Chapter 87: Attending the Semiconductor Expo
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Chao spent quite a while searching online before he truly understood the significance of the Semiconductor Expo. However, he didn’t dwell on it for long and simply tossed his phone aside, taking a break.
Time swiftly shifted, and soon it was the day of the Semiconductor Expo. Early in the morning, Zhou Chao was pulled out of bed by Li Yang.
“Mmm, Elder Bro, why are you… up and about so early?” Zhou Chao, in the middle of brushing his teeth, looked at Li Yang with a puzzled expression.
“If I didn’t come early, would you manage to get up? If i didn’t show up, you’d probably dawdle until noon.” Zhou Chao chuckled playfully. These past few days, he had been staying up late either playing games or watching videos, only waking up around noon.
After finishing his morning routine, Zhou Chao changed into a windbreaker and headed out. Driving a Lamborghini Poison, he raced to the venue with Li Yang. Lin Wu followed behind, driving Li Yang’s Ferrari F12.
Upon arriving at the Modu International Exhibition Center, it was bustling with people—a sea of people. Li Yang led Zhou Chao and Lin Wu through the fast track entrance, after all, the Li Group was also participating in the expo.
Zhou Chao noticed that the expo primarily served as a platform for domestic and international manufacturers, enterprises, and institutions in the fields of integrated circuit design, chip processing, packaging testing, semiconductor-specific equipment and materials, intelligent chip development and application integration, and smart hardware design and manufacturing.
Numerous new technologies and products were showcased here, leaving Zhou Chao dazzled by the variety.
“Hey, Boss, come take a look.” Following Li Yang’s voice, Zhou Chao walked over.
“What’s so urgent that you called me over?” Zhou Chao saw Li Yang standing in front of a glass display case, examining the items inside.
“Chips,” Li Yang said, fixated on the chips displayed in the case. He stood up after observing them for a while.
“Elder Bro, what’s going on with you?” Zhou Chao looked at Li Yang’s slightly disappointed expression with confusion.
“Don’t you know? Our country’s chip development has been hindered for so many years. 1 thought there would be significant breakthroughs in chip technology at this expo, but… sigh.”
“Elder Bro, why is that?”
“The Americans and the West have been imposing technology embargoes. For instance, they won’t sell us high-quality lithography systems. We’re left to start from scratch in research, and now our lithography technology is far behind the global average.”
Li Yang paused for a moment before continuing, “Currently, the most advanced lithography systems in the world are made by ASML. They’re like a rare commodity. Even the most advanced 711111 lithography systems on the market are produced by them, costing several hundred million yuan.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao’s excitement surged. He turned back to the chip display, and Lin Wu followed suit.
“System check-in.”
“Buzz… Congratulations, host, on checking in and receiving the Semiconductor Lithography Package Grand Package.”
“Semiconductor Lithography Grand Package.” Oh my, if this package contains 711111 or even 511111 technology, could it mean breaking Western chip embargoes?
Zhou Chao was tempted to open the package right away, but he realized that if it contained purely knowledge, he might faint on the spot. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go home and open it there. With that in mind, he turned and hurried outside.
“Elder bro, I have something urgent to attend to. I’m leaving first. We’ll talk when you have time. Lin Wu, let’s head home.” Zhou Chao initially started walking slowly, but as he moved forward, his pace quickened. He wanted to get home immediately.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhou Chao’s excited hands trembled involuntarily. He leaned back, trying to calm himself down. After taking a few deep breaths, he managed to steady his excited heart.
“Boss, are you okay?” Lin Wu looked at Zhou Chao with a concerned expression.
“I’m fine. I’m just thinking about Jiang Li.” Zhou Chao sighed and used an excuse to brush off the topic.
Although Lin Wu still seemed puzzled, he didn’t press further. He focused on driving.
Once they returned to The Palms Residence, Zhou Chao rushed to the study upstairs. However, midway through his dash, he abruptly stopped.
“Lin Wu, you stay down here. No matter what happens upstairs, you don’t need to worry. If I’m not down by 6 o’clock, come to the study to find me.” With these words, Zhou Chao entered the study.
“Boss, what are you up to?” Lin Wu glanced at his watch; it was only 11 o’clock. It seemed better to wait downstairs peacefully.
Inside the study, Zhou Chao felt his heart racing and quickly poured himself a glass of water to calm down a bit.
“System, open the grand package.”
“Bang! Congratulations, host, on acquiring the 511m semiconductor EUV lithography system blueprints, as well as theoretical knowledge and material basics for the 311m level lithography systems (none of which are within ASML’s patent scope).”
Suddenly, two large USB drives appeared on the desk out of thin air, both with labeled tags. Zhou Chao had initially thought the information would be directly stored in his mind, not on USB drives.
Holding the two USB drives, Zhou Chao began fantasizing about building his future technological empire. However, a sudden realization hit him like a bucket of cold water.
“The technologies that the country hasn’t been able to break through, I now have in my hands. I’m afraid 1 can’t openly use them.” Zhou Chao pondered as he held the USB drives.
Seconds turned into minutes until Lin Wu’s knocking sound brought Zhou Chao back to reality. Checking his watch, Zhou Chao noticed it was not even 1 o’clock yet.
“Boss, you have a call.” Zhou Chao patted his bag and realized his phone wasn’t on him; he must have left it by the door upon entering.
“Come in.” Zhou Chao placed the USB drives in a drawer and saw Lin Wu entering with his phone.
“Who’s calling?”
“Young Master Feng is calling.” Zhou Chao reached out and took the phone from Lin Wu’s hand.
“You can leave first.” Lin Wu walked out of the study.
“Hey, Fourth Brother.”
“Second Brother, I’ve called you several times, but you haven’t answered. What have you been up to?”
“I’m at home. My phone was downstairs just now, and Lin Wu brought it up for me. Is there something you need?” Zhou Chao was quite puzzled; Fourth Brother was usually extremely busy, yet he had called him multiple times today. Could something have happened to Jiang Li?
“Fourth Brother, is something wrong with Jiang Li?” Zhou Chao’s sudden urgency startled Xiao Feng.
“Pah, pah, pah. My sister is doing well. Even if you’re in trouble, she won’t be.”
“Then why did you call me? Did you call me for a casual chat?” Zhou Chao’s worry vanished upon hearing that Jiang Li was safe. His tone grew livelier.
“It’s connected to Jiang Li as well, and it involves you too.” Xiao Feng deliberately left it vague, refusing to say more.
“Fourth Brother, you’re teasing me now. Spit it out!” Zhou Chao pretended to be annoyed.
“Hehe, this time, you owe me a favor. I’m treating you well, so I’ll let you know that next January, Jiang Li’s grandpa will be turning 70. Prepare a gift for him in advance. 1 heard he’s quite interested in calligraphy and painting.”
“Is that so?” Zhou Chao responded with a mix of belief and doubt.
“As a brother, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Suddenly, Zhou Chao thought of the USB drives in his hand. After pondering for a moment, he decided to ask Xiao Feng about it.
“Fourth Brother, can your brother be trusted?” Xiao Feng was also puzzled why Zhou Chao would ask him this.
“You can absolutely trust my older brother.” Zhou Chao reassured, emphasizing his confidence in his sibling.
“This could possibly affect my livelihood and life.” Zhou Chao fell silent for a moment before finally uttering these words.
“Second Brother, what’s going on with you?”
“It’s nothing. 1 trust you.”
“Rest assured, the Xiaos are a prominent family in Jingdu. If you have any issues, just call my older brother.”
“Alright, I got it. I still need to prepare a gift for Jiang Li’s grandfather. I won’t keep you on the line.” With that, Zhou Chao hung up the phone.
Having found Xiao Yang’s number, Zhou Chao paused briefly before tapping the call button..