sui Guang-14 Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Machine

Light Source: Free-electron laser, wavelength 13.5 nanometers

Resolution: 13.5 nanometers (actually supports 10-nanometer process)

Overlay Accuracy: 1.5 nanometers

Throughput: 180 wafers/hour

Price: 80 million USD

Comparison data popped up simultaneously:

ASML NXE:3400C

Light Source: Laser-produced plasma, wavelength 13.5 nanometers

Resolution: 13.5 nanometers

Overlay Accuracy: 1.8 nanometers

Throughput: 155 wafers/hour

Price: 120 million USD

Li Wanqing smiled.

”Some people say we stole ASML’s technology. I have to laugh—ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography machine has over 30,000 parts, while our Sui Guang-14 has only 18,000. This is innovation; this is industrial-grade optimization.”

Off-stage, the reporters watching via the live stream were in an uproar.

18,000 versus 30,000—this was not just a difference in quantity, but a fundamental difference in design philosophy.

A simpler architecture meant higher reliability, lower costs, and easier maintenance.

Veldhoven, Netherlands.

The ASML headquarters was a modern glass building located in a small town on the outskirts of Eindhoven.

It was not far from Brussels and was the holy land of global semiconductor equipment.

CEO Peter Wennink sat in his office, watching the live broadcast on his computer screen.

When Li Wanqing said ”18,000 parts,” his face instantly turned pale.

The 61-year-old Wennink had worked at ASML for thirty years, rising step by step from an engineer to CEO.

He had seen countless technological breakthroughs, but he had never seen anything like this—achieving better performance with half the parts.

The CFO rushed into the office, his expression even worse than Wennink’s.

”Stock price! The stock price is plummeting!”

Wennink looked at another screen.

ASML stock price: -8%, -12%, -15%, -18%.

At the close of trading, the single-day decline was locked at eighteen percent—a market value evaporation of over 30 billion euros.

Wennink closed his eyes.

30 billion euros was equivalent to the total profit of ASML over the past five years.

Two in the afternoon, Li Wanqing’s exclusive interview.

After the live broadcast ended, Li Wanqing accepted an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal.

The reporter was an American in his thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes, and his questions were sharp.

”Ms. Li, does the success of the Sui Guang-14 mean that China has completely broken through the extreme ultraviolet blockade?”

Li Wanqing sat in the interview room, having changed out of her cleanroom suit into a simple white shirt.

She looked at the reporter and smiled.

”Blockade? We have always been blockaded, but we have also always been innovating, carving out a path of our own at Xingchen.”

The reporter was taken aback.

Li Wanqing continued:

”In the past, ASML blockaded China because China lacked the technology. Today, Xingchen has the technology, so let me ask you—are we afraid of a blockade?”

The reporter opened his mouth, finding himself speechless.

Li Wanqing picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then set it down.

”Go back and tell your readers: the era of technological blockade is over. It’s not because we broke the blockade, but because we reinvented the lithography machine. And it’s better, cheaper, and more reliable than yours.”

The next morning, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

The TSMC headquarters was an inconspicuous building located in the Hsinchu Science Park.

It produced more than half of the world’s chips and was the hidden champion of the semiconductor industry.

Chairman Liu Deyin urgently convened a board meeting.

The 65-year-old Liu Deyin sat in the main seat, his expression grave.

On the large screen was the parameter comparison of the Sui Guang-14.

The Chief Technology Officer stood up to report:

”Our 3-nanometer process is still ramping up, with a yield of only 40 percent, and the cost is three times that of what Xingchen claims for its 10-nanometer process. If Xingchen’s 10-nanometer process goes into mass production next year, our 3-nanometer process will lose its cost-effectiveness advantage.”

A board member asked: ”Can we buy the Sui Guang-14?”

Liu Deyin shook his head: ”I’ve contacted them. Xingchen said they won’t sell.”

The meeting room fell silent.

”Then what should we do?”

Liu Deyin looked at everyone and said slowly: ”Two paths. One is to continue self-development and catch up with Xingchen. The second is... to seek cooperation.”

Someone smiled bitterly: ”Cooperation? Are they willing?”

Liu Deyin did not answer.

Seoul, South Korea. The Samsung Electronics headquarters was a twin-tower building, 250 meters high, one of Seoul’s iconic landmarks.

In the top-floor office, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong looked at the same parameters, his face livid.

The 50-year-old Lee Jae-yong was the third-generation leader of Samsung, in charge of this largest enterprise in South Korea.

He had seen countless competitions, but he had never seen a situation like this.

The Technology Department Head reported: ”Chairman, our 7-nanometer yield is only 35 percent. The cost of Xingchen’s 10-nanometer process is only one-fifth of ours.”

Lee Jae-yong was silent.

After a long while, he asked: ”Can we buy the Sui Guang-14?”

”I’ve contacted them. Xingchen said their production capacity is limited and they must supply their own factories first.”

Lee Jae-yong closed his eyes.

At 30,000 feet, on a Gulfstream G650 private jet flying from Los Angeles to Shenzhen, Intel CEO Robert Swan sat by the porthole.

The 60-year-old Swan was the first CEO in Intel’s history without an engineering background; he was originally a CFO, skilled in finance and strategy.

But at this moment, he was facing a technological dead end.

On this trip, he had hidden it from the White House, coming to China under the guise of a ”private visit.”

An assistant sat opposite him and asked cautiously:

”CEO, does this count as violating sanctions?”

Swan smiled bitterly.

”Sanctions? Wall Street has already rebelled. Morgan and Goldman Sachs have privately contacted Xingchen to ask if they can integrate into their settlement system. If Intel doesn’t act now, there will be no Intel in five years. Our technology is already lagging behind, and the cost of self-development is too high. The only way out is to obtain technology licensing for the Xinghuo Chip.”

He looked out the window.

The sea of clouds was vast, with no end in sight.

The next day at 10 AM, Xingchen Headquarters conference room.

Swan sat on one side of the long table, and Su Chen sat opposite.

Swan got straight to the point: ”Mr. Su, Intel is willing to lobby the White House to lift sanctions and open the North American market to Xingchen. The condition is—technological cooperation on the Sui Guang-14.”

Su Chen smiled.

The smile was faint but meaningful. ”Mr. Swan, what can Intel’s lobbying get in exchange?”

Swan was taken aback.

Su Chen stood up and walked to the world map on the wall.

”Wall Street is already lining up. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Citi are all asking if they can integrate into the Xingchen Chain. Silicon Valley has come too—Apple, Google, and Amazon are all talking about cooperation. Intel is just one of them.”

He turned around and looked at Swan.

”If Intel can convince the White House to lift sanctions, Xingchen can prioritize cooperation with Intel. But technological cooperation? The Sui Guang-14 is Xingchen’s core asset. It’s impossible to grant you a license right now, but we can sell 16-nanometer lithography machines to you.”

Swan was silent.

Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds.

He finally spoke: ”Then... can we buy them?”

Su Chen shook his head: ”Production capacity is limited. We must satisfy our own factories first. Wait until all five of our lines are built, then we’ll talk.”

A complex expression flashed across Swan’s face—disappointment, helplessness, and a hint of admiration.

He stood up and extended his hand.

”Mr. Su, thank you for your candor. I will do my best to lobby the White House.”

Su Chen shook his hand.

”Mr. Swan, I hope that next time we meet, we will be friends, not opponents.”