บท 71: Invisible Hand
As previously mentioned, in 2011, the most advanced chip process was 32 nanometers—but that was something for the latter half of the year. Even though this is the Marvel world, it seems like the technology of superheroes and civilian tech are entirely different things—
Oscorp can casually develop biological DNA modeling and ultra-realistic real-time DNA insertion models, yet the general public is still using the old 32nm chips.
There's no way Oscorp is using 32nm process supercomputers too, right?
Doesn't seem like it.
But then again, in 2077, chip processors were indeed highly advanced, perfectly integrating with human neural networks.
However, production methods were inconsistent—
There was a type of chip called an "etching work chip." With a user equipped with compatible chip implants in their eyes, arms, and spine, and with the right equipment, a person could become a human lithography machine.
This kind of work method appeared during the brief recovery period after the collapse of the Old Net. People no longer had AI to rely on and were even afraid to connect to the internet, let alone automated production.
This was something Leo learned about at Arasaka Academy, but whether the orbital city's assembly lines worked like this was unclear.
But in 2011, it was more appropriate to find a factory to produce them. This could earn a lot of money—a whole lot of money.
This factory was one of the most famous chip manufacturing plants, XMSC.
As a high-quality foundry, their requirements for their clients were also high, and naturally, they could understand the design schematics.
Anthony didn't understand the technical details, so he had brought Leo along to discuss the important matters—
At this moment, he was standing beside Leo, learning. He might not need to understand the technology, but he needed to learn the proper manner of conducting discussions.
"Hello, Mr. Lee, we'd like to discuss the situation of your company—your chip is quite advanced, but there's just one issue. Your company..."
Doesn't seem like a legitimate business.
The speaker was a middle-aged man who looked a bit weathered—honestly, not what Leo had imagined at all.
"Yes, just as you see, my company is like this."
Leo opened his arms openly, "A small apartment in the slums, probably just over 100 square meters.
But that doesn't affect the quality of the chip, so what do you want to discuss, Mr. Wang?"
Mr. Wang paused—he had changed his mind.
He had come here intending to acquire Leo's company, thus transforming from a foundry into a chip manufacturer.
But it seemed like Leo was the only researcher here.
"I'll be direct, Mr. Lee. You look young and talented—would you consider joining my company in this line of work?"
Leo was surprised.
Honestly, this was more surprising than meeting people like Professor Connors and Peter Parker because this factory theoretically also existed in the original world and shouldn't be making such offers.
As a foundry in Leo's original world, they smartly maintained a neutral policy, always staying as a foundry, avoiding many serious problems.
And they somewhat survived the subsequent wars.
From the boss's words, it seemed they wanted to abandon the neutral policy?
Leo pondered for a moment, then said, "Chip manufacturing is different from other industries; there's no need to shift focus, right?"
As he spoke, Leo was also quickly searching for related information online.
Under what circumstances would a company seek change? Abandon ancestral practices?
Only when facing a crisis of survival.
When he found the information, Leo was stunned.
Mr. Wang sighed, "We used to think the same, but things are different now. We've fallen too far behind, and we don't have orders."
What Leo discovered was that XMSC was in big trouble.
Oscorp, Stark Industries—those go without saying. No one knows where their chips come from.
But in other civilian sectors, there were rumors that this company was being pushed to the edge of the market by other competitors, seemingly targeted.
The major chip manufacturers on the market were different from what Leo remembered; they had mostly chosen U.S.-based foundries instead of XMSC.
It was as if someone behind the scenes was forcing them to choose these factories.
XMSC had recently suffered significant losses, but a financial magnate from New York had chosen to invest and increase his shares—
Martin Li from Chinatown in New York. This was a case of mismanagement, and the company was about to change hands.
Martin Li had a lot of money, but he wasn't exactly a good person—he could be considered a different version of Kingpin.
There might be more to this than Leo initially thought, considering this was a world of superheroes, and these matters might be tied to some supervillain.
If the pressure was coming from financial or even higher levels, this wasn't a problem that could be solved by a simple shift in focus—it was just a company, after all.
Looks like the money here is pretty hot to handle. Better test the waters first.
With that in mind, Leo rubbed his chin and said, "Mr. Wang, thank you for your offer, but I'd like to do this on my own."
Mr. Wang sighed in disappointment.
Leo continued, "But don't sigh just yet. I can license the patent to you at a low price; you only need to pay me royalties.
As a fellow countryman, I can guarantee that the price will allow you to make a profit.
Besides the high-performance processors, I also have SOC designs for smaller devices—
If you think these can save your industry, you can give it a try. If the cooperation goes well, we can deepen our partnership."
Mr. Wang was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy—
Although the result wasn't as good as he had hoped—taking over a powerful R&D team—this was still a favorable outcome.
"In that case, can we discuss the details now? It might be a bit abrupt..."
"Not at all. In fact, this is what I want too." Leo said, then called out to the living room, "Mom! Two cups of tea, please!"
By future standards, the chips Leo provided to XMSC, even the civilian-grade CPUs, also included GPUs, and the integrated GPU performance could be considered mid-range in this world.
The standalone GPU, however, was designed for AI computation, surpassing its time—
Building AI support in this world for tasks in the 2077 world is feasible.
The high-performance AI was prepared for himself, while the former, including SOCs for smaller devices like phones, was to make money.
Leo currently needed a bit of cash, and these investments were more than enough to cover Connors' current experimental expenses and gauge the world's reaction.
Besides, the product marketing and sales costs weren't low either. If Leo did it himself, he'd have to rush to take the company public.
Not a good idea.
After a busy day, Leo sat down at the dinner table, enjoying the organic food that wasn't available in Night City.
He hadn't even had a proper meal with Jackie and V yet.
Maya took off her apron and sat down, continuously piling food onto Leo's plate—it could be said that apart from her appearance, there was no sense of dissonance.
It left Leo a bit helpless—organic food was delicious, but it wasn't as easy to digest as specialized synthetic food.
Speaking of dissonance, his mom was from Latveria, yet she didn't bring any Latverian customs?
Not to mention the home decor, even the food was standard Eastern cuisine.
Leo suddenly asked, "Mom, doesn't Latveria have any customs? What's it like over there?"
Maya's hand paused mid-motion, her face filled with sadness and fear.
"It's... hell. If there's any custom, it's death, and the funerals that send off the dead."
After she spoke, Maya grasped Leo's hand.
"Leo, I spent my whole life escaping that hell to have the life I have today. Promise me you'll cherish yours, okay?"
Leo was stunned.
In both lives, his mother was very similar—the only difference was that this life's mother had a past she didn't want to remember.
He had never seen his mother look so sad.
"...Of course, Mom."
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