China did not know about the plan Henning was preparing, and of course, it was impossible to take any countermeasures to it.
In fact, academic right and wrong is a collision of pure knowledge, and at some times, it can even be a conspiracy.
The key to success or failure does not lie in careful design and planning, but only in the academic level of both parties.
So in a sense, it was an above-board duel.
The winner can get a precious first-mover advantage, while the loser will face huge waste of resources and sunk costs.
However, the United States still has a greater advantage in terms of academic discourse, and the threat of the Henning Plan is not low.
The conspiracy has gradually unfolded, and the core of the storm seems to have been naturally determined before it even started.
Chen Nian.
Regardless of success or failure, he will occupy an irreplaceable position.
But now he knows nothing about it.
——
In addition to the Tinder Project, he is also busy tinkering with lasers.
This direction has been proposed a long time ago. It was originally planned during the 055 development stage. However, considering that the 055 already had an electromagnetic gun, a large power consumer, at that time, coupled with the relative cost-effectiveness of laser weapons at the current stage, If it is low, the project will not be implemented.
But now, many conditions are relatively mature, and the Shenguang Project is beginning to face technological upgrading. The second aircraft carrier has been determined to be nuclear-powered. Coupled with the increasing demand for lasers in the domestic civilian industry, Chen Nian finally decided to separate a part of it. Let’s start with the source and solve the laser problem first.
But after he really started to get in touch with it, he realized that this problem was really not as simple as he thought.
Whether it is semiconductor lasers, solid lasers, or fiber lasers, there are actually only three mainstream research directions at present.
That is wavelength expansion, high power, short pulses.
Among them, the wavelength expansion direction mainly involves mid-infrared technology. Due to the weak Rayleigh scattering characteristics of its wavelength band, this laser is very suitable as a light source for long-distance communications and is a relatively popular direction in the capital market.
In terms of high power, it is mainly aimed at the military industry and large-scale industrial fields.
Needless to say, inertial confinement nuclear fusion and high-destruction performance laser weapons are the most cutting-edge application directions.
As for short-pulse lasers, they are mainly used in finishing and medical directions - the most typical, so-called femtosecond surgery, is the product of this technology.
There is no distinction between these three directions, they just represent different application prospects.
Logically speaking, Chen Nian should give priority to the high-power direction. After all, this is a direction that is directly related to subsequent military projects.
But here comes the problem:
The three directions do not have much technical compatibility. If Chen Nian chooses high power, the other two directions will stagnate to some extent.
Because resources are limited, in the same technical field, when a certain direction flourishes, it will grow like a big tree with priority, robbing other directions of sunlight, water and nutrients.
At the same time, it cannot bring enough economic value and social benefits, and it can easily make the entire industry fall into the so-called new technology trap.
This is a paradox.
Chen Nian really couldn't make a choice, so in the end he had to summon experts from related industries through Chen Guo and organize a discussion.
As a leader in the current field of economics, Chen Feiyun will naturally not be absent, and his views are exactly the same as Chen Nian.
"So Xiaonian's idea is actually right. In the past few years, almost all of our resources have been invested in the military industry. This has indeed brought us major security advantages, but if you go outside Take a look and you will easily discover a fact.”
"That is, the rate at which people's economic capabilities are improving cannot keep up with the overall growth rate of the country's economy."
"--Okay, let me put it bluntly. It's not that I can't catch up, but that I'm too far behind."
"It is undeniable that due to the increase in our international influence, some people have indeed achieved 'get rich first', but who are the most important people in this group?"
"They are those who already have relatively abundant resources and a relatively solid economic foundation."
"In other words, we have successfully promoted the evolution of some parts of the middle class into rich people, but what about other parts?"
"The improvement in their lives has been relatively limited."
"You can't expect to completely close the gap between the two with just a few large-scale infrastructure projects."
Having said this, Chen Feiyun paused for a moment, and after making sure that others had no objections, he continued:
"Let me give you another very simple example."
"Before, we had high hopes for the Yishan project. Of course, in fact, this project has indeed promoted the rapid development of our large machinery industry and promoted the process of domestic infrastructure."
"But if we look closer, we find a very strange phenomenon."
"That is, the poor are not getting rich."
"Why? Theoretically, with the huge amount of resources invested, every individual should be given meat. Even if there is no meat, at least there must be soup to drink."
"The reason is simple: the top-down development model, which focuses on asset-heavy, high-tech emerging industries, has seriously widened the already existing gap."
"Xiao Nian, do you still remember Luojiao Village?"
"The village itself is rich in resources. It has natural endowments in terms of medicinal materials and fruits."
"We once thought that after the road was completed, the economy there would achieve breakthrough development, especially since there was a very capable grassroots leader there."
"But this idea is wrong."
"After the road was built, businessmen with financial strength from surrounding counties quickly poured in."
"People's lives have indeed improved to a certain extent, but compared to the growth of wealth of those businessmen, this number is too small."
"So, when I say all this, I actually only want to prove one issue."
"That is, we must believe that the industry has a long tail effect, but we must not be naive and think that development depends entirely on the long tail effect."
"Sometimes we need to start from the end, from that tail."
After Chen Feiyun finished speaking, everyone present fell into silence.
Yes, his argument is not directly or specifically related to the laser technology direction issue to be discussed now.
But who can say that his argument is not strong enough?
In fact, anyone who is qualified to sit here can basically see the facts Chen Feiyun said.
But the problem is that the urgency of this fact has never been shown.
After a long time, someone raised his hand and said:
"The problem Mr. Chen mentioned is factual and it is undeniable."
"But here, I would like to raise an objection."
"What I mean is, shouldn't this problem be solved from a policy perspective rather than a technical one?"
After hearing his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Indeed, more comprehensive market management, more scientific policy guidance and longer-term underlying planning are all good ways to solve this problem. Perhaps from some perspectives, this problem does not need to be addressed at the "technical" level. consider.
Technology is technology, this is the principle that Xinghuo has been emphasizing, and so far, this principle seems to have never been wrong?
Chen Feiyun smiled slightly and replied:
"Of course, of course, this is also our responsibility in economics."
"But the problem now is that there are no advantages or disadvantages among the several optional technical directions."
"If we talk about the overall benefits that high-power lasers can bring far beyond the other two directions, then there is no need to hesitate, we will definitely choose this direction."
"But the fact is, Xiao Nian just said it, and everyone has discussed it, the comprehensive income of the three directions is not very different in theory."
"Especially in the direction of high-power lasers and nuclear fusion, we already have a more mature EAST project."
"To develop laser weapons, our current hypersonic missiles still have considerable advantages, and the demand for laser systems is not that high."
"Compared with the other two directions, its urgency can even be said to be lower."
"On the contrary, when it comes to short pulses and mid-infrared, everyone can casually name several industries that are eagerly waiting for these technologies."
"Finishing, medical treatment, and communications are correct, right?"
"Compared to the high-power route, these two aspects are more sinking."
After the words fell, everyone fell into deep thought again.
Obviously, Chen Feiyun's words did not directly convince everyone present. After all, not everyone viewed this issue from an economic perspective, but continued the "inertia" of the Spark Group in the military industry.
In the eyes of everyone, stretching the long board as much as possible is the a priori correct choice. Blindly adjusting the strategy may bring bad results.
However, Chen Nian saw some risks that he had ignored in Chen Feiyun's words.
Yes, the inactivation of the lower-level economy will lead to a series of problems, and the cost of correcting these problems is not as simple as "a few policies" as many people think.
Moreover, the principle of "technology belongs to technology" does not apply here.
In today's world, technology has become the strongest driving force for development. When considering any development plan, it is impossible to exclude it.
He sat in a corner of the office, silently thinking about every detail of what Chen Feiyun just said, and couldn't help but admire his forward-looking vision as an economist.
You know, it's only 2010.
This thought, what is it that we are experiencing?
The economy is developing rapidly, overseas markets are booming, basic wages are gradually rising, urbanization is accelerating, and new technologies are popularizing much faster than before.
Such a scene, in the eyes of most people, is absolutely prosperous.
——
According to Chen Nian's experience in the previous life, although such a trend contains risks, it is not enough to shake the foundation.
But now?
A key variable has emerged, and that is your own system.
Or to put it another way, it is a “resource white hole” that “key resource increments can be obtained without consuming initial social resources.”
This thing seems to have only advantages and no disadvantages, but in fact, the impact it brings is something that humans have never experienced before.
It is not transforming the world, but reshaping it.
Therefore, in this process, every risk must be taken seriously.
Otherwise, by the time the breeze caused by the butterfly flapping its wings develops into a tropical storm, it will be too late.
After all, technology cannot be directly used as food. The core of this world is still the "human" factor.
"Is it possible that we choose a compromise?"
"For example, if you choose a type of technology, can you take into account the development of several directions at the same time?"
"Or if we don't make it so complicated, it's not impossible to directly promote it simultaneously, right?"
In the corner, someone raised his hand and asked.
Chen Nian's eyes lit up, and he suddenly remembered that this thing seemed to have a non-conflict route.
Ten years later, the most mainstream technical direction for improving laser power was coherent pulse stacking + fiber combining technology. In his memory, the equipment manufactured based on this technology indeed set off a wave of climax in the development of the laser industry. .
Compared with active priority arrangement, this choice seems to be more in line with the law of technological development, and can also avoid the instability of technological form caused by human intervention to a certain extent.
Thinking of this, Chen Nian immediately began to silently conduct experiments in the system.
The basis for his judgment is very simple, that is, to select the most representative equipment in the three directions and check the number of source points required for its analysis.
Whichever one consumes the most number of source points means which direction has the highest technical complexity and covers the most technical combinations.
The result was just as he expected. Even after excluding huge equipment such as Shenguang 4 and comparing only with commercial equipment, the YLS-1000 still took the top spot with a source point consumption of 120 points.
The technology it uses is formally coherent pulse stacking + 8 fiber beam combining technology.
Chen Nian breathed a long sigh of relief, and then said:
"I know what to do."
"Mr. Chen's idea is right - but this issue is relatively macro, so we should return to specific technologies."
"We still need to develop high-power lasers, but we can't just develop high-power lasers."
"Our goals need to be complex enough and comprehensive enough."
"Yes, the long tail effect alone won't work, but we can grow a thousand tails."
(End of chapter)
