Chapter 572 Accelerating the Layout
As night deepened, Liu Shishi finished washing up and emerged from the bathroom, her body still damp with sweat.
She noticed her husband standing by the window, silently gazing at the deep night sky, seemingly lost in thought.
She walked softly forward, gently wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and pressed her cheek against his strong back.
"Mr. Zhang is looking for you. What can I do for you?"
He didn't say exactly what he meant, but I understand now.
Song Ci raised his hand and covered his wife's hand around his waist. The touch was warm and smooth. After a moment of silence, he sighed softly, "Making chips, huh?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi rubbed her cheek against his back: "Didn't Tengda decide to invest in chips? I remember you also have a collaboration with Huawei HiSilicon. It's already on its way."
Song Ci shook her head: "It's different. Tenda only designs dedicated chips; video encoding/decoding and communication processing are all for specific application scenarios."
The same applies to HiSilicon; its Kirin chips are excellent, but...
He paused, searching for a suitable analogy, "like the relationship between an architect and a construction team."
We are responsible for drawing up the exquisite design drawings, while foundries like Huaxin International are responsible for turning those drawings into real skyscrapers.
Liu Shishi knew that Song Ci always planned carefully before acting and had never included chip manufacturing in his plans before.
She gently comforted him, "Mr. Zhang's patriotism is truly admirable, but everyone has their own path and priorities in life. Honey, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Pressure..." Song Ci whispered, "Everyone has a fear of difficulties, and I am no exception. Shishi, do you know that?"
Software and internet businesses, once they build a strong competitive advantage through their ecosystem, can often rest easy and enjoy long-term monopolistic benefits. But chip manufacturing is different!
His gaze returned to the distant lights outside the window, as if he could see that thorny track, "This is a marathon that never ends."
40 nanometers, 28 nanometers, 14 nanometers, 7 nanometers... 5 nanometers, the iteration of advanced processes is breathtakingly fast, and the investment is astronomical.
Moreover, compared to the internet, the geopolitical risks faced by chip manufacturing are several times higher.
At this moment, his mind was in turmoil.
Whether it's WeChat, Weibo, or Douyin, there are precedents to follow in his past life. He can accurately replicate the path to success with his foresight and mastery.
But chip manufacturing is a truly unknown and dangerous deep sea, with no fixed beacons, only ever-surging technological waves and hidden international storms.
However, Zhang Rujing's words, as resounding as a great bell, still resonated in my heart.
He accepted the offer and took the tiny chip.
Not only were they impressed by the other party's craftsmanship spirit of serving the country through industry, but they were also worried about the near future.
Even if Tenda and HiSilicon design the best chips, without a foundry to turn them from blueprints into reality, it will all be just a mirage.
He couldn't help but recall Huawei in his previous life, which single-handedly competed with Apple in the mobile phone field and challenged Nvidia in the AI chip field.
Using the HarmonyOS system to directly compete with Google's Android, using the Kirin chip to challenge Qualcomm, and using communication equipment to withstand pressure from the entire Western world...
How difficult and tragic that must have been!
Now he possesses a vast fortune of hundreds of billions of US dollars, which he could squander in ten lifetimes.
Whether it's funding, resources, or the so-called precognitive advantage, it far surpasses Huawei in its previous life.
Since they hold high positions and wield enormous power, shouldn't they, and must, shoulder more and heavier responsibilities?
Sensing the deep concern and unconditional support in his wife's words, Song Ci composed himself and gently patted the back of her soft hand.
His tone returned to its usual composure: "The chip issue involves a wide range of issues and requires careful consideration and meticulous planning. Rest assured, I have my own ideas."
He was clearly calculating in his mind:
China's chip industry lags behind in almost every aspect, from EDA design software to semiconductor materials, manufacturing equipment, and manufacturing processes.
Achieving complete localization and self-reliance across the entire industrial chain is not something he can accomplish alone; it requires the concerted efforts of the entire nation.
He always maintained this clear understanding.
However, they could concentrate their superior resources to help Huaxin International get out of its predicament, or select one or two important nodes in the industry chain.
Focusing on key investments and investing heavily might actually yield some tangible results, opening a path for a comprehensive breakthrough in the future.
Liu Shishi sensed the decisiveness in her husband's words and said no more.
She simply hugged him tighter and said softly, "Whatever decision you make, I'll be there for you. Do whatever you want to do."
On the morning of August 5th, the Tengda Group's semi-annual meeting, which had lasted for several days, finally came to a close.
Song Ci stood behind the podium and delivered the final concluding remarks of the conference.
On the giant electronic screen, the grand theme "The Next Three Years: Global Vision and Technological Depth" was projected.
"In the next three years, Tenda will strengthen its overseas expansion. We must capture the Southeast Asian market and cultivate it in depth."
The Song Dynasty poem paused slightly, giving the audience time to process the information.
"Southeast Asia has significant infrastructure shortcomings and unique consumption habits, which presents an excellent opportunity for Tenda to build its core competitive advantage!"
We must transform market weaknesses into an impregnable moat.
The content on the electronic screen changes accordingly.
"First, there needs to be comprehensive ecosystem penetration. We need to upgrade WeChat from an instant messaging tool into a super application that integrates social networking, payment, games, and content."
In addition, strengthen control in the e-commerce sector. Quickly enter the online consumption segment by strategically investing in and acquiring controlling stakes in Southeast Asian local e-commerce platforms.
Simultaneously, world-leading cloud computing and big data solutions will be provided as infrastructure to empower local digital transformation.
His words outlined a grand blueprint for ecological synergy.
"Secondly, it involves deep localization and the implementation of a local partnership system. In each core country, a joint venture led by local elites will be established and given significant decision-making power."
When venturing overseas, one must respect and adapt to the diverse religious cultures, social customs, and laws of different countries. Only by integrating into the local community can one win over the local community.
After discussing the macro strategy, Song Ci shifted the topic to cutting-edge technology planning, and the atmosphere in the room became more focused.
"Super algorithms, blockchain, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence will be the focus of Tenda's R&D investment over the next three years, and will be the engine driving the next technology cycle."
The words "Blockchain: Building the Cornerstone of Trust" appeared on the screen.
"In blockchain technology, we focus on enterprise-level needs," Song Ci clearly stated, "emphasizing high performance, high privacy, and strong regulatory compatibility."
For a blockchain lab, the primary KPI is the number of patents.
He stated the instructions in an unquestionable tone:
"We need to conduct a comprehensive patent acquisition strategy globally, focusing on the integration of blockchain with finance, logistics, copyright protection, and digital identity."
We must build a patent iron curtain that no competitor can bypass, forcing them to bow down to Tengda!
At this point, he paused deliberately, his gaze sharp as he swept over several senior executives from the Digital Media and Entertainment Group in the audience.
"In the second half of next year, blockchain technology will be piloted in the cultural and entertainment sector, and a digital copyright registration and trading platform will be launched."
The sound of Song Ci resonated loudly, "In the future, novels published by Reading Group and film and television dramas produced by Tengda Culture will have their complete copyright chain information stored on the blockchain."
Tenda aims to use technology to completely eradicate the persistent problem of piracy in the entertainment industry!
The deployment of blockchain technology has yielded significant results.
The screen then switched to a dynamic world map, with several locations marked with red dots.
"Next up is cloud computing."
The tone of Song Ci's words was full of expansionary ambition: "To support its global strategy, especially the unlimited computing power plan, the group will issue bonds totaling $3 billion!"
A murmur arose from the audience: Three billion US dollars, what a huge sum!
"This funding will be used to simultaneously launch the construction of hyperscale data center clusters globally!"
His gesture pointed to the map, "One is a global core hub, including Virginia in North America, Frankfurt in Europe, and Singapore in Asia Pacific."
Secondly, emerging market potential regions, including Jakarta in Southeast Asia, São Paulo in South America, and Dubai in the Middle East!
The red dots on the map seemed to come alive, radiating light representing the computing network, gradually connecting to form a network.
"Each cluster consists of 5 to 10 large data centers, creating a strong scale effect and greatly reducing the unit computing cost."
Song Ci was very knowledgeable about the technical details, saying, "All newly built data centers will adopt liquid cooling technology and give priority to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power."
We will publicly disclose the carbon emission data for every data center, actively responding to global ESG trends and demonstrating Tenda Technology's responsibility and green commitment.
His vision is still evolving.
"In addition, to fully implement the unlimited computing power plan, the group has developed a brand-new cloud computing operating system, Storm Engine!"
The audience below the stage perked up.
"On Baofeng Engine, developers around the world only need to submit code and define the required resources, and the supercomputing system in the background will automatically decompose the tasks."
Find the optimal, most economical, and fastest computing resources for it, and then match, execute, and bill them accordingly.
Then, Song Ci offered an even more tempting condition.
"Storm Engine provides global startups with one year of free computing power support worth $100,000, as well as top-tier technical support from Tenda."
The goal is to fully capture and nurture the next generation of unicorn companies globally, ensuring they are rooted in the engine of growth from day one!
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the venue. This was not just a business strategy, but a grand vision for cultivating an ecosystem.
After the applause subsided, Song Ci shifted the topic to the last key technology.
"In the field of AI, the laboratory is divided into two major departments: CV (computer vision) and NLP (natural language processing), which work together to tackle key problems."
The screen displays illustrations of two technical directions: "CV team, based on massive video data, has achieved breakthroughs in image recognition, dynamic face recognition and other fields."
The NLP team, on the other hand, trained a more accurate language definition model based on social language data from WeChat and Weibo.
Finally, Song Ci brings the conversation back to the cornerstone of all technology: algorithms and data.
"In terms of algorithms, the group will maintain its leading position by breaking down data barriers between various business groups and building a unified group data lake."
Through its social, content, entertainment, financial, and lifestyle services businesses, it legally and compliantly acquires the most comprehensive and real-time human behavior data globally.
By integrating data from across the entire domain, the Tengda Data Ecosystem becomes a high-precision digital mirror of human society, using algorithms to extract holographic data from big data.
Below the stage, a group of senior executives held their breath, completely immersed in the grand blueprint outlined by the chairman.
Meanwhile, at the Tengda headquarters building, the seventh-floor office area for Toutiao Video presented a slightly relaxed atmosphere.
These past few days, the group's senior executives have been attending the mid-year meeting. Headquarters is unsupervised, and there's no need to report salaries; a comfortable atmosphere permeates the workplace.
"Sister Li! Brother Wang! Dear colleagues!"
Xiao Zhang from the content operations department jumped up from his workstation, holding up his phone and excitedly shouting:
"Please help! I've shared the link in the group, everyone please use your lucky fingers to help me cut the price! I'm almost there!"
Beside her, Sister Li scrolled through her phone, tapped a WeChat link, and asked curiously:
"Xiao Zhang, what's the rush? What good thing is it? I've seen you fiddling with this all morning."
Seeing his colleague respond, Xiao Zhang happily explained, "Sister Li, this is called Pinduoduo, a shopping app that was just launched a few days ago!"
When you buy things on it, you can get super low discounts or even get them for free by finding multiple people to share the order!
I managed to get two pounds of bananas for free yesterday, so I've been able to save money on fruit lately!
"Free?" Sister Li immediately became interested. For someone who is careful with money, these two words have a natural appeal.
"Such a good thing? How did you do that?" She immediately followed the link that Xiao Zhang sent to the group and downloaded the Pinduoduo APP.
The icon lights up, and the interface unfolds.
As Ms. Li scrolled through the screen, she found that the app's interface design was indeed simple and clear.
Perhaps because the platform has only been online for a short time, the variety of products is not very rich, mainly consisting of generic daily necessities, fresh fruits, and snacks.
Although the selection is limited, the prices are incredibly low, and shipping is included for just 9.9 yuan, easily triggering the desire to buy.
"This price is really cheap..." Sister Li murmured.
Thinking that her son, who was on summer vacation, was clamoring for snacks every day, she picked out a box of cookies and a few bags of potato chips, intending to give it a try.
After clicking "Place Order," the page redirects and displays a message: "Group orders offer even greater discounts."
Without much thought, I casually shared the group-buying link in my high school classmates' group chat.
Brother Wang listened silently the whole time.
As a seasoned internet professional, I have a professional sensitivity to any emerging app.
After a moment's thought, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Social media-driven e-commerce?!"
Have you noticed that the link can be opened and shared directly within WeChat without being blocked by the backend?
Several colleagues who were busy figuring out how to group buy and negotiate prices were stunned when they heard this.
As the cornerstone of Tenda Group's interconnected ecosystem, WeChat is renowned for its strict network security and external link management.
Links from unfamiliar apps are mostly blocked. But Pinduoduo is an exception.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, Brother Wang, it's true!" Xiao Zhang belatedly realized. "Could it be a project incubated by the company? Are they going to get into e-commerce?"
At this moment, group leader Chu Jingzhao walked over with a document. Seeing the group members huddled together whispering, he asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Zhang quickly explained, "Team leader, the company has a new business! We're going to get into e-commerce!" As he spoke, he sent the Pinduoduo link to Chu Jingzhao's phone.
"E-commerce?" Chu Jingzhao was taken aback. He subconsciously took out his phone, clicked on the link, and quickly browsed Pinduoduo's interface and business model.
A flicker of thought crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and got back to the main point:
"Diversification of the group's business is the norm, and this may indeed be a new project. However, these are not of much concern to us for the time being; let's focus on doing our jobs well first."
His gaze swept over the group members, and his tone became serious: "Cheer up, 'Joy of Life' will be released tomorrow night at 8 pm sharp."
This is a top-tier IP adaptation from Qidian.com, a mega-production with a total investment exceeding 400 million yuan. It's a major project in the entertainment sector, and there's no room for error.
He paused, then emphasized, "This afternoon, as soon as the mid-year meeting ends, the first thing President Zhou and President Chen will do upon returning to the company is to inquire about the preparations for the online release of 'Joy of Life'."
We must be fully prepared and leave no room for error.
"Understood!" Everyone said in unison, temporarily suppressing Pinduoduo's curiosity.
"Have all the technical parameters, resolution, bitrate, and audio format, been finalized and tested by the technical department?" Chu Jingzhao began to confirm each one.
Wang, who was in charge of the coordination, spoke first: "All streaming media transmission programs have been verified three times to ensure seamless compatibility with various mobile phone models and different network environments."
The main video, audio, and subtitle files have all been uploaded to the content delivery network, and a large featured section on the app's homepage has been set up, ready to be pushed out on time.
Chu Jingzhao nodded, feeling much relieved, but then remembered a crucial detail and asked:
"Have the program distribution license number and unified logo been accurately added to the opening credits? This is absolutely essential."
"Don't worry, team leader," Sister Li, who was in charge of the content, replied, "We've checked it three times as well to ensure it's absolutely correct."
Seeing that everything had been confirmed to be correct, Chu Jingzhao finally felt completely relieved.
"Joy of Life" was the first major project he was independently in charge of after being promoted to team leader, so he had no choice but to pay attention to every detail.
(End of this chapter)
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