Chapter 901
That's incredibly extravagant!
Time quickly passed to March 21st.
Just like the previous wedding, this press conference will once again be held at the Peninsula Hotel!
The main purpose of this press conference was to announce to the world that Oracle Semiconductor was officially launched!
If we're going to do it, let's do it big and big, so that everyone knows about it.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the area in front of the Peninsula Hotel was already packed with people.
More than 300 journalists from all over the world, carrying cameras and microphones, surrounded the hotel entrance.
The hotel's security personnel formed a human wall to barely maintain order.
Reporters who couldn't get into the main venue could only set up their equipment on the periphery, preparing to capture every moment through the live broadcast signal.
Inside the hotel, the Regent Hall has been transformed into a press conference venue comparable to an international summit.
At the very center of the stage, a huge backdrop displayed the Oracle Semiconductor logo, an abstract chip design with clean, sharp lines, and below it were two lines of text in both Chinese and English: Oracle Semiconductor Company Launch Conference.
No one expected that the establishment of a company would be such a grand affair.
But this is exactly the effect Lin Haoran wanted.
If you're going to do it, you should do it to the best of your ability.
Since we're going to enter the semiconductor industry, we need to let the whole world know that Hong Kong now has another player that can't be ignored.
The VIP passage opened at 9:30 a.m.
The heads of twelve semiconductor giants entered the venue one by one, guided by staff.
In addition, dozens of other executives who were not invited but were heads of some of the world's smaller semiconductor companies were also present as guests.
It could be said that the founding of a company turned into the grandest gathering in the history of the semiconductor industry.
The heads of semiconductor companies that failed to make the list of the twelve giants sat in the middle and back rows of the venue, watching the scene unfold with mixed feelings.
When they learned that Zhang Zhongmou had actually come to Hong Kong, and when they learned that all 12 giants had gathered in Hong Kong, their first reaction was shock, and their second reaction was that they had to come.
Regardless of whether they received an invitation or not, regardless of whether they could enter the main venue, even if they could only stand at the hotel entrance or only catch a glimpse from afar, they had to come.
Because they vaguely sensed that at this moment, something big was happening that could change the landscape of the industry.
If they miss it, they may miss an entire era.
At this moment, the sect leaders sitting in the middle and back rows looked at the twelve resounding names in the front row, their hearts filled with mixed feelings.
Someone whispered to their companion, "Look, Grove really came. I thought Intel wouldn't give him the time of day."
His companion gave a wry smile: "It's not just Grove, look over there, Kobayashi Koji, Galvin, Schaper... they're all here. This isn't a press conference, it's the United Nations General Assembly for the semiconductor industry."
"Just who is this Lin Haoran? How can he get Zhang Zhongmou to work for him and all twelve bigwigs to be present?"
"You don't know? It's the one who got married last month, with the Queen of England officiating, and was on the cover of three major magazines at the same time. She's worth billions."
"It's him? Isn't he in real estate, finance, and retail? Why is he suddenly getting into semiconductors?"
“We can’t fathom the thoughts of the wealthy, but one thing is certain: once he’s in, it won’t be a small-scale operation. Otherwise, why would Mr. Zhang Zhongmou have come to Hong Kong?”
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a complex emotion in each other's eyes.
It is both anticipation and vigilance.
The hope is that if the wafer foundry model really succeeds, companies like these that don't have the ability to build their own wafer fabs will have a way to survive.
What's alarming is that Lin Haoran is too rich, and Zhang Zhongmou has too much influence in the semiconductor field. Could these two combined become a new giant, which in turn squeezes their living space?
But in any case, all they could do at that moment was watch, wait, and listen.
At 9:50 a.m., Lin Haoran and Zhang Zhongmou appeared at the entrance of the venue.
Both men were wearing dark suits and walked into the venue side by side.
The flashbulbs in the press area went off like crazy, and the clicking of cameras came like a tidal wave.
Some reporters even stood up in excitement, only to be pushed back down by security personnel.
Both Lin Haoran and Zhang Zhongmou are figures that reporters have been trying to interview during this period.
Now, they stand together.
Lin Haoran smiled and waved to the reporters, then walked to the VIP section and shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of the sect leaders.
The 12 leaders of the industry giants all walked to the first row of the guest seats.
The reporters' camera flashes were almost constant.
The world's leading semiconductor figures are now almost all gathered here.
Dozens of people in one frame—the scene is truly breathtaking.
The reporters were practically snapping photos until they wore out, trying to capture every angle.
Grove and Kobayashi were talking in hushed tones, Galvin was talking to Philips’ Hans Becker, the presidents of Toshiba and Hitachi were speaking in Japanese, and Schaber sat alone in a corner, watching all of this with a complicated expression.
The sect leaders in the middle and back rows were even more excited.
What they saw was not a press conference, but a historic moment.
A historic moment that could reshape the semiconductor industry.
Time quickly passed and it was exactly 10:00 AM.
At this moment, Lin Haoran and Zhang Zhongmou appeared on the stage.
Zhang Zhongmou picked up the microphone, and instantly, all eyes in the room were on him.
The news that Zhang Zhongmou, vice president of Texas Instruments and a big name in the semiconductor industry, suddenly left Texas Instruments some time ago shocked the entire technology industry.
After that, Zhang Zhongmou seemed to disappear from the world.
Now, he finally stands in the spotlight, announcing his return to the world.
Good morning, everyone.
Zhang Zhongmou's voice resonated throughout the venue through the top-of-the-line sound system, carrying a convincing and magnetic quality.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to Hong Kong and attend the launch event for Oracle Semiconductor."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces in the audience: Grove, Kobayashi Koji, Galvin, Schaper…
And then there are the heads of semiconductor companies from all over the world.
"Among those present here are my old friends, my old colleagues, and new friends whom I have never met before."
"But whatever our relationship was before, today I want to say to you all that I, Zhang Zhongmou, am fifty-one years old and have been working in the semiconductor industry for nearly thirty years."
“Nearly thirty years,” he repeated, “from the MIT lab to Texas Instruments’ R&D department, from a junior engineer to the head of the semiconductor business group, and even a vice president at Texas Instruments.”
Over the past thirty years, I've worked in research and development, led teams, and managed tens of thousands of semiconductor colleagues.
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces in the audience.
"I thought I would work at Texas Instruments for the rest of my life."
The words were spoken softly, but in the silent meeting room, everyone heard them clearly.
Below the stage, Xia Bo's expression shifted slightly.
He knew what Zhang Zhongmou was saying and what emotions were contained in those words.
“But fate always likes to play tricks on people.” Zhang Zhongmou smiled, a smile of relief in it. “At the age of fifty-one, I left Texas Instruments.”
My departure wasn't because I stopped loving semiconductors; quite the opposite, it was because I loved it too much—too much to bear watching it be treated as a sunset industry and slowly marginalized.
This sentence is like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
The leaders in the middle and back rows whispered among themselves. They certainly knew the inside story of Zhang Zhongmou's departure from Texas Instruments, the strategic transformation known as "consumer electronics first," the decision praised by Wall Street, and the process that gradually marginalized Texas Instruments' semiconductor business group.
However, they welcomed Texas Instruments' shift of focus from semiconductors to consumer electronics.
After all, the fact that the semiconductor industry leader is abandoning its advantages to pursue consumer electronics is fantastic news for its competitors.
If Texas Instruments had continued to pour huge sums of money into semiconductor R&D as it did ten years ago, given their technological accumulation and talent pool, how many of the companies here today would have been able to grow to their current size?
So when Schappa implemented the "consumer electronics first" strategy within Texas Instruments, they were all secretly laughing.
As Zhang Zhongmou was gradually marginalized, they were all secretly rejoicing.
When Zhang Zhongmou finally left Texas Instruments, they were so happy they wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate.
But now, looking at Zhang Zhongmou on the stage, at the man they had once secretly rejoiced at for leaving the industry leader, they suddenly couldn't laugh anymore.
Because they discovered that Zhang Zhongmou had not left the semiconductor industry.
He simply changed battlefields.
Moreover, he brought Lin Haoran with him.
A person who is so rich that they can access tens of figures of funds at any time.
On stage, Zhang Zhongmou continued speaking.
"At this time, Mr. Lin Haoran appeared in front of me. He moved me, so I came to Hong Kong."
Many people ask me, why Hong Kong? And not Silicon Valley, not Japan, not Europe? The answer is simple: because there's nothing there.
He smiled, a smile that held an indescribable air of nonchalance.
"There is no ready-made industrial chain, no mature engineering team, no historical heritage to rely on, nothing. Therefore, everything can start from scratch."
My goal is to prove myself, and also to prove that the semiconductor industry is not a sunset industry!
At this moment, Xia Bai felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't say anything.
To this day, he still believes in his judgment!
Semiconductors are merely an adjunct to consumer electronics.
Xia Bai silently repeated this sentence in his heart, as if trying to convince himself.
But Zhang Zhongmou's voice continued to echo in the hall, each word striking his heart.
“Someone told me that semiconductors are a sunset industry.” Zhang Zhongmou’s gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally in the direction where Xia Bai was. “Someone told me that the future belongs to consumer electronics, to those calculators, electronic watches, and home appliances on department store shelves.”
“Everyone has different ideas. I don’t think semiconductors are a sunset industry. Two months ago, Mr. Lin Haoran personally went to Dallas to find me. He moved me with his sincerity. So I came to Hong Kong, a technological desert city, just to prove myself.”
I don't know if I'm on the right track, but I'm willing to gamble the rest of my career on this one.
Regardless, I am extremely grateful to Mr. Lin Haoran; it was he who gave me hope for my future!
Zhang Zhongmou's voice echoed in the banquet hall, each word carrying an almost tragic determination.
"I'm fifty-one years old, how many more years can I work? Ten years? Fifteen years?"
He smiled, a smile that held an indescribable air of nonchalance.
"Even if it's only for ten years, I'll give it a try, see if I can find a new path, see if I can give companies that don't have the ability to build their own wafer fabs the opportunity to make their own chips. I'll try to give this industry more options."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces in the audience.
"If this path works, it will be a stroke of luck for the entire industry; if it doesn't..."
He smiled.
"At least, I tried."
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
Zhang Zhongmou handed the microphone to Lin Haoran.
Lin Haoran took the microphone, stood in the center of the stage, and glanced at the most powerful faces in the global semiconductor industry below the stage.
He smiled slightly, a smile that carried a composure beyond his years.
To these tech gurus, he was indeed an outsider.
But so what?
Strictly speaking, he was an outsider in all the retail, financial, and trade industries that he now owns.
But ever since he aggressively acquired those companies, he has become a big shot in the industry.
He believes the same applies to the semiconductor industry!
Now, he is an outsider, but in the near future, Lin Haoran believes he will become an indispensable figure in the semiconductor industry!
"Everyone, I am Lin Haoran."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire venue through the speakers.
"Dr. Zhang just said that I moved him to come to Hong Kong, but what I want to say is that what truly moved me was Dr. Zhang's almost obsessive passion for semiconductors."
He paused.
“Two months ago, I flew to Dallas and we talked for four hours straight in a private room at the hotel restaurant. During those four hours, he didn’t talk to me about money, salary, or anything about personal interests.”
"What did he talk to me about? The future of the semiconductor industry, the possibilities of the wafer foundry model, and the entrepreneurs who couldn't realize their dreams because they didn't have the funds to build wafer fabs."
Lin Haoran's gaze swept over the heads of small and medium-sized enterprises below the stage.
He said that if there is a neutral, professional, and reliable wafer foundry, those small companies, those entrepreneurs, and those dreamers can devote all their energy and funds to design and make truly competitive chips.
He said that if this path is successful, the semiconductor industry will experience a real revolution.
The eyes of the small and medium-sized enterprise leaders in the audience lit up.
Zhang Zhongmou naturally didn't say these things when they were in Dallas, but Lin Haoran could certainly embellish them as appropriate.
In any case, only the two of them know what they talked about.
Lin Haoran continued, "At the time, I was thinking, this guy is fifty-one years old, has worked at Texas Instruments for twenty-three years, is already a vice president, and is already an industry leader. What is he after?"
"What he's after is this passion, this obsession, and this determination to change the industry, so I've decided to support him."
“I, Lin Haoran, am not short of money, but what I lack is someone like Dr. Zhang, who is willing to bet his whole life on one thing.”
"Today, Oracle Semiconductor was established. In my opinion, this is not my company, Lin Haoran's company, nor Dr. Zhang Zhongmou's company. This is a company that belongs to the entire semiconductor industry."
He raised the microphone in his hand, and his voice suddenly rose: "I promise here that Oracle Semiconductor's R&D investment will have no upper limit over the next ten years!"
For the next ten years, funding will be readily available whenever Dr. Zhang needs it, whenever the team needs it, and whenever the needs are reasonable!
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Too embarrassing!
This was the only thought in everyone's mind.
No upper limit?
Is funding readily available?
These four words, if uttered by anyone, could simply be an exaggeration.
But when Lin Haoran said it, it was a genuine promise.
Because everyone knows that Lin Haoran is not short of money.
Last month's wedding of the century has led to a thorough investigation of his net worth by the global media.
Hongkong Land Group, Hutchison Whampoa, HK Electric Holdings, Hang Seng Group, Wan Tsing Group...
Any one of these names is a behemoth in Hong Kong's business world.
Moreover, he is also an executive director of Citibank, the owner of the Langwei Group, and a controller of the global supply chain.
When someone like that says "there's no upper limit," then there truly is no upper limit. (End of Chapter)