Chapter 922
The Beginning of the Fiery Era
Galaxy Semiconductor's lithography factory has never been a secret.
Located on the edge of Tangdu High-tech Zone, surrounded by a three-meter-high wall and layers of security, it is like a silent giant, operating day and night.
However, the outside world's understanding of it is limited to the fact that "it can make chips".
As for how it was made, how well it was made, what the cost was, and what the yield rate was, all of these remain mysteries.
The mystery has been solved today.
At 9:00 AM, Galaxy Technology's official website and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's official website simultaneously released a "Report on the Technology Assessment of Galaxy Semiconductor's Lithography Factory".
The report is short, only eight pages long, but each page is like a bomb, causing a sensation in the global semiconductor industry.
"The lithography factory uses synchrotron radiation light source technology and has achieved stable mass production of 7-nanometer process chips with a yield rate of 92.3%. The 5-nanometer process chips have completed engineering verification with a yield rate of 78.6%, and mass production is expected to be achieved by the end of 2020. Preliminary research on 3-nanometer process chips has been launched, and the technical route is feasible."
"The annual production capacity of a single machine in the lithography factory is equivalent to 12 times that of ASML's most advanced EUV lithography machine, while the unit cost is only one-quarter of that of ASML's equipment."
"The core equipment, materials, and software of the lithography factory are all domestically produced. Among them, the synchrotron radiation light source, photoresist, mask stage, and EDA design software are all independently developed by Galaxy Technology and have independent patents and copyrights."
"Currently, the lithography factory has signed supply agreements with major domestic chip manufacturers such as SMIC, Huahong Group, Changchun Memory, and Changxin Memory, with total orders exceeding 500 billion yuan in 2020."
The news sent shockwaves through the global semiconductor industry.
ASML's stock price plummeted 12% within ten minutes of the market opening, triggering a circuit breaker.
Tokyo Electron's stock price fell 9%, Shin-Etsu Chemical fell 7%, Applied Materials fell 11%, and Lam Research fell 10%.
The entire Philadelphia Semiconductor Index lost more than $2000 billion in a single day.
In China, A-share semiconductor stocks collectively surged.
SMIC hit the daily limit, Hua Hong Semiconductor rose 9%, Naura Technology rose 8%, and the entire semiconductor index rose 5%.
On Zhihu, a user with the verified identity of "SMIC engineer" posted a thread titled "Let me talk about what a lithography factory means".
"Many people think that a lithography factory is just a large EUV machine. No, not at all. EUV is a point light source, while a lithography factory is a surface light source. A point light source can only illuminate one chip at a time, while a surface light source can illuminate a large area at once. It's like EUV is a paintbrush, drawing stroke by stroke; a lithography factory is a printing press, printing a large sheet at once. The efficiency is not even in the same league."
"More importantly, the stability and uniformity of surface light sources are much better than those of point light sources. Power fluctuations, light source lifespan, and optical system contamination are all major problems in EUV. Lithography factories do not have these problems because they do not rely on 'lighting' but on 'laying' light. The optical path is simple, maintenance is easy, and the yield rate is high."
"There are also costs. ASML's EUV equipment costs over 100 million euros per unit, and there's a waiting list. The equipment in our lithography factory, which we manufacture ourselves, costs less than a quarter of the cost of EUV. And our production capacity is ten times that of EUV. What does this mean? It means that in the future, chip prices will no longer be controlled by ASML."
This post was pushed to the top of Zhihu's trending list.
In the comments section, countless people expressed their feelings.
"In the past, we had to beg to buy chips, but now we can finally make chips standing up."
"ASML has been holding us by the throat for so many years. Now, we have something better ourselves."
"This is the significance of technological autonomy. It's not about showing off, but about not being controlled by others."
"Thank you Galaxy Technology, thank you Wang Donglai."
"Does that mean our smartphones will be cheaper in the future, since we won't have to import chips anymore and using domestically produced ones can reduce costs?"
On Douyin, an account called "A Visit to a Photolithography Factory" has become popular.
In the video, a young engineer wearing a cleanroom suit stands in the cleanroom of a photolithography factory, with rows of gleaming equipment behind him.
"Hello everyone, I am a process engineer at Galaxy Semiconductor. Today, I will take you to see our lithography factory."
He walked up to a piece of equipment and pointed to the display screen: "This is our synchrotron radiation source, with a power fifty times that of ASML EUV. But its energy consumption is only one-third that of EUV. Why? Because we use superconducting technology, Xirang superconducting, you've heard of it, right? It was developed by our company."
He walked to another piece of equipment: "This is our photoresist, which we developed independently and have our own patents. Its resolution, sensitivity, linewidth, and roughness have all reached the international advanced level. In the past, high-end photoresist could only be imported from Japan, but now we can make it ourselves."
He walked to the third piece of equipment: "This is our mask stage, which we developed independently. Its positioning accuracy, repeatability, and stability have all reached the international advanced level. In the past, high-end mask stages could only be imported from Germany, but now we can make them ourselves."
He finally walked to a huge piece of equipment and patted its casing: "This is the main body of our lithography machine, completely designed and manufactured in-house. The 7-nanometer process has a yield rate of 92.3%. The 5-nanometer process has a yield rate of 78.6%. The 3-nanometer process is already on its way."
He turned to the camera, his voice choked with emotion: "I've been in this industry for ten years. For the first seven, I was just 'following in other people's footsteps.' We bought ASML's equipment, but they didn't teach us how to use it. When problems arose, we had to call their engineers to fix it, which cost tens of thousands of yuan a day. Back then, I wondered, when will we be able to have our own lithography machine?"
"Now we have it, and it's better than theirs."
At the end of the video, he said something that broke the hearts of countless people: "In the semiconductor field, we have finally achieved world-leading results."
The video garnered over 200 million views overnight.
The comments section was filled with phrases like "tribute," "tears in my eyes," and "Galaxy Technology is awesome."
That afternoon, CCTV's News Broadcast devoted three minutes to a special report on the technological breakthrough of the lithography factory.
In the footage, Wang Donglai stands in the cleanroom of the lithography factory, wearing a cleanroom suit, and says to the camera: "The breakthrough in the lithography factory is not the achievement of Galaxy Technology alone, but a victory of the national system. Without the support of major universities, upstream and downstream enterprises, and policies, Galaxy Technology alone could not have come this far."
The host asked, "Academician Wang, what are Galaxy Semiconductor's next goals?"
Wang Donglai said: "Mass production of 3-nanometer process, pre-research of 1-nanometer process, and exploration of next-generation lithography technology."
The host then asked, "Next-generation lithography technology? Can you reveal some directions?"
Wang Donglai smiled and said, "I can't say too much, but I can reveal one word—'lithography farm'."
This new term instantly went viral online.
"Lithography farm? What the heck?"
"A lithography factory isn't enough, they're going to build farms too? Are they trying to grow chips?"
"Wang Donglai is a person who is constantly redefining our understanding of things."
"I have a bold guess: could the lithography farm be using biotechnology to make chips? DNA storage has already been developed, so how far away can DNA computing be?"
"Upstairs, your imagination is wild, but I like it."
"Technology is developing so fast, I always feel like I'm dreaming. I feel like this world has undergone a small-scale spiritual evolution, which is why there is so much technological development. Please, please don't abandon me!"
"Galaxy Technology is a company that deserves to be praised for its integrity."
That evening, ASML headquarters held an emergency board meeting.
New CEO Peter Winninger sat in the main seat, his face ashen.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was as heavy as the sky before a storm.
"Gentlemen, the lithography factories in China have posed a substantial threat to our core business."
His voice was hoarse, carrying a suppressed anger: "Seven-nanometer process, yield rate 92.3%. Five-nanometer process, yield rate 78.6%. We can no longer catch up with these numbers."
Martin van den Brink, the newly replaced chief technology officer, opened a report: "Our High-NA EUV is not expected to be mass-produced until 2023. By then, the Chinese may have already mastered three nanometers, or even one nanometer. The gap is not narrowing, it is widening."
"Then what should we do?" someone asked. Wen Ningke was silent for a long time, then said, "Go talk to them again, talk about cooperation, licensing, joint ventures, anything is fine, as long as we can survive."
The conference room was deathly silent.
Everyone understood what those words meant.
The previous CEO and CTO did try, but without success.
Because it failed, it was directly replaced by the shareholders.
Wen Ning, who took over the position, was forced into it. After taking office, he tried many methods to barely stabilize the stock price.
However, as soon as Galaxy Technology released this announcement, its stock price plummeted again, as did the stock prices of semiconductor companies worldwide.
With a 5nm process and a yield rate of 78.6%, this achievement is something that ASML can only dream of.
The gap is so large, and coupled with the cost difference, it further widens the competitive gap between the two.
Originally, Wen Ning could have considered pursuing both paths simultaneously.
At worst, we'll lose the Chinese market. The profit margin will be lower, but we can still maintain a certain market share, which may not be a bad thing.
Crying at the former suppliers, using some tricks to raise prices so they can only buy lithography machines—that's a good idea.
But now, that idea has completely failed.
Because the leading technology of lithography factories has reached an extremely dangerous level.
Congressmen aren't fools; they can distinguish between what is truly advanced and what is outdated technology.
Now, it's the congressmen who are starting to worry that China won't sell them lithography factory technology.
Although such a thing has not yet happened, Wen Ningke, who is qualified to serve as CEO, still has this keen strategic vision.
If we don't seize this opportunity to secure the partnership with Galaxy Semiconductor, we'll have no chance at all.
If we get the opportunity to become an overseas partner of Galaxy Semiconductor, things will be much easier.
The market can be preserved, and there are enough profits to satisfy the appetites of Congress.
This is undoubtedly killing two birds with one stone.
Therefore, Wen Ning immediately changed her attitude.
This time, however, his attitude was more resolute and decisive than his predecessor's.
Abandon all illusions; as long as we can secure a licensing agreement with Galaxy Semiconductor, we're willing to negotiate any price or condition.
After making this decision at the executive meeting, Wen Ningke immediately took action.
……
In July, Tangdu was as hot as a steamer.
The flow of people at the train station exit began to surge at six in the morning, and by ten in the morning, it had already blocked the road outside the square.
Young people dragging suitcases poured in from all directions. Some carried backpacks, some carried woven bags, and some dragged a suitcase in one hand and held up their phones in the other, with the simple recruitment page of Galaxy Technology's official website on the screen.
"Welcome to Tangdu."
The five words shone brightly in the sunlight.
When Li Xiangyang got off the K1132 train, his legs were already numb from standing.
He came from a small county in southern Jiangxi. He had traveled for 26 hours in a hard seat. The carriage was packed like sardines, and there were even people squatting outside the toilet.
He couldn't get a seat ticket, so he huddled up against his luggage in the connecting area between the carriages and spent the night there, getting kicked seven or eight times by people coming and going.
But he didn't feel bitter.
He is 22 years old this year, graduated from a third-tier university, majoring in marketing—a major he himself doesn't even know what he studied.
I've been sending out resumes for two months, but they've all disappeared without a trace.
The only decent company in the county is hiring sales staff. The base salary is 1,800 yuan, and commission depends on performance.
He did the math: without sales, relying solely on his base salary, he would need 600 yuan to rent a single room, 800 yuan for food, and 400 yuan left, not even enough to buy a decent shirt.
Then he saw that message.
"Galaxy Technology and its subsidiaries plan to recruit 200,000 people this year. There are no restrictions on household registration, age, or education."
He stared at that line of text for a long time, then took a screenshot and set it as his phone wallpaper.
At the exit gate, a volunteer wearing a blue Galaxy Technology uniform took his ID card, scanned it on a handheld terminal, the machine beeped, and his information appeared on the screen.
"Li Xiangyang, from southern Jiangxi, job seeker: Xinghuo Express?"
"Yes."
He was a little nervous: "I...I don't have a high level of education, I don't know if I can do it."
The volunteer was a young woman in her early twenties who smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth: "We don't look at education, we look at ability. Do you have strength?"
"Yes." He straightened his back subconsciously.
"Can you endure hardship?"
"can."
"That's fine."
The girl handed him a card with a QR code and a line of text printed on it, saying, "Scan the code, fill out the form, and then report to this address. There will be free accommodation for three days. An interview will be arranged within three days, and you can start working if you pass the interview."
Li Xiangyang took the card, his hand trembling slightly.
He thought there would be a long wait, that he would be hampered by various conditions, and that he would have to compete with dozens of other people for a single position.
He was prepared to be rejected, prepared to wander the streets of Tangdu for a few days, and prepared for the worst.
but no.
Everything was as simple as shopping at a supermarket—scan the code, fill out a form, check in, have an interview, and start working.
"It's...it's that simple?" he couldn't help but ask.
The young woman smiled: "It's that simple. Our chairman said that hiring isn't a talent show; we're looking for people to work with. As long as you're willing to work, you're welcome to come." (End of Chapter)