Chapter 520 It's him, isn't it: Allocating resources based on results

Factory Director Tian had no objection to the copper interconnects.

Because copper interconnection is not a pipe dream, nor is it just empty talk.

IBM is known as the Blue Giant, and it truly is enormous.

The copper interconnect technology they presented at the International Electron Devices Conference in 1997 is a feasible solution with a complete process framework and measured data.

And just a year later, in September 1998, IBM shipped its first copper-based microprocessor, the PowerPC 750, using a 0.25-micron process.

It was used in Apple Power Mac computers and IBM minicomputers. The first copper-based microprocessor was shipped in September 1998, increasing the frequency from 300MHz to 400MHz and improving efficiency by 33%.

This commercial success truly proves its technological feasibility.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao blinked and asked, "Since it's already commercialized, why would we need to go through TSMC?"

Do you think you have too much money and want to share some with others?

Wow! IBM, I never knew you had such a high level of understanding. Not to mention this lifetime, even if you combined your two lifetimes, Mr. Wang still couldn't catch up.

Lin Benjian was speechless for a moment. Your boss is an outsider. As a senior executive, what can you do? You can only explain to her in a way that she can understand.

"IBM is a typical technology-driven company. Its corporate culture is about staying ahead of the times and placing great emphasis on innovation."

“TSMC is a standard foundry, and its focus is on mass production. It needs to quickly transform copper interconnects into a standardized process that can serve global customers, whether it's AMD or Qualcomm. Its focus is on yield ramp-up, cost control, and customer adaptation. In these areas, it must invest more resources to ultimately achieve large-scale mass production, thereby enabling the large-scale application of this technology.”

Wang Xiao felt she had roughly understood: "Oh, so this is the difference between a haute couture piece and a million-dollar ready-to-wear garment, right?"

This question stumped everyone at the table, including the female engineer present, who couldn't explain the difference between haute couture and ready-to-wear.

So all people could do was awkwardly reply, "That's roughly the idea."

In Mr. Wang's logic, as long as others don't say no, it's yes.

She nodded in satisfaction and began to stroke her chin: "So what are the difficulties in mass production?"

Lin Benjian explained: "The process maturity is insufficient, and the low-k dielectric and yield need to be optimized. The low-k dielectric that IBM is currently using is SiCOH, which has poor mechanical properties and is prone to scratches or dents during CMP polishing. The yield is currently only 60%. To achieve large-scale mass production, the yield must be at least 80%."

Otherwise, if you use copper instead of aluminum, copper is more expensive than aluminum, and your yield is so low, how will you control your costs?

Aside from specific customers willing to pay for high performance, it's difficult for the general public to accept rising costs.

Wang Xiao blinked, muttered to himself, "The boss has the right to be ignorant," and then boldly asked, "What is a low-k medium?"

There was another moment of silence at the dinner table. This time, Dr. Lin didn't say a word. Instead, a young engineer explained to the boss, "It's an insulating material used in chips to isolate metal interconnects."

But judging from his boss's expression, he felt that his boss still didn't understand.

So he had to bite the bullet and continue explaining: "The higher the chip manufacturing process, the more serious the signal interference and power consumption. The capacitance between metal wirings will slow down the electrical signal, and the chip's processing speed will also slow down. By using this low-k dielectric as the insulating material, the signal delay can be reduced, thereby improving the processing speed."

What they said was quite logical and organized.

But to explain all this to a layperson, this is only the first point. If we keep going, she might not fully understand even after dark.

The saying "a trade is like a mountain" is absolutely true.

Therefore, Dr. Lin Benjian concluded: "Without low-k dielectric, the performance advantages of copper interconnect cannot be brought into play, the chip manufacturing process cannot be further shrunk from 0.25 micrometers, and high-performance, low-power CPUs, chips and other products cannot be made."

Oh, I see, it's important.

So Mr. Wang passionately asked, "So how do we solve this low-k medium problem?"

Lin Benjian worked for IBM for 22 years and was also his own boss.

Therefore, he knew all too well that people sitting in the boss's chair need not only the questions raised by their subordinates, but also, and even more so, the solutions.

“I think we can cooperate with IMEC in Belgium in this area. Since the two sides have already cooperated on the 0.18-micron process and have projects underway, why not add another project? IMEC has already done some research on fluorinated silicon glass, so this direction is worth considering.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Russian engineer next to him immediately offered a different opinion: "I think fluorinated silicon glass is not enough, and silicon dioxide is lacking. Why not go directly to the Institute of Organic Elements and Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences for cooperation? I have attended their meetings. Our Soviet Union has a deep accumulation of expertise in the field of high-temperature resistant polymers such as polyimide and organosilicon resins."

The young engineer who had previously explained the concept of low-k dielectric to Boss Wang subconsciously scratched his head: "But how are they supposed to make insulating materials?"

This problem did not stump the Russian engineer who proposed the solution: "A lower k value can be achieved by forming a porous structure through spin coating."

Mr. Wang was completely bewildered, and instantly understood how Ivan had felt so uneasy in class.

It's all words I can't understand.

But it's okay, what does the boss do? The boss is the one who assigns tasks.

She smiled broadly: "Now that you know what to do, let's get started. I fully support you. Submit the application, and I'll definitely sign it."

She also preemptively stopped the factory manager, saying, "If you don't have enough manpower, it's already autumn, so hurry up and start the fall recruitment. You can recruit senior undergraduates and third-year graduate students. Only by recruiting them to work can you call it a proper internship."

As a result, Factory Director Tian blinked and gave a strange smile: "Boss, this is chip manufacturing process."

What does that mean? It means it has nothing to do with their lithography machine factory.

Each person should be responsible for their own job; don't mix things up and make a mess of things.

At the dinner table, everyone was desperately trying to suppress their laughter at the boss's thunderstruck expression, almost to the point of internal injury.

Wang Xiao took a deep breath; she knew then that she had been rejected.

Just like Dr. Zhang Rujing disapproved of her insistence on building a 12-inch chip factory, so he quickly suggested that she sign a contract with IMEC to jointly conduct pilot production of 90-nanometer process technology.

Now, Dr. Lin Benjian is using copper interconnects to shut her up about wanting to build an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine.

Boss Wang took a deep breath and said in a sinister tone, "Where's the data? Give me all the data, I'll take it to the chip factory."

The group of people couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Dr. Lin smiled and nodded: "These materials are on my home computer. I'll get them for you later."

What's the point of turning back? You have to pay today.

After work, Dr. Lin, unusually, did not work overtime so he could take his boss and his entourage home to retrieve documents.

After leaving the factory gate and walking a few steps, when he saw the supermarket, he remembered that he had run out of soy sauce at home and needed to buy a bottle to take home.

Why buy it at the supermarket instead of the grocery store closer to home? Because he has a supermarket gift card.

This is a benefit for all employees of the lithography machine factory.

Based on his many years of experience as a business owner, Mr. Wang believes that issuing shopping cards is more effective than simply giving out cash.

When money is given, it is assumed to be wages. In the context of 1999, people would categorize it as savings or living expenses.

But shopping cards are different; they're naturally for consumption, for enjoyment. Things you wouldn't normally buy with your own money, you can buy without batting an eye with a shopping card.

As for why they issued shopping cards from this supermarket?

This supermarket also belongs to the Wuzhou Group.

Wait, when did Mr. Wang start running the supermarket?

Dr. Lin sighed at the boss, "Your business is truly all-encompassing."

IBM is often referred to as the "Big Blue," but its business also revolves around enterprise-level technology services and cutting-edge technology research and development, all within the high-tech field.

Unlike Boss Wang, who manages everything from the heavens to the earth, from eating and drinking to relieving himself and his daily expenses.

Aside from not opening a bank, he could hardly think of anything else he hadn't done.

Mr. Wang could only chuckle and say, "So you're saying she doesn't have a bank? She does have a bank; she has a bank in Moscow."

"This supermarket was an accident. A few years ago, when the national policy was adjusted, the price of steel dropped sharply. I am the son of a steel factory worker, and when I went to Jiangdong Province for a meeting, I helped come up with a suggestion: the steel group and the provincial construction company should take the lead in building housing for state-owned enterprises through their own fundraising."

"To save costs, these houses had to be built on land in relatively remote suburbs. Transportation is not a problem, as the government has increased bus routes, but the living facilities are inconvenient. Since it was my proposal, I promised to build a supermarket for them to meet the daily needs of residents in such a large community."

"I didn't expect that the supermarket's products would be so popular. Even people who live in the city center would take the bus there specifically to buy things."

"When the people in charge of the supermarkets saw that this business was viable, they started to open up everywhere."

When the financial statements were handed to her, even Mr. Wang was surprised. "Wow, the expansion has been so fast! Everyone is so proactive!"

Dr. Lin listened and nodded, taking the opportunity to flatter his boss: "Because you are fair in your dealings, everyone has found their value in their work, so they are willing to do more."

Wang Xiao laughed heartily, unable to contain his desire to show off, and pointed to the vegetable section, saying, "Lin Bo, you're really getting better and better at this. We even bought these vegetables ourselves."

Where were they sourced from? They were sourced from the locations of township enterprises that cooperate with the trade city.

In these areas, township enterprises are thriving, and local farmers mainly rely on wages and bonuses from their jobs rather than farming for income.

In particular, the elderly in Liangjiang Province often take on jobs from factories or continue working, so the willingness of local rural families to farm has decreased sharply.

Anyway, growing grain doesn't make money these days.

Most local families cultivate only their own private plots of land to ensure the majority of their vegetable supply. As for the designated contracted farmland, they generally cultivate only one or two acres, just enough for their own consumption.

As for why one or two acres of land is enough for a family to eat, it's because there are more agricultural products now. With chicken, duck, fish, meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables, a stomach that used to be too full for three bowls now feels full even with just one bowl.

If you can't finish cultivating all the land assigned to you, what should you do? Sublet it.

Strictly speaking, this is not allowed under current policies.

But in rural areas, nobody cares about this. The large-scale farmers who rent land here don't grow grain; instead, they build vegetable greenhouses, which are more lucrative now.

They constitute the main suppliers of vegetables for supermarket chains.

When the supermarket manager saw the owner coming, he quickly followed beside him to provide assistance. Upon hearing this, he immediately smiled and said, "These places are developing so well now. They are a typical example of industry and agriculture mutually promoting each other. Last time I went to a town on business, I felt that their rural areas were like a mini-Europe. They had everything and were very beautiful."

Everyone talks about the polarization between urban and rural areas, and he feels that when comparing the countryside and the city, it's hard to say which is ahead.

Lin Benjian, who had little experience of rural life, listened with great interest and nodded in agreement: "Those who are loyal to their responsibilities will be entrusted with more tasks, while those who neglect their responsibilities will lose everything. God always allocates resources according to results."

Wang Xiao was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was referring to that famous verse from the Bible: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

In her previous understanding, this statement was basically equivalent to the saying in the Tao Te Ching: "The way of Heaven is to take from those who have too much and give to those who have too little; the way of man is to take from those who have too little and give to those who have too much."

Now, Dr. Lin says that God's arrangement is a distribution of resources according to their effects.

She felt a unique sense of unease after hearing it.

Why should someone who possesses resources but ignores or even avoids and wastes them continue to have opportunities?

And why shouldn't those who, no matter how much they possess, even just a little, remain true to their responsibilities and strive to create value, have more?

Her heart suddenly felt lighter, and she could feel what it meant to have a clear autumn day while standing in the supermarket.

If we don't make good use of the resources we have, we're wasting them, and neither God nor the heavens would stand by and watch.

Feeling enlightened, Mr. Wang generously said, "Lin Bo, buy whatever you want today, it's on me!"

Dr. Lin glanced subconsciously at the soy sauce bottle in his hand, feeling that the boss didn't really need to be so generous.

It's just a bottle of soy sauce; he doesn't need anyone to treat him.

Mr. Wang belatedly realized something was wrong, chuckled dryly, and pointed to the fresh food section: "Why don't you buy a yellow croaker or a hairy crab? It's the best time to eat it, and it's easy to cook, just steam it."

Dr. Lin subconsciously looked in the direction she was pointing, then smiled, because his wife was standing in front of the hairy crab stall.

He quickly went over and saw that his wife also had soy sauce in her shopping basket. The couple looked at each other and smiled.

Wang Xiao felt like a giant third wheel, but she still had to go over and say hello, because Dr. Lin's wife, Ms. Huang, was also an employee of Wuzhou.

The lithography machine factory partnered with a nearby vocational school to open an English class specifically to improve the engineers' English, especially their professional English.

Currently, translation tools have extremely limited effectiveness. Furthermore, the history of semiconductor development dictates that domestic professionals must consult and review a vast amount of foreign language materials.

Ms. Huang is a high-achieving student who has lived in the United States for many years. In addition, she is Dr. Lin's wife and has a deep understanding of the photolithography industry. She is the most suitable person to be this English teacher.

Otherwise, all that learning and education she had, giving up her job in the US for her husband, only to have to stay at home after returning to China—what a waste of her talent and life!

Mr. Wang was quite sensible. After offering to pay for the hairy crabs, he didn't try to go home with them. Instead, he instructed Dr. Lin: "You must give me the information tomorrow. It needs to be very detailed. You need to write it down clearly, which person I should contact at each step. If I don't know, I'll have to come back to you."

Having no other choice, Lin Benjian could only nod repeatedly: "I will definitely write it down clearly."

If the boss lacks ambition, there's no point in subordinates working for him.

But the boss is too ambitious, which can be a real problem.

He had been planning to take a rare day off from work and study the Bible, as he had always cherished the ideal of serving God wholeheartedly.

As a result, the boss is pressuring him so much now that tonight's plans are definitely ruined. He'll probably have to sit in front of the computer all night trying to get the data sorted out as quickly as possible.

As a typical capitalist, Mr. Wang feels no shame whatsoever for this.

She also took the opportunity to buy a few hairy crabs for herself, which she steamed when she got home that evening.

Tsk, even if it's just been bathed in Yangcheng Lake, it's still a genuine hairy crab, and just as delicious.

Unfortunately, although Shanghai's autumn scenery is enchanting and the seafood is at its best, with plump crabs, delicious shrimp, and tender fish, Mr. Wang will not be able to enjoy the bounty of the sea for many days.

Once she got the data, she had no reason to linger. She had to fly to Russia immediately and then go to Belarus to discuss with people about the research and development of extreme ultraviolet radiation and the material research of copper interconnects. She had to personally lead the teams for both.

Although she doesn't understand technology, she has ways to pull strings.

Senior engineer Lao Zhou, who boarded the plane with her, took the opportunity to flatter his boss: "Boss, someone like you is the most popular in the lab."

Unless you're an absolute genius, most people in a research field are pretty much the same level when they reach that level. Everyone knows how to do experiments and publish papers.

But someone who can integrate resources and bring all sorts of resources to everyone is at the level of a senior brother or sister. Everyone begs and revolves around you, hoping for your favor.

Do you think doing logistics work well is a simple matter? No, it's extremely complex, even top scientists struggle with it and often get overwhelmed.

Such highly skilled individuals are rare and hard to find.

Wang Xiao was overjoyed by the praise. Who says that tech people can't say nice things?

No, anyone with a high IQ who is willing to speak can do so.

She said with great enthusiasm: "Okay, let's treat this as a serious matter, set up a three-year plan, and strive to see results within three years."

The engineers nodded in agreement, each one more eager than the last.

The fact that the big boss is taking this project so seriously, even personally leading the team, shows how highly they value it. If they can achieve results, they will undoubtedly have a great chance to rise to prominence in the future.

While chuckling, Lao Zhou was mentally calculating how many organizations they would have to deal with on this trip.

The Kurchatov Institute in Russia is already on my itinerary; it's a must-see.

The project aims to leverage the institute's expertise in high-purity metal sputtering targets and thin film analysis to specifically optimize the plasma environment and deposition rate within the PVD equipment chamber.

Don't understand what this means? No problem. The boss doesn't need to understand. The boss just needs to be able to knock on people's doors and get the funds out.

besides--

Oh well, the boss won't understand anyway, so she just needs to be the one to get in touch with the boss.

The flight from Shanghai to Moscow takes 10 hours, covering a distance of 8,000 kilometers, with a five-hour time difference.

When it landed at Moscow's airport, everyone looked out the windows at a city covered in snow.

So, how does Mr. Wang plan to persuade the Russian scientists? Will he stand in the snow outside the master's door?

NO! With the depth of snow in Moscow, if Mr. Wang stood at someone's door, he would be completely buried by the snow.

In this freezing weather, she wouldn't be so suicidal.

The first thing she did after getting off the plane was to pull strings.

If you have connections and don't use them, you're out of your mind. There are plenty of men available, why not use them?

Boss Wang arranged for someone to pick up the engineering delegation and take them to her hotel in the container market; as for herself, she naturally went to the White House.

At this hour, Ivanov would definitely not leave work; he would work overtime until late at night.

The car drove through the snow and ice until it reached the White House parking lot.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Wang Xiao saw Ivanov and another man, who was wrapped up tightly, walking towards the parking lot.

Mr. Wang glanced at the other person subconsciously, because he could tell from their positions that the other person was neither Ivan's subordinate nor his superior, and judging from the distance between them, they were probably not close friends.

Who could it be?

The more she looked, the wider her eyes widened. When the person got closer, she almost had to cover her mouth to avoid exclaiming, "Holy crap!"

Oh my god, it really seems to be true.

She had assumed this guy was still in St. Petersburg. When did he come to Moscow? And what was he doing in Moscow?

Ivanov reached out and knocked on the car window, and his fiancée reacted, quickly opening the car door and getting out.

Ivan was both amused and exasperated, then patted himself on the back: "What, am I handsome again? So handsome you're stunned?"

Wang Xiao was completely speechless. She reached out and nudged his arm to indicate that there were other people around.

Ivanov then introduced the gentleman as the director of the Federal Security Service.

The gentleman from St. Petersburg nodded politely to her, even tipping his hat, and then very tactfully took his leave.

Wang Xiao's gaze unconsciously followed his back, and she watched him get into the car.

Ivanov had to cough twice: "Hey! Madam, you should be looking at your fiancé."

His fiancée immediately delivered a knockout blow: "It's him, isn't it? The one the president chose, it's him."

Ivanov was completely dumbfounded. After getting into the car, he looked at his fiancée in disbelief.

Good heavens! What kind of eyes does the Queen have? And how did she see it?

He bet that Wang didn't actually care much about Russian politics, and to avoid suspicion, she didn't even inquire about any news in that area.

Regarding the question of who will succeed the president, almost no one in Russia knows, including himself.

"I'm just guessing based on the president's attitude; I can't be sure whether it's true or not."

Ivanov took a deep breath, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Your Majesty, how did you figure that out?"

Wang Xiao smiled and said mysteriously, "Because our President needs a strong successor."

She couldn't help but sigh when she said those words.

How interesting! The world truly has its own set of operating logic.

She had to come to believe that people's fates are predetermined.

Because of her intervention, the Chechen armed forces were suppressed in the first Chechen war and never gained significant power, allowing Punonin to rise to prominence.

As a result, the second leader of Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union lost the opportunity to establish his authority in the Second Chechen War.

However, this also garnered the current president more public support.

Ivan's continued leadership in economic reforms stabilized Russia's economic situation, making his second term a remarkable achievement and winning him more supporters.

Therefore, the president's voice has become stronger, and he is now qualified to choose his successor.

He could make the decision based on his prestige and political achievements without needing the support of anyone, including oligarchs.

And all of this, in a sense, was brought about by Wang Xiao herself.

Unfortunately, during this year's Kosovo crisis, Washington, due to last year's scandals and a series of actions, prematurely exhausted public trust and congressional support, making it unable to intervene. With Europe leaderless and unable to contain Yugoslavia, the Balkans have fallen into a state of apparent truce while ongoing conflict.

This international situation dictates that the president must choose a strong successor.

At the very least, Russia's hard-won advantage in the Balkans cannot be completely lost after he leaves office.

Indeed, what is destined to happen will happen eventually.

After going through all this trouble, the person destined to become the next president will still enter the Kremlin.

Wang Xiao's simple explanation, of course, could not convince Ivanov.

If a strong successor is needed, the Kremlin has many options, not just the Director of the Federal Security Service.

Wang Xiao laughed and whispered in his ear, "When we were shorting US stocks, wasn't it him who personally orchestrated the financial scandals of those two companies?"

Ivan paused for a moment, then nodded: "It should be, but I don't know the specifics."

Since he had entrusted the matter to Punonin at the time, he really didn't interfere.

However, judging from the job responsibilities, it is very likely that the person who will actually take over this matter is the director of the Federal Security Service.

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Isn't that right? Great powers should not be afraid, nor do they need to be afraid of the United States."

Nothing boosts a person's confidence more than personally scheming and successfully scheming.

She took a deep breath and smiled at Ivanov: "Alright, darling, you can go back to work now."

Ivanov was dumbfounded: "Why should I go back to work?"

He came out specifically because she was going back to Moscow.

Wang Xiao said in a serious tone, "I came here to see you. Now that I've seen you, you can go back to work."

Ivanov gritted his teeth: "The car's already out."

Wang Xiao said seriously, "Let's go around the White House and then go back."

Ivanov's response was to kiss her fiercely.

Wang Xiao giggled, hugged him tightly, took a deep breath, and whispered, "I missed you so much, I really missed you so much."

Who cares if the president changes? She'll just keep doing what she's doing. No one can stop her from achieving her goal.

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[Starry-eyed] History has such a powerful ability to rewrite itself!