After receiving Zhao Ye's support, Ni Annan couldn't wait to return to his office and began to think about which research institutions to invite to the "China Lithography Machine Industry Summit".

Just as Ni Annan was selecting the list of invitees, Liu Chuanzhi and others from the Institute of Computing Technology also learned about Wujiang Microelectronics Company from the newspaper.

Liu Chuanzhi laughed loudly: "Haha, Wujiang Company has really made a little money and doesn't know its own limitations anymore, actually investing 400 million RMB to develop lithography machines. Obviously, Wujiang Company intends to develop chips, otherwise why would it invest in the research and development of lithography machines? But developing and producing chips involves a very large industrial chain! China lags behind the United States in all aspects, so 'it's better to buy than to make.' In my opinion, Wujiang Microelectronics Company will become a burden to Wujiang Group, eventually dragging Wujiang Group into the abyss!"

The main competitor of the Institute of Computing Technology is Wujiang Group. We are happy when the other party makes a mistake.

Liu Chuanzhi couldn't help but curse Zhao Ye in his heart for being stupid.

This brat is not worth discussing things with!

Ni Annan went to Wujiang; it was truly a waste of talent.

If Ni Annan had stayed at the Institute of Computing Technology to develop the next generation of Lenovo Chinese character cards, that would have been wonderful. Otherwise, the second generation of Lenovo Chinese character cards would have been delayed for so long.

However, to everyone's surprise, Zhao Ye suddenly made a foolish move at this time. It's truly a blessing from heaven for the Institute of Computing Technology!

Within the company, some people believed that Zhao Ye and Wujiang Company were doing the right thing. Technician Xu Hao spoke up, "I don't think so. I think Wujiang Company's move is an investment in the future. Chips are only a small part, but the profit margin is extremely high. If Wujiang Company can eventually develop and produce lithography machines and chips independently, then Wujiang Company will not only be able to recover its costs quickly, but also make a fortune!"

Liu Chuanzhi shook his head and said, "The risk is too high. Wujiang Company is gambling too much. I still stick to my personal opinion. Major domestic semiconductor research institutions generally lack funds, and the semiconductor industry chain is extensive. Wujiang Company, a mere company, simply cannot support it."

Xu Hao replied, "Perhaps that's true, but Wujiang Company doesn't need to require all production equipment and materials to be domestically produced from the beginning. It can also import what it needs from overseas! It only needs to master a few key technologies! For example, the most important equipment in the chip production process, the lithography machine. With an advanced lithography machine, everything else can be done gradually."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuanzhi snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Even if Wujiang Company wants to buy, it has to be willing to sell! If foreign companies get stuck on a key product and refuse to sell to Wujiang Company, the chips can't be produced. Then, wouldn't all the money Wujiang Company has invested be wasted?"

Xu Hao said loudly, "Then we should invest even more in chip research and development. Otherwise, one day, as you said, foreign companies will hold us back in a key product, and our country won't even be able to produce a single chip!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuanzhi was furious. "You dare to contradict me? You don't want to stay at the Institute of Computing Technology anymore?!"

Liu Chuan felt that his authority in the company had been challenged.

On the surface, he remained calm and composed, showing no change in expression, but in his heart he was thinking about how to make things difficult for Xu Hao in the future, or even kick him out of the company.

In this company, only one person's voice can be heard!

The rest of you just need to follow orders!

...

Invitations to the "China Lithography Machine Industry Summit" quickly reached various research institutions and enterprises.

They were all prepared to go and see Wujiang after receiving his invitation.

After all, Wujiang Company covered the travel, food, and lodging expenses, so it didn't matter to them; they could treat it as a vacation.

The train was moving slowly at that time, and in addition, we needed to give others time to think and prepare, so the "China Lithography Machine Industry Summit" was scheduled for 10 days later.

Ten days later, the attendees arrived at Wujiang Company one after another.

As the initiator, Wujiang Microelectronics Company held a special position, and Ni Annan and Zhao Ye were seated at the head of the meeting room.

At the start of the meeting, Ni Annan took the stage and passionately shared his views on China's semiconductor industry, concluding with: "Currently, China's semiconductor industry faces a severe situation. Major research institutions are experiencing funding shortages, and many projects are unable to continue and have to be abandoned. At this critical moment, Wujiang Group is willing to step forward and reshape the glory of China's semiconductor industry!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking...

The representatives from various organizations in the audience, regardless of whether they were willing to merge with Wujiang Microelectronics, applauded enthusiastically from the bottom of their hearts.

An investment of 400 million RMB is no small sum.

In the end, it might all go down the drain.

Putting themselves in their shoes, would they dare to invest 400 million RMB in semiconductors?

Many research institutions have very little research funding, and they have to be very careful with every penny they spend. How could they dare to spend money like this?

The applause was thunderous and lasted for a long time. It only stopped when Zhao Ye took the stage.

Zhao Ye stood in the center of the stage and said in a deep voice: "I won't go into detail about the current situation of the domestic semiconductor industry, as Dr. Ni Annan has already explained it very clearly to everyone. As the saying goes, 'Unity brings mutual benefit, while division brings mutual harm.' There are dozens of institutions in our country researching lithography machines, but they are all working independently. In addition, the research funding of each institution is insufficient, which has led to our country's lithography machines lagging behind the United States."

After the reform and opening up, the country's focus shifted to economic development, and the erroneous idea that "it's better to buy than to make" gradually became prevalent.

This mindset is extremely harmful, though the effects aren't immediately apparent. In fact, the benefits of "buying" are even visible: companies don't need to invest in R&D; they can simply buy materials from abroad, assemble them, and profit. However, in the long run, Chinese companies become complacent, losing all motivation to invest in R&D. Decades later, the vast majority of Chinese companies will have become assembly plants for foreigners, profiting from manual labor and the exploitation of workers!

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!