Chapter 305: Chapter 282: Accepting the Chip Technology

Ye Ling held Ning Ruoxi in his arms as they strolled along the riverbank. Gusts of night wind blew past, but the two of them felt nothing but warmth.

Perhaps this was the legendary magic of love?

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

As the time neared midnight, a series of fireworks suddenly crackled to life.

Over the river, countless sparks shot into the sky. The brilliant fireworks illuminated the pitch-black night.

Fireworks were generally banned in Xia Country these days, but a rare exception was made for the Lantern Festival today to celebrate the arrival of the new year!

Ye Ling held Ning Ruoxi, standing on the riverbank. Around them were many other couples just like them, their eyes fixed on the fireworks that filled the sky.

The firework show lasted for a full ten minutes before gradually coming to an end, but it wasn’t completely over!

"Stinky, look!"

Ning Ruoxi pointed toward a certain spot on the river.

"Hm?"

Ye Ling raised an eyebrow and looked over.

Where Ning Ruoxi pointed, sky lanterns were rising from the river’s surface, casting down specks of warm light.

Gradually, the scattered points of warm, yellow light connected, forming what looked like a ribbon of golden silk stretching across the entire river.

"Quick, make a wish!"

Before Ye Ling could say anything, Ning Ruoxi had already closed her eyes, clasping her hands in front of her.

Seeing this, Ye Ling smiled and did the same, closing his eyes.

...

A moment later, they both opened their eyes at the same time. Neither spoke, but they shared a knowing smile.

A wish won’t come true if you say it out loud, but they didn’t need to...

Because both Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi could guess the other’s wish just from their smile.

Their wishes were surely the same!

...

「Three days after the Lantern Festival.」

Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi prepared to return to Modu, while Ning Tianliang and Tang Jing headed to Pingjiang at the same time!

"Ruoruo, what do you think your parents will talk about with my dad?" Ye Ling asked with a light laugh, his hands on the steering wheel.

"Hmph! How should I know?" Ning Ruoxi shot Ye Ling an annoyed glance.

Ever since he found out Ning Tianliang and her mother were going to Pingjiang, this guy had been exceptionally smug!

"They’ll probably talk about our marriage, hehe..." Ye Ling chuckled slyly.

Ning Ruoxi just huffed and ignored the shameless man.

’Forget it.’

’I’ll let him be happy for a little while.’

’Once I actually marry into his family, I’ll make him cook and do chores every day, and I’ll confiscate his private stash of money. We’ll see if he’s still so happy then!’

Ah, well!

Let’s have three seconds of silence for Brother Ling.

...

Around 1:00 PM, Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi returned to Tomson Riviera in Modu.

"I need to make a trip to the company first," Ye Ling told Ning Ruoxi before heading straight to Shengding Group.

The black Maybach pulled up in front of the Shengding Group building. Ye Ling got out of the car and went directly to Zhu Yun’s office.

"President Ye, you’re here?" Zhu Yun immediately stood up when she saw Ye Ling arrive.

"Yes. How are things with Hua Deyun?"

Ye Ling asked.

"I was just about to head to the lab. Professor Hua just told me that the model has been completely built!" Zhu Yun said immediately.

"Then let’s go together." Ye Ling nodded and casually took out his phone.

Sure enough, Hua Deyun had already sent him a message while he was on his way from Tomson Riviera.

’Hua Deyun: President Ye, I’m pleased to report that the mission was a success. The model is complete. You can come and inspect it at any time!’

’I’m back in Modu now. I’ll be over with Zhu Yun shortly,’ Ye Ling casually replied, then followed Zhu Yun to the lab.

"President Ye, Sister Zhu, you’re here!"

Just as the two of them arrived at the lab entrance, Hua Deyun and his team were already standing there to welcome them.

Evidently, Hua Deyun had seen the message Ye Ling sent.

"You’ve all worked hard during this time."

Ye Ling gently patted Hua Deyun’s shoulder.

He could see that Hua Deyun had heavy dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign he hadn’t rested well recently.

"It was no hardship, really, President Ye. For me, as long as we can develop the chip technology and bring it to production, my greatest wish will be fulfilled."

Hua Deyun looked extremely excited:

"President Ye, come with me. The model for the 7nm chip architecture is finished!"

"Good!"

Ye Ling nodded and followed him into the laboratory, while Zhu Yun tactfully remained outside.

Zhu Yun was very aware of her position. She was just the chairman’s assistant, and she wouldn’t deliberately pry into matters involving trade secrets like this.

After all... for things like this, it wasn’t a case of "the more you know, the better." On the contrary, the less you knew, the better!

...

「Meanwhile.」

Inside the laboratory.

Hua Deyun was explaining the model for the 7nm chip architecture to Ye Ling, including how they had bypassed foreign technology patents.

In short, although Ye Ling didn’t understand most of it, he could grasp some key pieces of information.

Once the 7nm chip successfully entered mass production, it would break the blockade that foreign capital forces had imposed on Xia Country’s high-tech industry!

To be honest, this was incredibly important.

Because in this day and age, you couldn’t rely on anyone but yourself.

The past incident where Xia Wei Group was jointly suppressed by companies like Guge was a prime example. It was a warning to everyone that core technology must be kept in one’s own hands!

"What’s the approximate initial production cost for the 7nm chip?" Ye Ling asked directly.

To be honest, he didn’t really understand these technical matters, but since this was a person arranged for him by the system, there was surely no problem.

Therefore, his "inspection" of the technology was merely a formality.

"The cost is mainly related to the scale of production," Hua Deyun began to explain upon hearing the question.

Through his explanation, Ye Ling gained a general understanding.

There were two main aspects to the so-called cost. First was the photolithography machine used to manufacture the chips. Although Hua Deyun had mastered the technology for it, the machine itself was not cheap!

According to Hua Deyun, a single photolithography machine capable of producing 7nm chips would cost about 1.5 billion Huaxia Yuan, which was an extremely high price.

However, he also stated that the photolithography technology he possessed was twice as efficient as the machines currently on the market, such as Company A’s EUV photolithography machines!

Company A’s EUV photolithography machines currently sell for around 1 billion Huaxia Yuan, can process about 640 wafers per day, and have a monthly output of around 16,000 wafers!

In contrast, the photolithography machine built with Hua Deyun’s technology could process over 1,300 wafers per day, with a monthly output of at least 30,000 wafers.

Besides the photolithography machine, another factor was the raw material for the chips—wafers.

The demand for wafers was growing, and their price on the international market was constantly climbing. The price for a 12-inch wafer had now surpassed 110 US dollars.

This price was terrifying, representing at least a ten percent increase compared to last year!

Hearing the cost calculations, Ye Ling fell into deep thought.

Based on the current situation, it was undoubtedly better to invest more. After all, a larger investment meant a larger production scale, which would in turn generate greater profits.

Currently, besides the five million he had on hand, Ye Ling had 6.5 billion at Celestial Dragon Investment Company. He had also specifically asked Zhu Yun before coming, and Shengding Group had about 5 billion in liquid capital!

"For the initial phase, I’ll invest ten billion to get the chip industry up and running as soon as possible." Ye Ling finally made his decision.

He would personally invest five billion, and Shengding Group would also invest five billion!

In reality, this wasn’t a particularly difficult decision for him to make, because he knew just how important the chip industry was!

Although the initial cost was huge, the benefits it could bring Ye Ling were enormous.

As mentioned before, profit was one aspect, but status... that was the most important thing!

If he wanted to build a world-class corporation, Shengding Group alone was far from enough. After all, it was just an internet company.

Ye Ling’s ambition was immense!

He wanted more than just money; he wanted power. He was going to build his own business empire.

"Ten billion is enough." Hua Deyun nodded heavily. "President Ye, as long as the funds are in place, the production line for the 7nm chip can be established within a month!"

"Thank you for your hard work. I’ll have the funds sorted out by tomorrow. As for the follow-up matters, coordinate the handover with Zhu Yun, including the patent applications."

Ye Ling nodded and stood up.

"Yes, sir!" Hua Deyun nodded heavily.

After leaving the lab, Ye Ling took Zhu Yun back to Shengding Group, mainly to discuss the patent applications and funding matters with her.

"President Ye... are you sure there are no problems with this Hua Deyun?"

Zhu Yun hesitated for a moment before asking.

The chip industry had such a terrible reputation that even Zhu Yun couldn’t help but caution Ye Ling!

"There’s no problem. I’ve already confirmed it." Ye Ling waved his hand dismissively.

"Understood!" Zhu Yun nodded and said no more.

She had said what needed to be said. Since Ye Ling had already made his decision, all she had to do was follow his orders.

’After all, Ye Ling is the boss.’

’If I keep contradicting the boss at a time like this... am I crazy?’

’No, it would mean my brain’s been shot!’

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