Replay 07: Opening the Temple of Learning

Chapter 389: Difficult to break through? Sorry, I have already written a paper
Lu Shan's words were concise and powerful. He didn't waste any time and went straight to the point.

"As we all know, the existing lithography technology has reached a bottleneck, and we can no longer rely on it to continue to improve chip performance."

"The latest lithography technology is in the hands of the United States, and they will not hand it over to us easily."

"We have to find a new way to get around this limitation."

Lu Shan paused and scanned everyone's face. "So, our goal is to develop chips based on topological semimetals."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room. Zhang Lingxi spoke first: "Topological semimetal? Can this be used as a chip material?"

Lu Shan nodded, his tone firm: "Yes. Traditional semiconductor chips rely on the movement of electrons to represent 0 and 1 during calculations."

"The properties of topological semimetals allow us to exploit their unique electronic behavior to perform similar operations."

"We can achieve extremely low power consumption and very high computing speed by controlling the way electrons move freely in the metal grid."

"You mean, using topological semimetals to make chips can achieve ultra-low power consumption and high-speed computing?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Kai's eyes, "Wouldn't that be much more powerful than the existing chips?"

"That's right." Lu Shan nodded. "Moreover, the properties of topological semimetals make calculations not only more efficient, but also make temperature control easier."

"We can make it into a low-power chip, and even achieve ultra-high-speed computing."

Zhang Lingxi raised his eyebrows, "Is this technology difficult to implement?"

"It's difficult, but not impossible to break through." Lu Shan's tone was calm but full of confidence. "I have already conducted relevant preliminary theoretical research."

"The process of gaining and losing electrons in topological semimetals is very special, and we can use this property to perform binary operations."

"Traditional chips rely on the flow of electrons to calculate 0 and 1, while topological semimetals use the jumping or staying states of electrons in metal grids to represent 0 and 1."

Zhao Kai was a little stunned when he heard this. "Does that mean that this chip is faster than any other chip we have seen so far?"

"Yes." Lu Shan's eyes were sharp. "If the theory can be realized, the performance of the chip we make will be at least ten times that of the current top-level chip."

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Lu Shan in surprise.

In 2013, the top chip was Intel's Core i7-4960X, which had a main frequency of 3.6GHz, six cores and twelve threads, and was the representative of processor performance at the time.

Its powerful multi-core performance has made it the mainstream in the high-end PC market.

"Core i7-4960X?" Zhang Lingxi couldn't help but ask.

Lu Shan nodded: "This chip is one of the top chips currently, and its single-core and multi-core performances are very powerful."

"But our goal is to develop a chip that is ten times more powerful."

Based on the design of topological semimetals, we can achieve extremely low power consumption while increasing computing speed and breaking through the technical limitations of lithography machines."

Zhao Kai was a little puzzled: "But the design and production of chips, especially the synthesis of topological semimetals, still face many difficulties. Can our production line support such a project?"

"Not yet." Lu Shan said solemnly, "We need to make fundamental improvements to the production process, especially in synthesis and precision control."

"The synthesis of topological semimetals has very high requirements. The temperature and pressure must be controlled precisely. Any mistake will affect the stability of the final product."

"Our equipment can only support small-scale production at present."

Zhang Lingxi seemed a little anxious: "Then how long can we make this breakthrough?"

"After all, once this technology is successful, it will completely change the landscape of the semiconductor industry."

Lu Shan stood up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance.

His voice was low but powerful: "So we need to speed up the progress of scientific research and complete the prototype design of this chip as soon as possible."

"We want this chip to be more than just a breakthrough, but an absolute leader in the market."

He turned around and looked at everyone present, his tone as firm as ever: "This is our new mission, to develop the fastest chip in the world."

"Our goal is clear: to open up a new path and make better chips."

“Also, the power consumption needs to be as low as possible and the stability needs to be perfect.”

The atmosphere in the conference room was silent.

The goal that Lu Shan had just announced was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

Everyone lowered their heads in silence, each with their own thoughts in their minds.

Zhang Lingxi is already fully supporting it, but others find it hard to accept.

"Mr. Lu, this is really too risky." The first person to speak in the conference room was Wang Gang, a senior engineer, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.

“Chip technology is not something that one company can accomplish independently.”

“Even among the US technology giants, no company can handle the entire industry chain entirely on its own.

The chip manufacturers in the United States have the support of the country and hundreds of billions of dollars of investment. How can we achieve this with only the current resources and technology?"

Lu Shan's eyes were calm, and his face showed no fluctuations: "I know this road is not easy, but I don't want to continue to follow the traditional path."

"When we make chips, we are working on future technologies, not just relying on mature equipment on the market."

"We have our own advantages. As long as we break through the existing bottlenecks, everything is possible."

Wang Gang shook his head unwillingly: "Mr. Lu, I'm not questioning your decision, but the barriers to entry in this industry are too high. Many companies in Xia Country have tried to make chips before."

"Do you remember the 'Loongson' project? They had the support of the state and a lot of resources, but what happened in the end?"

"It's simply impossible to do it. Not only is there no technological breakthrough, but they even dared to scrape off Intel's chip nameplate and put on a new logo. As a result, they defrauded a lot of investors, and in the end, it was still an empty shell."

Zhao Kai also interjected: "Yes, Wang Gang is right. Making chips is a long road full of pitfalls."

"In addition to technology, it also requires huge equipment support and industrial chain support."

"From design, production to testing and packaging, every link involves huge capital investment."

"Equipment like lithography machines alone cost billions, and we don't even have relevant partner manufacturers."

In the conference room, several other technical managers and engineers also nodded, with worried looks on their faces.

Clearly, the risks of the project made them uneasy.

Zhang Lingxi was the only voice that did not express obvious opposition.

Instead, he took the initiative to speak: "I understand everyone's concerns, but I want to say that making chips is not only about pursuing technological breakthroughs, but also for the future of silicon."

"If we don't make a breakthrough, we will always be followers and will never be able to break through the ceiling of the existing market." Wang Gang frowned: "Mr. Zhang, a breakthrough is necessary, but we can't just jump in."

"As you said, the state has supported projects like Loongson and Feiteng for many years and invested a lot of money, but in the end, they didn't make it."

“How can we ensure that we don’t make the same mistakes again if we don’t have these resources?”

Zhang Lingxi sighed, his tone still firm: "I know you are worried about the investment and risks."

"Indeed, making chips is a huge project, involving more than just technical issues."

"There is also support from capital and the industrial chain, but this does not mean that we have no chance."

She turned to Lu Shan: "Mr. Lu, we have the advantage."

"We have made a breakthrough in the synthesis technology of topological semimetals. If we can develop efficient chip design solutions based on this."

"Being able to effectively solve the power consumption and speed issues faced by traditional chips, the market will definitely be very interested in our technology."

"We must not only break the existing technological barriers, but also seize the right to speak in the market."

Lu Shan nodded silently, with a gleam of determination in his eyes: "I understand your concerns, but the decision has been made. We have no way out, we must go all out."

The atmosphere was a little tense, and Wang Gang's voice sounded again: "Mr. Lu, you said we have no way out, so what if we fail?"

"How much does it cost to develop this chip? How do we arrange the funds? If we fail, the entire company may fall into irreparable trouble."

Lu Shan frowned slightly, but there was no sign of hesitation in his eyes: "I am aware of the risks of every step, but I believe that only by making breakthroughs can we win the future."

“If we fail, we can learn from our failure and get back on our feet. But if we don’t try, we will never have a chance to succeed.”

The atmosphere in the conference room became depressing for a moment, and almost everyone was thinking deeply about this issue.

Zhang Lingxi said to Wang Gang and Zhao Kai: "I know everyone's concerns and understand your worries about risks, but technological innovation is full of unknowns."

"We can choose to be conservative and continue to move forward steadily in the existing field, but we will eventually be left behind by the times."

“The real breakthrough lies precisely in these uncertainties and challenges.”

Wang Gang was silent for a while, and finally sighed: "Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhang, I understand your determination."

"After all, BanSi is not an ordinary company. Your vision and pattern have far exceeded the cognition of us veterans."

"But this path... is too risky." Zhao Kai also whispered, "Is our team ready to meet such a challenge? Even our production line, can it support this level of technological breakthrough?"

The atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly heavy, and everyone's eyes were on Lu Shan.

Wang Gang and Zhao Kai's questions are still echoing in the air, and obviously have not received a complete response.

Although Zhang Lingxi was determined, there was a hint of worry in her eyes, as if she was thinking about how to balance the contradiction between technological breakthroughs and reality.

Lu Shan stood in front of the window, his back to the crowd, his heart calm.

He knows that today's decision not only affects the future of the company, but may even affect the entire industry.

Everyone's eyes were waiting for a clearer answer from him.

Finally, Lu Shan turned around. His expression was still stern, but with an indescribable determination.

He walked over to the conference table, took out a thick stack of papers from a folder without hesitation, and slammed them onto the table.

The papers flew around, making a crisp "pop" sound.

Everyone was stunned, their eyes instantly fixed on the thick stack of papers.

"What is this...?" Wang Gang asked subconsciously, his tone mixed with confusion and alertness.

Lu Shan did not answer. He looked at the group of people in front of him coldly, and said in a low but unusually clear voice: "This is a research paper on topological semimetal chips."

In the conference room, the air seemed to be frozen.

Wang Gang stared blankly at the paper on the table. His first reaction was: "This is a joke, right?" He reached out and turned to the top page, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Novel chip structure design and computing model based on topological semimetals?"

He read out the title, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "Who... wrote this?"

Zhao Kai came over and took a few pages of the paper. He only read a few lines, and his expression gradually changed from confusion to shock:

"These formulas... these models... my God, this is completely beyond my understanding of chip design!"

Zhang Lingxi also came over, pulled out a page, and stared closely at the derivation on it.

She quickly scanned it, raised her head suddenly, and said excitedly: "This formula describes the behavior of electrons in a topological semimetal grid!"

“If this model holds true…the architecture of the chip can be completely reshaped!”

"What do you mean?" Zhao Kai was stunned.

Zhang Lingxi raised his finger and pointed to a formula in the paper: "The operation of traditional chips relies on the flow of electrons to calculate 0 and 1."

"The paper proposes that by utilizing the electron jumping characteristics of topological semimetals, we can directly switch between 0 and 1 through the quantum state of electrons."

She paused, her tone becoming more excited: "This means that the power consumption of the chip will be reduced to an extremely low level, and the computing speed will be greatly improved!"

"And... the volume can also be compressed to a smaller size!"

"Smaller?" Wang Gang was a little confused. "How much smaller can it be?"

Zhang Lingxi took a breath and pointed to a design in the paper: "According to the description of this paper, use topological semi-metallic grating."

"The chip can be as small as a fingernail, but its performance is several times, or even ten times, higher than the current top-level chips!"

"The size of a fingernail?" Wang Gang shouted, jumping up from his chair. "You must be joking!"

"You mean, such a small chip can surpass all the current top products?"

Zhang Lingxi nodded, his expression extremely serious: "That's right."

"And this is not only possible, the derivation logic of this paper is completely self-consistent and theoretically completely feasible."

Zhao Kai turned to another page, frowned and looked carefully, and suddenly exclaimed:
"Wait, this paragraph... It says that the structure of topological semimetals can allow chips to have multiple cores."

“Each core can complete tasks independently and can also collaborate synchronously!”

He read on quickly, his face becoming more and more shocked the more he read. "A few sets of metal grilles can form a computing core... My God."

(End of this chapter)