Chapter 504 Heading Towards the Future (Bug Fix): Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Wang Xiao certainly didn't dare to place all his hopes on Jiangbei University.

She couldn't even be entirely optimistic about the circulating fluidized bed waste-to-energy project.

One of their major selling points is that coal is cheaper than oil, making it the most suitable combustion aid.

From a laboratory perspective, there is absolutely no problem with this.

However, she still invested 10 million yuan to collaborate with the Thermal Energy Research Institute of Jiangbei University to jointly improve the circulating fluidized bed incineration waste-to-energy technology.

Simply put, she provides the money, and the other party provides the labor.

The first wave of funding was 2 million yuan to get the research institute moving, to conduct research and figure out what kinds of waste are actually sent to the furnace for incineration, and what their respective proportions are.

The second round of funding is 3 million yuan, which will allow them to make technological improvements based on the research results, and to see how to achieve full high-temperature combustion of urban domestic waste without adding coal.

The remaining 5 million will be used for pilot testing; we'll see what happens next if it's successful.

Although Director Hou regretted not being able to directly market their fluidized bed technology, at least the owner didn't give up and generously provided them with 10 million yuan to evolve the technology.

Good heavens! Ten million!

I heard that this year's lottery will be reformed, and a 5 million yuan jackpot will be created, which is already dazzling enough.

These are now two 5 million yuan prizes.

No wonder Mayor Huang repeatedly instructed them to treat Boss Wang well and keep him here.

This is a goddess of wealth! She's so generous.

Professor Hou, representing the institute, stated: "President Wang, rest assured, we will concentrate our efforts, overcome difficulties, and produce results as soon as possible."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you all. You are experts, and I believe you will definitely achieve something."

As soon as she stepped out of the research institute and got into her car, before the car had even left the gates of Jiangbei University, she asked, "Which waste incineration plant uses grate furnace technology? Where is the plant located?"

The assistant who had come with the boss to run errands was stunned: "A grate furnace?"

No, wasn't the boss just passionately talking in the research institute, saying he was just waiting for fluidized bed technology to reach the top?

“Yes.” Wang Xiao nodded. “We need to go and inspect the grate furnace waste incineration power plant.”

She definitely has to go.

After all, it's common knowledge that when your opponents repeatedly slander you, it proves that you have some skills.

Finding rivals is like finding competitors in the entertainment industry. All the actors and actresses only seek out those of the same or higher status. They would never be compatible with those of lower status, lest they lower their own.

The more Professor Hou and his colleagues said that the grate furnace technology was bad, the more Wang Xiao felt compelled to see it for himself.

Who puts all their eggs in one basket?

The assistant dared not object and quickly agreed with the boss: "Okay, I'll go and find out right away."

Interestingly, although the Institute of Thermal Energy at Jiangbei University was extremely wary of imported grate furnace technology, the assistant found out after asking around that there were actually very few places in China that imported grate furnaces for waste incineration power generation.

That's way too expensive.

"The one that has been used for the longest time is the Shenzhen Qingshuihe Waste Incineration Power Plant. They have imported two sets of waste incineration equipment from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan, which use West German Martin grate furnaces."

Wow, that's quite a long history. The reunification of East and West Germany happened in 1990.

Wang Xiao nodded: "Anything else?"

The main reason is that she doesn't really want to make a special trip to Shenzhen, because now you need a border permit to go to Shenzhen, which she finds troublesome and uncomfortable.

The assistant quickly replied, "I'll check right away."

Wang Xiao turned his head and saw Dr. Zhang Rujing and the factory director hurriedly walking down from the office building.

The factory manager's face was full of excitement: "Zhang Bo, thanks to you, otherwise we don't know when our 0.25-micron process yield would have been achieved."

Wang Xiao's ears immediately perked up, and his eyes snapped up like two searchlights as he stared at the two of them.

Zhang Rujing waved his hand and said politely, "It's mainly because the engineers are very hardworking. They work more than 60 hours a week, and many of them sleep on the floor at the company."

Wang Xiao nodded inwardly, thinking to himself, "No wonder they're Koreans."

As is widely known, there are three strange things about East Asia: Chinese people don't need to take holidays, Japanese people don't need to eat, and Koreans don't need to sleep.

Zhang Rujing didn't think that the long working hours of Korean engineers were inhumane, because many of his colleagues did the same when he worked at Texas Instruments.

Even his former boss, Morris Chang, now the head of TSMC, works from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m.

The entire company is filled with a spirit of hard work and positive attitude.

To solve a technical problem, everyone racks their brains and works tirelessly under the leader's guidance, a state that is almost idealistic.

He hopes to bring that passion for his work to his new company.

The factory manager laughed heartily: "Sailing on the high seas depends on the helmsman. Without your guidance, even with their best efforts, they still wouldn't be able to find the right direction."

It's no wonder that engineers have such a high status in the semiconductor industry, because making chips is such a technically demanding business.

Let's take TSMC, Taiwan's largest chip foundry, for example.

After obtaining the initial technical data and patent authorization for the 0.25-micron process, they encountered a bottleneck in the process of large-scale mass production, and the yield rate just wouldn't go up.

Later, Morris Chang had no choice but to rely on his personal connections to invite a senior technical expert from IBM to provide guidance.

They looked through their production line from beginning to end and pointed out several key points.

Wow! In an instant, TSMC's potential was unlocked, and the yield rate of its 0.25-micron process skyrocketed.

This time was no exception. Not only did Dr. Zhang Rujing take a look himself, but he also brought along a senior engineer from Deqi. The engineer gave him a few pointers, and the solution was transformed.

Wow, what a stroke of luck!

This time, Zhang Bo arranged for them to go to Belgium to collaborate with IMEC on developing 0.13-micron and 90-nanometer processes. Perhaps they will achieve breakthroughs soon.

The factory manager felt that the chip factory had been stagnant for several years, but now it was finally about to take off.

It really proves the saying that you can't rely on old professors with white hair riding bicycles to develop chips; you also need PhDs who have studied abroad.

Wang Xiao had been patiently listening for a long time, but finally couldn't help but interject: "Then we should hurry up and arrange the 12-inch factory."

Zhang Bo has now been forced by her to have a 12-inch ASD.

Upon hearing her bring it up, he quickly changed the subject: "Boss, have you chosen a location for your solar power project yet?"

Wang Xiao pursed her lips, feeling that Dr. Zhang was really just being perfunctory with her.

As a PhD, and someone known for his high emotional intelligence and considerate nature, couldn't he have been a little more subtle in changing the subject?

Mr. Wang said irritably, "They've already gone to select locations, and they've chosen three pilot sites in Xinjiang."

Why Xinjiang? Because Deputy Director Jiang has acquaintances in Xinjiang who are currently providing assistance, and it's a designated location for Shanghai's aid work. This makes coordination easier.

She chuckled and said, "Once the ducks are raised, I'll give each of you one. Forget about the sheep, they're too expensive."

Zhang Bo and the factory manager could only laugh and repeatedly say, "Great, great, boss, we're just waiting for your ducks to arrive."

Although they both doubted it, let alone the ducks, it was a big question mark whether the solar panels could even be erected this year.

Even if the boss eventually loses face and buys ducks in Xiaozhou, telling them they were raised under solar panels, they decide they will never expose him.

Who doesn't have a hobby? Growing vegetables, raising chickens and ducks—isn't that just like facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming?

People who are financially independent all like this.

The assistant rushed over again and reported to the boss: "There is one in Shanghai, it's a newly built waste incineration power plant."

Wang Xiao chuckled twice at Dr. Zhang and the factory manager, and said sarcastically, "Don't worry, I don't have time to deal with you. I'm going to check on the waste-to-energy plant."

The problem with the new factory is that it can't compare to the old factory that has been operating for ten years in terms of data collection.

However, its potential advantages are also significant, meaning that, in most cases, the technology it introduces will be newer and more advanced.

So Mr. Wang made the decision without hesitation: "Let's go to Shanghai to see."

There's no time like the present. Since she's not well-received at the chip factory in Xiaozhou, she might as well go directly to Shanghai.

Zhang Bo and the factory manager quickly said, "Boss, don't rush, why don't you hold a meeting for us first?"

Wang Xiao waved his hand: "Forget it, forget it. I can't come up with anything in a meeting anyway. You guys do it yourselves. I don't care anymore. I just want to see the final result."

After saying that, she actually started to walk out; she had to catch a flight from Xiaozhou Trade City to Shanghai.

Zhang Bo exchanged a glance with the factory director, then hurriedly helped the man into the car.

After the car drove away, the factory manager emphasized to Dr. Zhang, "It's alright, it's alright. Most of the time, the boss won't act until she sees the benefits. You see, she didn't take a liking to the technology from Jiangbei University, and she didn't put it into production."

Dr. Zhang really wanted to remind the factory manager, but she had already invested 10 million yuan.

But 10 million is 10 million. If she keeps spending like this, even if she spends 10 million a day, she'll only have a little over 100 million US dollars in 100 days.

By then, the Nasdaq index should be back to normal, and bosses should be more cautious and stop throwing money around recklessly.

The car radio was on, broadcasting the week's news.

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve finally took action, raising interest rates by 25 basis points to curb the overheated stock market.

However, it seems to have had little effect. As soon as the US stock market opened today, the Nasdaq index rose again, and investors seem to care about the Fed's attitude at all.

The internet boom fostered an open spirit, leading people at the turn of the century to disregard all authority and regulatory bodies.

If you want me to lower my price, then I will.

What am I optimistic about? Why should you have the final say?

Xiao Gao was inwardly astonished. If the stock market continued to rise like this, they would truly become as rich as a country, and not just any ordinary small country.

He glanced at his boss instinctively, only to find that the boss was lost in thought.

Or to be more specific, her gaze fell on the view outside the car window, where a hill of garbage lay.

Thankfully the windows were closed, otherwise, in April, girls on the street would already be wearing skirts with ease, and the temperature would have soared to 20 degrees Celsius.

As soon as the car window was opened, the stench of the garbage mountain wafted in, a smell that most people couldn't tolerate.

It's really not easy for people who live here long-term and make a living from it.

The car drove over the garbage mountain, leaving behind the little boy in open-crotch pants, the little girl with a soot-covered face, and their parents covered in dust.

Wang Xiao then looked away, staring blankly at the roof of the car.

The people in the car all held their breath, afraid of disturbing their boss.

The boss didn't say anything. When he got off the car and was about to catch his flight, he just asked for a bag of pickled radishes at a small shop near the airport entrance.

Thank goodness, she didn't just eat pickled peppers.

Moreover, after boarding the plane, while she was eating pickled radishes, she at least drank a bottle of rock sugar pear water.

So everyone was very satisfied.

What else can we do? We can't exactly drag Mr. Ivan all the way from Moscow to be bitten by the boss.

It doesn't seem quite right to find her another person to bite her arm.

Oh well, whatever, once the boss sees the waste-to-energy plant, his attention will probably be diverted.

Full of anticipation, the group flew from Xiaozhou to Shanghai Airport, then got into a car and drove to the newly built waste incineration power plant according to the address.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, everyone was dumbfounded because the factory was really new. It was so new that it was a construction site, and it had only been under construction for a short time. There wasn't even a single building in sight.

Besides construction workers, the only other busy people coming and going were excavators.

Wang Xiao stood in front of the car, holding binoculars, looking left and right, then turned to his assistant and asked, "Did you ask for the wrong address?"

The assistant was so eager to rush into the construction site and bury himself in it.

He clutched his phone pitifully, trying to salvage the situation: "This is it, I asked three times."

Fearing he might be stranded like he was at Jiangzhou University again, he specifically asked if anyone was there and could meet him.

The answers I received were all affirmative.

Good heavens, the call finally went through!

He quickly asked the person on the other end of the phone, "Master Tao, we've arrived, but we don't see the factory. All we see are construction sites. Is the location wrong?"

The old man on the other end chuckled and said, "The construction site is our factory. Our factory will be completed by next year."

Like a bolt from the blue, the assistant felt he no longer needed to go to the construction site; he could simply dig a hole on the spot and fill it with his entire 150 pounds, bones and all.

With his last shred of will to live, he painstakingly recounted the events: "But you said earlier that your factory imported grate furnace equipment from Germany."

It's just a construction site now, there's no supporting equipment whatsoever!

The old man wasn't ashamed at all: "Yes, after our factory is built, we're going to import German equipment. The leaders have already gone to Germany to discuss it."

The assistant wanted to continue reviewing the situation, but Wang Xiao waved her hand and said, "Never mind."

The question you asked and the answer you gave conveyed completely different meanings.

The assistant, feeling like his life had ended after hanging up the phone, stood there dejectedly, not daring to utter a sound.

Good heavens, how could he have made such a huge mess? He made the boss come all that way for nothing!

Time is money. How much money can the boss make every minute? With all this back and forth, he could create another millionaire.

Wang Xiao glanced at him and said, "Alright, alright, let's go."

Now that things have come to this, what's the point of her continuing to insult the other person?

Sometimes, it's more effective to make people feel guilty rather than punish them.

The boss turned to look at the driver: "Are there any garbage disposal plants around here?"

The driver cleverly replied, "There's a factory that deals in recycled resources, it's less than an hour's drive away. Boss, do you want to go check it out?"

It's definitely impossible to make an appointment now, but fortunately, according to the driver, "The factory is very busy right now. They won't just close down and stop production unless it's a holiday."

So the car drove through the twists and turns of the outskirts of Shanghai and ended up at a factory.

Thank goodness, it's a proper factory, not a huge construction site with excavators coming and going.

But when the gatekeeper heard their purpose, he simply waved his hand and shook his head, indicating that the factory did not receive outsiders casually.

This time, the assistant was quite shrewd and quickly called Deputy Director Jiang, giving him the factory name and location.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the gatekeeper answered the phone, looked the uninvited guests up and down warily, and reluctantly waved his hand: "You can go in now."

A young man in his thirties came running from the direction of the office building, panting, and said, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry. Our security guard was blind and didn't know that you, Mr. Wang, would grace us with your presence. Please come in, please come in. It is an honor for our factory to have you here."

Wang Xiao was completely bewildered. Good heavens, this enthusiasm was a bit excessive. She wasn't some big star.

She smiled and said, "You're too kind. We apologize for bothering you. We saw your sign outside that says you deal in recycled resources. We were wondering what specific products you offer?"

"We mainly recycle and reprocess plastic bottles." The factory manager, who identified himself as Mr. Feng, led people into the factory and pointed to the shelves in the workshop, saying, "These are all the plastic bottles we have recycled."

Wang Xiao was shocked.

She had been to many workshops, and she also had her own factory. She had seen countless scenes of raw materials piled up, but this was the first time she had ever seen a forest made of plastic bottles.

These plastic bottles have been sorted by color and material—she had no idea before that plastic bottles need to be sorted by color after recycling.

The moving conveyor belt orderly rolled the stacked plastic bottles into the machine, and when they came out of the machine, the originally whole bottles had been turned into fragments.

The fragments were then transported by machine to another workshop.

Factory Manager Feng led them over to see: "After the cleaning is finished, the recycled polyester fibers produced by melting and drawing are the raw materials we provide to your factory for making fleece."

Both Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao couldn't help but gasp.

Good heavens! It turns out their clothes were made from plastic bottles.

Factory Manager Feng repeatedly emphasized: "The raw materials we provide to your factory are made from Coca-Cola and Sprite bottles, which are of the highest quality and absolutely no worse than virgin polyester."

Fearing she wouldn't believe him, he even had someone bring over two fleece jackets from the office, unfolding them to show Wang Xiao: "These are made by the cabinet factory using our raw materials. They feel great, and are both warm and breathable."

Wang Xiao then realized why the factory manager had been so enthusiastic; it turned out he was a supplier.

Her eyes were fixed on the long, recycled polyester yarns being extruded from the spinneret. These yarns would be sent to factories in Jiangdong Province to be woven into a soft knitted fabric, which would become the base material for fleece production.

At this moment, she didn't know how to describe her feelings.

Although she personally oversaw the development of fleece technology and equipment, importing them from Toray Industries in Japan, and even personally selected the site for the first factory specializing in fleece, she also personally visited the site.

The marketing strategy that capitalized on Michael Jackson's popularity to promote fleece clothing was also orchestrated by her.

But after making her first wave of money, she didn't pay much attention to the factory anymore.

She has too many things to do, and she can't allocate her energy to them all.

She only remembered that in the beginning, the polyester fiber used to make fleece clothing was also imported from Japan.

Unexpectedly, without her noticing, the raw materials had become domestically produced, and they were even made in plastic bottles.

Mr. Wang remained silent for a long time, which made Factory Manager Feng extremely nervous. The fleece factory owned by the boss in front of him was one of his biggest clients. Without her orders, the factory would either have to close down or stop production every few days.

After all, things are different now than in the 1980s. Polyester is no longer popular, and wealthy people prefer the more difficult-to-care-for all-cotton fabric.

Just as Factory Director Feng was feeling uneasy, Wang Xiao smiled.

She thought of the key selling points that fleece clothing brands emphasized when launching new products on "WoBuy.com" this year: environmental protection and technology.

Transforming waste plastic bottles into clothing significantly reduces environmental pollution from landfilling or incineration and lowers dependence on non-renewable petroleum (the raw material for producing virgin polyester).

Listen to that, how cool is that! How perfectly it embodies the spirit of the internet age!

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "It's pretty good. Please guarantee the quality. I hope we can do this often."

Factory Manager Feng breathed a sigh of relief: "Boss Wang, don't worry, we will definitely do a good job."

Wang Xiao asked with great interest: "Besides supplying our fleece factory, what other factories do you supply?"

Does this mean they want to increase their orders?

Factory Director Feng was overjoyed and quickly introduced: "We can make recycled polyester knitted fabric, which is used to make many T-shirts and sports vests. We also make polyester fiber fabric for windbreakers and quick-drying clothes. The yoga clothes that are popular in big cities now, as well as the leggings that have been worn a lot in the last two years, are all made of polyester stretch fabric. Most of our fabrics are imitation cotton and linen, which are used to make shirts and casual pants."

Wang Xiao listened to his eloquent explanation and made up her mind: Yi You could put on a fashion show, from plastic bottles to clothing.

These garment types are included, except for fleece clothing.

Our purpose in doing business is to save the planet.

Doesn't that sound cool?

The recycling plant, which was outside the scope of this research trip, saved everyone.

When the boss is in a good mood, everyone else is in a good mood too.

That evening, the boss even took them out for a late-night snack on the streets of Shanghai.

Secretary Hu, who had been working overtime for several hours, saw Mr. Wang, the owner of a street food stall, sitting on his way home with his boss, Deputy Director Jiang.

When he saw the person, at first glance, he thought he was seeing things.

How can such a big boss eat at a roadside stall?

Besides, she does have her own restaurant, Shanzhenhaiweilou, which is incredibly popular. Most leaders who want to eat there have to make a reservation in advance, otherwise they simply can't get a table.

Because the master chef is very skilled; he used to prepare dishes for state banquets.

Because their ingredients are all genuine imports. Whether it's lobster, king crab, or top-quality caviar, they're all imported. They even supply bear paws.

Because the people who frequent this restaurant are all social celebrities, many Hong Kong and Taiwan stars would make a trip to Shanzhenhaiwei Restaurant when they held concerts in Shanghai.

Even Celine Dion, who sang "My Heart Will Go On" and has become incredibly popular in the last two years, came to eat there.

With such a grand restaurant around, roadside stalls would never stand a chance.

However, upon closer inspection, Secretary Hu recognized Zhang Junfei, the owner of Shanzhenhaiwei Restaurant, and he was certain that it was indeed Boss Wang.

Given Manager Zhang's current status, no one but his boss would ever ask him to accompany them.

Deputy Director Jiang noticed his secretary turning her head and asked, "What's outside?"

Secretary Hu smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, it's just that Boss Wang is so down-to-earth, eating at a roadside stall."

Deputy Director Jiang followed the line of sight and could only see a blurry shadow in the distance.

He quickly called to the driver, "Stop the car, stop the car, I need to go say hello to someone."

The secretary sighed inwardly, filled with mixed emotions. No wonder going into business is so popular these days.

See, wealthy bosses are really different; even leaders have to follow them around.

The car stopped, and Deputy Director Jiang got out with a file bag in his hand, followed quickly by Secretary Hu.

When they were still 10 meters apart, Deputy Director Jiang took the initiative to greet him: "Hey, Mr. Wang, it really is you. I felt like you when I was in the car."

Wang Xiao stood up with a smile and nodded to him: "Director Jiang, I haven't thanked you for today yet. If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have been able to get into their factory."

Xiao Gao only realized this belatedly. My goodness, this Deputy Director Jiang is really amazing. He even knows that the boss owns a fleece factory and who the factory's suppliers are. It's clear that his brain is like a computer, and it even comes with its own database, which he can access anytime.

Deputy Director Jiang waved his hand: "You're too kind, you're too kind. It's because you have a lot of influence, Mr. Wang."

Wang Xiao simply invited, "Director Jiang, if you're not too busy and don't mind, why don't you sit down and have something to eat together?"

She was eating skewers in her left hand and spicy hot pot in her right, her mouth dripping with oil. As for whether she'd get pimples after eating? She'd worry about that after she finished.

Deputy Director Jiang readily agreed and sat down, saying, "Then I'll gladly accept your offer and give you a briefing on the progress of the R&D center."

Wang Xiao smiled and gestured for him to order, then waved her hand repeatedly, saying, "You're joking, aren't you? If anyone should be reporting on their work, it's me reporting to you. Unfortunately, my work isn't progressing well, so I don't have much to report."

Secretary Hu accepted the skewers from the stall owner and took the opportunity to flatter Wang Xiao: "Boss Wang, you're so down-to-earth. You can eat delicacies from land and sea, and you can also eat from roadside stalls. That's what makes a person who does great things."

Zhang Junfei sighed: "Secretary Hu, you're calling on me. It must be that our Shanzhenhaiwei Restaurant didn't do a good job, which has caused the leaders to have complaints. We welcome the leaders' criticism and suggestions."

He had no idea his boss was coming to Shanghai today. It was only after his boss checked into the hotel that evening that the quick-thinking front desk manager called him to inquire about the situation, which prompted him to rush over.

Wang Xiao distributed the skewers to everyone, shaking his head with a smile: "I don't have that many thoughts. I just feel that I can't limit myself to a small circle. I can't just eat in fancy restaurants all the time. Otherwise, I won't be able to meet any people. All I'll hear are those voices. People will try to fool me and deceive me, and I'll believe it. I won't even realize I'm making a fool of myself."

Seeing that her hands were empty, Deputy Director Jiang took out some documents from his file bag and showed them to her, saying with a smile, "Who would dare to fool you? You have such sharp eyes that any demons or monsters would be exposed in front of you. Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble. Look at this. We are currently in contact with Applied Materials in the United States to see if we can import their equipment. The main target is the 0.13-micron copper process equipment."

Wang Xiao nodded, indicating that she understood, and then asked, "Can the R&D center perform tests such as wind force and pressure resistance? If not, please add them. Semiconductor companies will definitely need these when importing equipment. If we can do it here, we can save a lot of money on testing fees paid to foreign companies."

Deputy Director Jiang nodded: "That's what I think too."

The Asian financial crisis made almost every country realize the importance of foreign exchange reserves. Domestically, the general consensus was that it's best to avoid spending foreign exchange if possible.

Wang Xiao flipped through the documents and when he got to the last page, he saw a line that read, "Ten 8- to 12-inch chip production lines need to be built."

She pointed and asked with a smile, "Is this the next goal?"

Deputy Director Jiang nodded: "Yes, this is our plan. We want to create a cluster effect and build a semiconductor center that is three times the size of Hsinchu, Taiwan."

He then seized the opportunity to urge, "So, Mr. Wang, your 12-inch production line should be built in Shanghai."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "We'll talk about that later. I don't really like joint ventures, and I also have to consider the issue of importing equipment. But my suggestion is, if you're going to submit the report, you might as well just write 12-inch. Otherwise, the report approval will take one or two years, attracting investment will take another one or two years, and then starting to build the factory will take another one or two years. All in all, it could take five or six years. By then, all the mainstream chip manufacturers in the world will have already depreciated their 8-inch production line equipment. If you try to compete with them then, your production costs won't even be on the same level. How can you compete then?"

She said in a serious tone, "Since Shanghai is going to become the national microelectronics center, it must be the leader. At the very least, it must be the best in the country."

She dared not claim to be leading in Asia, because semiconductors in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and even Singapore are all booming, while mainland China is lagging behind. Boasting would be a recipe for disaster.

Deputy Director Jiang nodded: "President Wang, you are indeed knowledgeable in this field. Your suggestion is very valuable."

Wang Xiao accepted the roasted chicken wings that Zhang Junfei handed her and joked with a smile, "I'm still hoping that the Shanghai Microelectronics Center will take off so I can buy my lithography machine later."

Deputy Director Jiang became interested: "You're still making lithography machines?"

Photolithography machines, hailed as the jewel of the semiconductor industry, have been somewhat neglected in China's semiconductor sector. This is because they are too difficult to develop, too costly, and far behind international advanced levels.

The prevailing opinion in the industry now is to put this aside for now and concentrate our efforts on tackling chip manufacturing processes. Once our chip industry grows stronger and demand increases, it will naturally stimulate the development of all chip production equipment, including lithography machines.

Wang Xiao nodded and recalled, "About four or five years ago, Jiangdong and Jiangbei provinces conducted a survey of the electronics-related industries. At that time, we planned to develop lithography machines. Later, I recruited people from Wuhan, and the Shanghai High-Tech Park also provided policy support to support the research and development of lithography machines. However, we didn't talk about this much outside."

Because their goal is industrial production, there's really nothing to brag about in terms of laboratory results alone.

Since they're not publicly listed, they don't need to rely on this achievement to boost their stock price.

Deputy Director Jiang nodded in agreement: "You guys really have guts, keep up the good work! Our country's lithography machine research and development started relatively early, and we are not without the opportunity to catch up with the international advanced level."

Wang Xiao smiled and clinked beer glasses with him, quite pragmatically saying, "We don't dare think about that right now. Our current goal is to find a way to defeat secondhand equipment."

Deputy Director Jiang paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's exactly how it should be."

He felt that this Boss Wang had wildly imaginative ideas when she thought about things; she dared to say anything out of the blue.

But when it comes to actually doing things, she becomes incredibly realistic.

That's right. The real competitors of domestically produced semiconductor equipment are not the new products launched by mainstream international manufacturers, but their second-hand products.

Because domestically produced semiconductor equipment currently has no export capability, it can only compete with domestic chip manufacturers.

Given the extremely high cost of setting up chip factories, coupled with international technology embargoes, eight or nine out of ten chip factories that can be built in China will lag behind international advanced manufacturing processes. This means that domestic manufacturers can save costs by purchasing second-hand equipment from abroad when building factories.

For domestically produced equipment to gain a share of the market, it must be cheaper, of better quality, and more stable than imported second-hand equipment.

Deputy Director Jiang thought about it more and more and felt that it made a lot of sense: "Your idea is really good. After we use it well in China and get quality certification, these devices can also be exported."

Yes, when they export, their competitors are still the second-hand equipment from international advanced semiconductor equipment manufacturers.

Because China isn't the only emerging country looking to enter the semiconductor industry.

While China wants to save money, other newly established countries in the semiconductor industry also want to save money.

Wang Xiao smiled and took the initiative to clink glasses with Deputy Director Jiang, then made a direct request: "We would appreciate it if you could put in a good word for us and help us promote our lithography machine."

Deputy Director Jiang said without hesitation: "As long as the lithography machines you make meet the manufacturer's requirements, I will definitely act as your salesman."

How can domestically produced equipment rise to prominence? This is how it rises: if you don't have an opportunity, create one.

If your own people don't support your own people, who will support you?

Secretary Hu, listening nearby, secretly admired him, thinking to himself, "A person who knows how to do business really knows how to do business."

Just moments before, their Deputy Director Jiang was promoting a project to her, urging her to invest money in it.

She'll soon be able to treat Deputy Director Jiang as her top salesperson.

Frankly speaking, looking across the whole country, there are probably not many people more suitable for this job than Deputy Director Jiang.

Because Vice Director Jiang went to Silicon Valley for research and investigation last year, many semiconductor talents expressed their plans to start businesses in Shanghai.

With the internet economy so hot right now, there's an increasing number of semiconductor talents eager to get involved.

If they really do come to Shanghai to set up factories one after another, then Deputy Director Jiang will become a ready-made salesman.

Well, after this round, it's really hard to say who made the most money.

Secretary Hu popped a piece of grilled squid into his mouth and yum, it smelled delicious.

Elegantly dressed men and women passed by.

The man suggested, "Why don't we eat something here first and fill our stomachs?"

The woman's almond-shaped eyes widened: "Are you crazy? Don't you know that street vendors use gutter oil these days? It'll give you cancer!"

Secretary Hu had a mouthful of squid in his mouth, and he couldn't swallow it or spit it out; he almost choked to death.

Deputy Director Jiang, also holding a skewer of grilled meat, was in a bit of a dilemma.

He had certainly heard about gutter oil.

But hearing about it and actually witnessing it are two different things.

He could only smile wryly: "There's still a long way to go when it comes to food safety."

Business owners always want to make more money and control costs, sometimes to the point of resorting to any means necessary.

No matter how hard you try to manage it, you can't control it all.

If regulations are too strict, street vendors won't make money, and if they close down, so many people will lose their jobs again, which will cause serious social problems.

Wang Xiao smiled, took a sip of beer, and said slowly, "Actually, it's very easy to manage. Just make sure that the price of gutter oil is higher than that of cooking oil, or that the profit is very limited so that operators feel it's not worth taking the risk."

Before she transmigrated, every year during harvest season, the burning of straw would cause social incidents. Farmers wanted to burn it, but the authorities wouldn't allow it, leading to endless conflicts.

But during one of her livestreams to help farmers, she discovered that in the mushroom-producing areas, neither the local area nor the surrounding areas burned straw at all.

Because these straws can be used to produce mushrooms, which simply means they can be sold for money, and nobody is willing to burn money on them.

Deputy Director Jiang paused for a moment, then hesitated and asked, "You mean?"

“Gutter oil can be refined into high-grade lubricants, which can be used in fields such as aerospace.”

Wang Xiao was a little tipsy. "I plan to work in this industry next. I hope you will support me then."

Before she traveled through time, there was a period when gutter oil was actually more expensive than cooking oil. The main problem in the catering industry was selling pre-cooked dishes as freshly cooked ones. Nobody mentioned gutter oil anymore.

It's easy to imagine how huge that market was.

A motorcycle sped past on the roadside, its stereo blaring, "We're heading towards the future."

I don't know exactly what song it is.

But what does it matter if we don't know what song it is? In 1999, at the turn of the century, wasn't everyone in that era heading towards the future?

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[Starry-eyed] Sorry I'm late. I added some content while correcting typos, hoping the chapter will look more substantial and engaging.

Furthermore, historically, in June 2001, Jiang Shangzhou formally proposed the establishment of a "National Microelectronics Industrial Technology R&D Center." He believed that based on this R&D center, "China will surely achieve its goal of becoming a leading power in the microelectronics industry within about ten years!" Coincidentally, the technology that Huahong NEC had imported from IMEC also needed a research and development base for digestion and absorption to form independent intellectual property rights. Therefore, in December 2002, the Shanghai Integrated Circuit R&D Center, jointly funded by Huahong Group, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, East China Normal University, and Shanghai Belling, was officially established with a registered capital of 150 million yuan. The R&D center began construction of an independent pilot production line with internationally advanced standards. Applied Materials agreed to provide the R&D center with equipment worth $800 million, including an initial free provision of 0.13-micron copper process equipment worth $54 million, which was the most advanced chip manufacturing equipment in China at the time.

In 2002, lithography machines were included in the National High-Tech Research and Development Program (863 Program). Led by Jiang Shangzhou, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Municipal Government jointly established Shanghai Microelectronics Equipment Co., Ltd. to undertake key technological breakthroughs. Shanghai Microelectronics enabled China to achieve significant progress in lithography machine technology and also facilitated exports.

Jiang Shangzhou himself passed away from lung cancer in 2012. Before his death, he was still participating in a conference call in his hospital room.