Zhou Xin had always expected Guan Jianying to be kicked out. It was just a matter of time.
Because he was kicked out, World Core Semiconductor was later established. Of course, now that Zhou Xin is operating in the middle, there may not be Shixin Semiconductor.
Zhou Xin has been keeping in touch with Guan Jianying in order to poach people when Guan Jianying is driven away.
The other party was able to take Shixin Semiconductor from its initial stage of five people to a public listing in just over ten years, with a market value of NT$90 billion, approximately RMB 20 billion.
In Zhou Xin's view, Guan Jianying in his prime was his first choice as CEO if he wanted to establish a semiconductor company.
Lin Benjian is very capable, but Zhou Xin hopes that he will focus all his energy on research and development and not spend too much energy on routine work.
Guan Jianying is different. With more than 20 years of experience in analog IC, he has rich engineering experience and management experience.
In Zhou Xin's mind, the chip design of Samsung's S series can be used directly. In the early days, analog ICs did not require much R&D investment.
"Mr. Guan has more than 20 years of experience in analog circuit design. He is a rare practitioner who understands both management and technology.
Because our work in the field of lithography machines is equivalent to starting from scratch. To catch up with the progress of other companies, there is a lot of work to be done, so I will ask him to help you share the management pressure.
This allows you to devote most of your energy to research and development. Zhou Xin said.
Lin Benjian said: "Newman, thank you very much for your appreciation, but this matter is still a bit big. I need to go back and discuss it with my wife.
Specifically, can I join your company? What is your name? "
Zhou Xin said: "Xinxin Technology, Xinxin Technology will establish two semiconductor companies under its name. One is called Xinxin Lithography Machine to make lithography machines, and the other is called Xinxin Semiconductor. The latter company specializes in analog IC design. .”
"My early investment of US$1 billion in R&D expenses was all invested in Xinxin lithography machines, and Xinxin Semiconductor will invest additional money."
The name still has to be Xinxin Technology, Zhou Xin reserved it specifically for semiconductors.
Lin Benjian nodded: "Understood, so if the R&D center is placed in mainland China, which city will be chosen in the end?"
Zhou Xin said: "In Shenhai, Shenhai has Shenhai Microelectronics. They also make photolithography machines, and there are more or less talents that can be poached.
As a top-ranked coastal city, Shenhai has a large number of suitable college students. We can poach some people, find some people from outside, and then train some people ourselves.
In the early stage, I did not have high requirements for the progress. In three years, my goal is to make the first photolithography machine that can intervene in the production process.
As for whether it can achieve technological breakthroughs and be ahead of other photolithography machine manufacturers, I don't make any requirements.
In the early stage, we mainly need to establish the framework of the company's researchers and build a good team of researchers. "
Lin Benjian felt relieved after hearing this. The biggest fear in semiconductor entrepreneurship and research and development is that investors do not know the industry, and laymen guide experts, which puts too much pressure and unrealistic assessment indicators.
Zhou Xin’s goal is very reasonable and can even be described as low.
Lin Benjian: "Okay, I will reply to you within a week, because returning to the mainland involves moving the whole family, and my two children may not go back with us.
But this is still a major matter involving our family's relocation, and I need to discuss it with my wife. "
Zhou Xin nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for your good news and let's create a career together!"
After chatting with Zhou Xin, the first thing Lin Benjian did was to find his own connections to verify whether it was true that Zhang Rujing returned to China to engage in chip manufacturing.
As a famous former Texas Instruments engineer and the founder of Shida Semiconductor, Zhang Rujing is currently much more famous than Guan Jianying.
The news is easy to find out. Shida Semiconductor was recently acquired by TSMC at a valuation of US$5 billion. Zhang Rujing left TSMC, which is big news in Wanwan.
As for Zhang Rujing's news, Lin Benjian believed that Zhou Xin would not lie to him about it.
After meeting Lin Benjian, Zhou Xin went to Guan Jianying for dinner the next day: "Uncle Guan, I heard that your life is not going well.
Have you ever wanted to come over and start a business with me?
I recently plan to return to mainland China to establish a semiconductor company. "
Zhou Xin and Guan Jianying were already very familiar with each other, so they went straight to the point without too many twists and turns.
Guan Jianying has been hanging out in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, including his subsequent startups, which are also in Silicon Valley.
It’s just over an hour’s drive to San Francisco.
Guan Jianying asked: "What are you going to do? Analog IC? Unlike Lao Hu, I can only do this."
Zhou Xin said: "Analog IC and photolithography machine."
Guan Jianying immediately realized: "The investment in research and development of photolithography machines is not small. It is difficult to even start without a few hundred million US dollars."
Zhou Xin asked back: "Do you think I am short of money?"
"Yes, you are indeed not short of money.
In what capacity do I participate in this venture? "Guan Jianying realized that Zhou Xin was a man with tens of billions of dollars in his hands, and it was almost written on his face that I was rich, so he started to ask other questions.
Zhou Xin said: “CEO, I’m not very good at specific business management.
I am only responsible for grasping the strategic direction and part of the research and development work. The daily operation and management of the company are all left to you.
I have already found a R&D director, Lin Benjian, in the direction of lithography machines. This means that there are only two people in this company now, Lin Benjian and I. "
Zhou Xin believed that Lin Benjian would definitely agree to his conditions. The first contact between TSMC and Lin Benjian was in April 2000.
Participating in the creation of Xinxin Lithography Machine, for Lin Benjian, selling the shares after Xinxin Lithography Machine is launched in the future will directly represent a class leap.
With Zhou Xin’s continuous R&D investment and his trust in his own abilities, Lin Benjian has strong confidence in bringing the new core lithography machine to market.
Zhou Xin believed that no one could offer better terms than him.
Guan Jianying thought for a while: "Boss, this job is over for Lao Guan, mainly because I have nowhere to go now.
In addition, I can’t bear to go back to work at my previous company. I’m very grateful that you can give me this opportunity.
We are now in working mode. Since we are going to make a photolithography machine, I will recommend a few more people here.
Lithography machines are much more difficult than analog ICs. We have to recruit people and quickly recruit people to build a framework.
Yan Taonan and Lin Jinxiang are mainly responsible for chip imaging and photomask.
It's important for us to have them on board. "
Zhou Xin thought he heard a familiar name again. Yan Taonan later became the global vice president of ASML, and he also made great contributions to the breakthrough of lithography machines.
As for Lin Jinxiang, Zhou Xin didn't know much about him.
Since Guan Jianying compares these two people, Lin Jinxiang must be equally outstanding.
Guan Jianying continued: "Both of these two people are the directors of TSMC's R&D department, Lin Jinxiang is responsible for overall technical control, and Yan Taonan is responsible for photomask technology.
I will make a list and we need to recruit the members on the list one by one. "
“Most of them are engineers from TSMC, and I can’t guarantee that they can all be recruited.
But the news I got recently is that because Zhang Rujing plans to return to the mainland to build a factory, many TSMC engineers plan to return to the mainland with Zhang Rujing.
Now is the time when people's minds change, and there is a certain probability that we will poach people.
But we need to seize this moment. "
Lithography machine research and development is not a good business, and chip foundry is also not a good business. The downstream of the chip industry depends on the weather.
Building a factory is a large cost, and annual equipment updates are another large cost. Whether it can be started depends on the vision of the chip design company and the specific situation of global demand.
Zhou Xin thought to himself that if Zhang Zhongmou knew about poaching so many people from TSMC, he might not look good on me when we meet at CAAS.
But you have to be embarrassed when doing things. Originally, I asked Zhang Zhongmou to join CAAS just to poach TSMC.
"Uncle Guan, so what you need to do is to set up the salary framework system first, and then go to recruit people.
The company we want to establish is called Xinxin Technology, which has two companies, Xinxin Semiconductor and Xinxin Lithography Machine.
Then I plan to put the company in Shenhai. After you go to Shenhai, contact Wu Shiqiang. He will be responsible for helping me manage the investment business there.
You first set up the human resources department, and then find a senior foreign company HR to build the salary system. During the process of building the salary system, you can recruit people. "
Guan Jianying thought he was setting up a company in Silicon Valley, but he didn’t expect to return to the mainland. “To engage in photolithography machine research, the mainland’s talent accumulation in this area is very weak.
Including analog IC design, mainland China’s talent accumulation is also weak.
If we put the company in Silicon Valley, there are a lot of talents that we can recruit.
There are many engineers from IBM and Bell Labs who have been engaged in lithography machine research before. After failing in the competition with neon manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon, they also changed their direction one after another.
But their experience in the field of photolithography machines is still there.
If the company is located in Shenhai, we can only find Chinese engineers, and they must be willing to return to Shenhai.
Of course, there are a small number of engineers from other ethnic groups who are willing to go to Shenhai, but the number of such people can be ignored. "
Zhou Xin nodded: “I understand, but it doesn’t matter if there is one more lithography machine company or one less lithography machine company in Silicon Valley.
It is important to have one more photolithography machine company in mainland China.
Zhang Rujing would rather give up TSMC's stocks and return to the mainland to build a factory. We don't have to give up anything when we return to the mainland to establish Xinxin Technology, but there will be some difficulties in the process of recruiting talents.
When I was chatting with Lin Benjian before, I told him that in three years, I expect that the lithography machine will produce results in three years, and the results do not need to catch up with peers, they only need to be able to enter the production process for verification.
We have the time, energy, and resources to recruit and train a group of people.
Mainland China lacks everything in the field of integrated circuits, but it does not lack talents that can be cultivated. "
(End of chapter)
