Wang Yi had originally planned for Xingyi TVs to start at 39 inches, but after some thought, he decided to start directly at 40 inches, it wouldn't make much difference.
Although 32-inch traditional TVs were mainstream in 2012, the future trend was "the bigger, the better"!
Even the so-called optimal viewing distance would become completely obsolete a few years later.
Wang Yi continued:
"The X50, 50-inch, is positioned for the mid-range. 1080P resolution, high-end TV processor, 2G RAM, 8G storage. Priced at 5999! It will run on the XUI smart operating system."
"The X60, 60-inch, is positioned for the high-end. 4K resolution, high-end TV processor, 3G RAM, 16G storage. The price will be determined based on its launch time!"
"Among these, the X40 and X50 should be developed as quickly as possible and launched in the second half of this year."
"The X60 depends on the 4K panel and the processor issue."
Wang Yi sighed.
There was still a difference between TV processors and mobile phone processors.
Mobile phone processors lean towards instruction execution, offer richer functionalities, and demand high process and energy efficiency.
TV processors, on the other hand, lean towards video decoding capabilities.
They don't need too many functions, and process and energy efficiency requirements aren't high, but the decoding ability must be powerful!
For the X60 to support 4K, the processor would at least need to support 4K decoding, but unfortunately, current mobile phone processors couldn't do it.
Even Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 could only handle 1080P decoding; 4K was simply too much.
Even Qualcomm's unreleased quad-core flagship APQ8064 would stutter when playing 4K video.
The 8064 was this year's Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship, but it was only at the level of the Snapdragon 600.
Only next year's Qualcomm 800 series would be able to smoothly play 4K video.
Therefore, the biggest problem for the Xingyi X60 TV was not just the panel, but also the processor.
It was precisely for this reason that throughout 2012, only Toshiba and Sony worldwide were capable of making 4K TVs.
Both used their self-developed TV chips.
Sony's TV chips, for instance, had always been top performers.
Toshiba's TV chips were also incredibly powerful, capable of decoding 4K and even glasses-free 3D in 2012.
That's right, Toshiba's REGZA 55X3 4K TV supported glasses-free 3D!
The development direction of TVs in those years was still quite chaotic.
Many manufacturers thought glasses-free 3D was the future, so they put all their efforts into it.
Some manufacturers believed large screens were the future, constantly breaking through in large-screen technology to create giant displays.
Still other manufacturers thought 4K was the future, focusing their efforts on 4K decoding research and development.
Giants like Sony and Toshiba, however, went all out, tackling glasses-free 3D, 4K, and everything in between!
As for Wang Yi, he didn't consider glasses-free 3D at all.
He knew clearly that it was expensive, yielded little profit, and would remain a niche, or even completely die out, years later.
4K and large screens were the future.
But no matter what, a chip capable of decoding 4K had to be developed.
The main TV chip suppliers at present were Mstar and MediaTek.
Mstar dominated, holding over 65% of the market share, while MediaTek held about 15%.
Therefore, MediaTek was determined to acquire Mstar Semiconductor to conquer the TV chip market.
In 2012, it launched an acquisition plan totaling over 24 billion, to be acquired in two phases.
Unfortunately, this was rejected by our Ministry of Commerce, which also initiated an anti-monopoly investigation.
No other reason than this: Mstar Semiconductor held 65% of the mainland market share, and MediaTek held 15%.
Together, they made up a full 80%, a complete monopoly!
When the two were competitors, mainland TV manufacturers still had bargaining power.
Once MediaTek acquired Mstar and became dominant, if MediaTek wanted to sell at a high price, mainland TV manufacturers would have no choice but to accept!
Just like Qualcomm chips years later, a flagship chip that originally cost 200 yuan was sold for 1500 yuan, and you couldn't refuse!
After being rejected, MediaTek's acquisition plan came to an abrupt halt.
However, with the explosion of smart TVs and such a large market for TV chips, MediaTek didn't want to give up and kept applying.
In his previous life, in 2013, the Ministry of Commerce attached approval conditions: requiring MediaTek and Mstar Semiconductor to operate independently for three years after the acquisition.
This would provide a three-year buffer, preventing a situation where one company dominated and demanded exorbitant prices.
MediaTek could only agree to this.
In 2014, the Ministry of Commerce approved the merger of shares, but Mstar Semiconductor continued to operate independently as a subsidiary.
Three years later, the ban was lifted, and MediaTek swiftly applied for a full merger.
For various reasons, the Ministry of Commerce still did not approve it.
In 2017, MediaTek and Mstar Semiconductor submitted new evidence, and finally, in 2018, the Ministry of Commerce approved their merger application.
By then, the TV chip market had already undergone dramatic changes, with new competitors like HiSilicon emerging.
Mstar's market share in the mainland had significantly declined, and MediaTek's had also dropped.
Their combined market share was less than 50%, so it could no longer be called a monopoly.
Wang Yi reflected on this history, his eyes lighting up.
Currently, the mobile phone chip market was intensely competitive, with Qualcomm at the high end and MediaTek at the low end.
If Xingyi Semiconductor developed mobile phone chips, they would most likely be for self-use and difficult to sell externally.
Most importantly, they had to guard against Xiaomi.
What if Xingyi Technology's high-end chips were used in Redmi, priced directly at 999 yuan? Wouldn't that ruin it?
So, they couldn't sell them!
But TV chips were different; there were fewer competitors, and there was great potential!
Moreover, TV chips were simpler to develop, had lower process requirements, and were mostly one or two generations behind mobile phone chips.
To put it plainly, TV chips didn't need high process, power consumption, or computing power; as long as their decoding capability was strong, they would be stable!
Xingyi Semiconductor could fully focus on TV chips.
At that time, not only would they use them themselves, but they could also sell them externally and make a big profit!
Especially since 4K TV chips were currently unavailable, Wang Yi could only develop them himself.
Even Mstar Semiconductor only released the world's first large-scale commercial 4K TV chip, the Mstar 6A918, in 2014, featuring a 4-core 1.5GHz A9 CPU and a 4-core Mali 450MP4 GPU.
It was considered the most powerful TV chip of its time, supporting H.264 and H.265 4K decoding.
Meanwhile, MediaTek's TV chips of the same generation only supported H.264 4K decoding.
But unfortunately, it would still be two years before it hit the market.
Mstar TV chips for this and next year would only support 1080P decoding at most.
As for Toshiba and Sony's 4K chips, they were their core weapons and not sold externally at all.
Even if they were sold, the price would be too high.
Furthermore, current 4K chips from Toshiba and Sony only had decoding capabilities and were not smart.
In other words, even if Wang Yi bought Toshiba or Sony's 4K chips, he would still have to add an extra smart TV chip, which would be meaningless and too costly.
It could be said that if Wang Yi wanted to launch 4K TVs as soon as possible, he would have to develop 4K chips himself!
As a result, the X60 4K version could only be delayed for now.
It could only be made once the 4K chip and panel issues were resolved, likely next year.
However, this year, a 60-inch 1080P X60 TV could be launched, with a 4K version, the X60 Pro, released next year.
In his previous life, LeEco's first generation 60-inch Super TV in 2013 was 1080P.
There was no other way, as 4K smart TV chips couldn't be bought in 2013.
Wang Yi had a plan and looked at everyone:
"The 4K chip problem is difficult to solve. Let's postpone the X60 4K version until next year. This year, we'll first launch a 60-inch 1080P TV!"
Tu Hongyun, head of Xingyi TV, nodded:
"Understood, Chairman. However, our staff is limited, and developing three TVs at once will take some time."
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"Not three models, actually one and a half. The X60 1080P version, apart from its larger size, should have the exact same specifications as the X50. To put it simply, it's the same product; the X50 is fifty inches, and the X60 is sixty inches. Both have the same processor, 2G RAM, and 8G storage!"
"Then, downgrade the processor by one level, change the RAM to 1G, and storage to 4G, and that's the X40 for volume sales!"
"No problem with that,"
Tu Hongyun nodded.
"That reduces the pressure, but there's still a slight issue with the processor. Mstar's most powerful dual-core processor currently is much more outdated than a dual-core mobile phone processor. It can handle 1080P now, but if it becomes too smart and runs too many applications a few years later, it will lag."
"Very good, the problem you're thinking of is very important."
Wang Yi nodded:
"Especially since our TV system will be upgraded later, Mstar's strongest processor + 1G RAM definitely won't be able to handle it. If it can't upgrade to a new system then, it will be troublesome. After all, TVs are different from mobile phones; it's normal to replace a phone every one or two years. If TVs also needed to be replaced every two years, consumers would curse us and ruin our reputation!"
A reliable brand of TV usually lasts 8-10 years before being replaced.
Only cheap brands replace them every three years.
In his previous life, Wang Yi's LeEco X43, bought for 1999 yuan, with 3G RAM and 16G storage, never had any issues and didn't lag for eight or nine years.
LeEco's early products truly had such robust quality.
Of course, after the boss ran away, the quality of subsequent LeEco TVs became questionable.
If Xingyi TV uses Mstar's current strongest processor + 1G RAM, and the quality control is good, it might not break for eight or nine years, but with these rubbish specs, it will be too laggy to use in two years!
Such things were not uncommon.
In his previous life, the first generation LeEco S40 and S50 both used the Mstar-6A801 dual-core processor with 1G RAM.
They would lag within two years, and subsequent new versions of the system couldn't be upgraded.
So, LeEco launched a new service: as long as old users purchased a 490 yuan annual LeEco Super Video membership, a technician would come to their home to upgrade their motherboard for free.
They would replace the dual-core Mstar-6A801 processor, 1G RAM, and 4G storage with a quad-core Mstar-6A928 processor, 3G RAM, and 8G storage!
The dual-core GPU and picture quality engine, which supported up to 24fps 1080P hardware decoding, were upgraded to a quad-core GPU supporting 60fps H.265 4K hardware decoding.
This instantly transformed the severely lagging 1080P S40 and S50 into incredibly smooth 4K S40 Pro and S50 Pro!
This move almost made Lei Bus swear.
But for consumers, it was genuinely incredibly generous.
490 yuan for a one-year TV membership, and the old TV could last for several more years...
Similarly, Wang Yi's Xingyi TV would also face this problem.
In his previous life, the old chip in LeEco S40 was Mstar's flagship chip, the Mstar-6A801, which would be released next year, and it became unusable due to lag after two years.
In other words, Mstar's strongest chip this year is even worse than LeEco S40's old chip, lagging a generation behind, so it will definitely be even slower then!
This is truly screwed.
Wang Yi sighed, feeling quite helpless.
Smart TVs were just starting, and smart TV chips were so poor.
But smart TVs couldn't be replaced every two years like mobile phones; they had to last five to seven years, so sufficient upgrade space had to be provided.
There were two ways to solve this.
One was the LeEco model: replace the motherboard.
This year, use Mstar's strongest 2012 chip with 1G RAM.
Three years later, when the TV lags, users buy a video membership and get a free motherboard replacement, upgrading to Mstar's flagship quad-core chip + 3G RAM.
This method would be five-star time-consuming, not very profitable, but five-star in marketing, absolutely topping trending searches.
LeEco's motherboard replacement strategy back then won over many old fans and casual followers.
Another approach was to abandon Mstar's TV chips and directly use Nvidia's flagship quad-core mobile phone chip, the Tegra 3, equipped with 2G RAM and 8G storage.
Such a configuration would be a one-time solution, preventing lag, and would work fine even after five or six years.
It's just that the cost would be a bit higher; Nvidia's quad-core mobile phone chip is much more expensive than Mstar's dual-core TV chip!
Both methods had their advantages and disadvantages.
After much deliberation, Wang Yi ultimately decided to adopt Nvidia's quad-core chip, going straight for the ultimate solution.
No other reason, LeEco TV sales were small, so replacing all motherboards wasn't a huge workload.
But Xingyi TV was different.
If three models of TVs sold tens of millions combined, then replacing all motherboards would not be a small project.
There was truly no need to go through such trouble; it was better to directly use Nvidia's quad-core chip as a one-step solution.
Moreover, Nvidia's quad-core chips don't have basebands, keeping costs low.
Once Qualcomm's 28nm quad-core chip hits the market in the second half of the year, Nvidia's 40nm quad-core chip is bound to see a significant price drop, which Wang Yi could take advantage of to stock up heavily.
At that time, xphone 1pro, Xingyi tablets, and Xingyi TVs would all feature Nvidia quad-core chips, leading to terrifying purchase volumes and making price negotiations easier!
Even if too many chips were purchased and not all could be used in TVs, they could still be used in mobile phones and tablets, completely eliminating worries about inventory.
Moreover, using mobile phone chips in TVs, while somewhat wasteful of resources, was not a major problem.
For example, the first generation Xiaomi TV used Qualcomm MPQ8064, which was essentially a Snapdragon 600!
Similarly, Mstar's current TV chips were quite subpar, so Wang Yi could only put Nvidia's quad-core flagship chip into the entire TV lineup!
It was far better than Xingyi TVs lagging within two years, being unable to upgrade, being cursed by users, and ruining the brand.
With this thought, Wang Yi immediately decided:
"Since Mstar TV chips are not powerful enough, we'll directly go with Nvidia's quad-core flagship!"
Hearing this, everyone was startled.
Tu Hongyun couldn't help but ask,
"Chairman, is that the quad-core processor used in the xphone 1pro?"
"Exactly, that's the one!"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Since they're all the same processor, let's standardize everything. We'll design just one TV, with all models using Nvidia's quad-core flagship Tegra 3 processor, 2G RAM, 8G storage, and 1080P resolution across the board. All other configurations will also be the same, only the screen sizes will differ: X40 will be 40 inches, X50 50 inches, and X60 60 inches!"
"Xingyi Smart TV will have no low-end configurations, only high-end across all models, all with 4-core processors, 4-core GPUs, starting with 2G RAM and 8G storage, ensuring no lag for eight years!"
Upon hearing this, everyone became excited.
With such a setup, it truly wouldn't lag.
Tegra 3 couldn't handle 4K, but it had no problem with 1080P, even gaming was fine!
This processor, even on current mobile phones, was extremely powerful.
On a TV, it was a dimension-reducing attack.
Moreover, Tegra 3's biggest problem was heat generation, but TVs have ample space and convenient heat dissipation, so there was even less to worry about.
Wang Yi looked at everyone:
"You should finalize the design plan as soon as possible. Components that are the same as those for mobile phones and tablets can be ordered in bulk together, securing the lowest cost price. Other necessary components can be arranged for procurement later."
Tu Hongyun nodded:
"Understood, Chairman. As for the exterior design, we've researched it and have several proposals for you to look at."
With that, the person in charge of exterior design opened his laptop and projected his design proposals onto the large screen one by one:
"Chairman, I am Yu Shanzhi, the exterior designer for Xingyi TV. I have adopted mainstream industry design elements and innovated upon them to create a brand new design. We currently have five exterior designs. Chairman, please take a look."
Wang Yi's face darkened: "..."
But Yu Shanzhi continued to ramble:
"This design employs the symmetrical aesthetics of circles and directions, making it grand, unpretentious, yet elegant, with a metal base..."
Wang Yi couldn't listen anymore and had to interrupt him:
"Yu Shanzhi, right?"
"Yes, Chairman."
Yu Shanzhi was serious, thinking Wang Yi was about to praise him!
Wang Yi sighed:
"Is this what you've designed? A smart TV? Or a monitor?"
Yu Shanzhi froze: "..."
"It's so ugly! My monitor at home looks better than your design, truly."
Yu Shanzhi's mouth twitched: "!!!"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"It's truly too ugly. If Xingyi TVs looked like this, let alone consumers not liking them, we ourselves wouldn't like them."
Yu Shanzhi was somewhat unconvinced:
"But, Chairman, current TVs all have this kind of design. Look at Sony's latest TVs; they are also like this."
Saying that, Yu Shanzhi opened a few more pictures and projected them onto the big screen:
"Look, these are Sony's new TVs just released this year!"
Wang Yi smiled:
"Are you trying to say that since Sony designs them like this, and you design them like this, it must be correct?"
Yu Shanzhi nodded:
"Yes, Chairman, I don't see anything wrong with aligning with international big brands!"
Wang Yi was utterly speechless.
He waved his hand:
"Xingyi Technology is not suitable for you. Go to finance and process your resignation. You will receive all due compensation."
"I... fine. A good horse doesn't graze on one pasture. Hmph!"
Yu Shanzhi snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Watching his arrogant departure, Wang Yi gave a wry smile.
Tu Hongyun's expression changed slightly, and she couldn't help but say,
"Chairman, Yu Shanzhi..."
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"I fired Yu Shanzhi not because of his outdated design standards, nor because his TV designs were too ugly, but because of his outdated mindset!"
"Yu Shanzhi believes that if his design aligns with international standards and follows Sony's lead, then it's perfect. That it's correct. How can we break through then? How can we surpass Sony?"
"This..."
Everyone fell silent, but then they realized, if they always learned from Sony and did everything like Sony, they would never surpass Sony.
"What people fear most is having their minds confined, making it forever difficult to achieve significant breakthroughs."
Wang Yi elaborated:
"Sony makes traditional TVs, but we are making smart TVs. We could say we are creating a new era, an era that Sony hasn't even reached! We are treading an unprecedented path! How can we still follow Sony's footsteps?"
Everyone nodded in understanding, enlightened.
Wang Yi said no more, only took out his own design drawings and showed them to everyone:
"This is the Xingyi Smart TV!"
In an instant, everyone in the room's eyes widened.
Tu Hongyun exclaimed excitedly:
"Chairman, the smart TV you designed is too beautiful! The bezel is so narrow, simple, and elegant. Compared to Sony's design, it's simply epoch-making!"
"Indeed, no wonder the Chairman didn't care for Yu Shanzhi's design. It turns out the Chairman's aesthetic standards are so high."
"There's no harm without comparison. With such a beautiful product, who would buy an ugly-as-hell Sony TV?"
"Exactly, the TV is also one of the most important designs in a home, so the better it looks, the better. With this design, our Xingyi TV will definitely sell like hotcakes!"
...
Wang Yi waved his hand, interrupting everyone's chatter:
"Remember, what we are making is not a Xingyi TV, but a Xingyi Smart TV."
"To use an analogy, the TVs from Sony and other competitors are like Nokia feature phones, while the Xingyi TV we are making is like the xphone 1! A true smartphone!"
"Everyone must remember this clearly and approach the creation of our Xingyi Smart TV with the mindset of making a smartphone."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded, fully understanding that what they were making was not the traditional TVs currently produced by Sony and other companies, but a brand new generation of smart TVs!
Without this awareness, they simply wouldn't be able to make Xingyi Smart TV well.
Wang Yi changed the subject:
"All right, you'll work according to these standards. Bluetooth must also be added, and the remote control needs to be completely redesigned. We can't use those ugly, bulky remote controls. Make it simpler, without number keys."
Tu Hongyun seemed a bit troubled:
"Chairman, current remote controls have many buttons. Without number keys, how do we make it work?"
"..."
Wang Yi felt helpless; many things were limited by the era.
Whether it was the ugly models they drew before or the ugly TV designs now, there was nothing they could do.
Current aesthetics were just like this; change 100 teams, and it would still be the same, a limitation of the era.
Wang Yi couldn't explain it clearly, so he could only take out paper and pen and draw while explaining to everyone:
"The brand new remote control will look like this."
Wang Yi explained the functions one by one:
"The TV will have voice control and Bluetooth. We'll also add our AI voice assistant, Xiao Ai! By using these powerful features, we will build our high-end barrier, making it impossible for competitors to imitate us!"
Putting everything else aside, just the AI voice assistant alone was something LeEco and Xiaomi couldn't do!
In his previous life, Xiaomi only launched its Xiao Ai AI voice assistant in 2017.
Once Wang Yi's Xingyi Smart TV came out, LeEco and Xiaomi could imitate the appearance and configuration, but they couldn't replicate the AI voice assistant!
"I see, this way, the remote control becomes much more advanced."
Tu Hongyun nodded repeatedly, simply feeling incredible.
The others also had complex expressions; one meeting, and what Wang Yi proposed had subverted all their concepts.
The appearance was subverted, the configuration was subverted, the system was subverted, and even the remote control was subverted!
This was a smart TV!
Wang Yi redefined television!
"Alright, develop it as quickly as possible, following this exterior design."
As Wang Yi spoke, he changed the subject:
"Oh, right, in addition to the stand, we also need to create a wall mount that allows the TV to be hung directly on the wall!"
"Chairman, a 60-inch TV is very heavy. Wouldn't wall-mounting be unsafe? Or would it require a special mount?"
Tu Hongyun couldn't help but ask.
Wang Yi suddenly realized that wall mounts of this era were also not strong enough and would need to be redesigned.
In his helplessness, Wang Yi could only take out his pen and paper again and began "soul painting":
"According to this design, the material... hardness... installation standards..."
Wang Yi explained each point, and everyone listened carefully, jotting down notes.
The entire process was very harmonious, except for Wang Yi's "soul painting" style, which was a bit eye-watering.
Wang Yi sighed:
"Damn, I must learn to draw. Not much, just follow Lin Shu for a month in the evenings when I'm free."
Wang Yi wasn't aiming to be an artist; he just wanted to learn the basics so that when he drew these things in the future, they could be a bit prettier and more illustrative.
Like today's TV exterior and remote control exterior, if Wang Yi didn't draw them out, his subordinates wouldn't understand.
These things would only appear years later.
Only Wang Yi knew, so he could only draw them and teach everyone.
After explaining these matters, Wang Yi left the TV department.
They would just design the hardware according to Wang Yi's requirements.
As for the software, Yang Yan's system department would naturally handle it, still based on a deeply customized XUI system built on Android 4.0.
That evening, Wang Yi was learning to draw with Lin Shu when he received a call from his maternal grandmother:
"Xiao Yi, the solar energy system was installed at home today. Does that mean we won't have to pay for electricity anymore?"
Wang Yi laughed and said,
"Yes, Grandma, it won't cost anything anymore. Those photovoltaic panels convert solar energy into electricity. No matter how much you use, it won't cost money."
"Oh, is that so? Then I'll turn on the air conditioner and use the electric kettle, right?"
"Use them, you must use them. If you don't use them, wouldn't our solar panels have been installed for nothing? Wouldn't it be a waste? Only by using them will it not be a waste."
"Okay, then I'll use them!"
Wang Yi nodded:
"From now on, cook with the induction cooker, boil water with the electric kettle, turn on the air conditioner when it's cold in winter and hot in summer. Also, use the bath heater and electric water heater; don't be reluctant. Solar energy is a gift from nature, and it's free."
"Okay, okay, then I'll listen to you and use everything,"
His maternal grandmother smiled.
Wang Yi, however, felt a pang of sadness.
For these appliances, his maternal grandmother used to say she didn't like them or wasn't used to them, cooking and boiling water over firewood even on hot days.
It turned out she didn't dislike them or wasn't used to them at all; she was just afraid of spending money.
The elderly felt they were old and couldn't earn money, and since there was no pension in the village, they relied on their children to support them, which already made them feel bad.
They didn't want to spend more on electricity bills and add to their children's burden.
Even though this small amount of money was not a burden at all, and their children didn't mind, they still cared.
There was also his paternal grandmother, over eighty, still carrying a large kettle to boil water in the courtyard.
Wang Yi worried she might accidentally fall and get scalded.
Those large kettles were very heavy; they were no problem for young people, but not for the elderly.
So Wang Yi replaced the old kettles with 1.7L electric kettles for the elders, but they were still reluctant to use them.
Now it's good, they can use them directly.
But this isn't convenient either; it's best to add water purifiers and water dispensers!
The water in the village came from wells, which is groundwater.
The mineral content might be good, but the water was hard and had a lot of rust.
Wang Yi remembered that every time his father returned to his hometown, he would soak all the kettles at his paternal grandfather's and maternal grandmother's houses in white vinegar to clean off the scale.
But with a water purifier, there would be no need to worry about that.
With this thought, Wang Yi opened JD.com and selected three sets of water purifiers and water dispensers.
Then he called his father:
"Dad, I bought three sets of water purifiers and water dispensers on JD.com and left your phone number. You can arrange for them to be installed later; one set for Grandpa's house and one for Grandma's house, each."
"Okay, Xiao Yi, leave it to me!"
Wang Qing smiled:
"You're still so thoughtful, Xiao Yi. Water purifiers are very necessary; there's too much scale at home."
"Yeah, we didn't have the conditions before, but now we do. Let the elders enjoy themselves as they should."
"Well said, haha."
Wang Qing was in a great mood.
He felt that this year, Wang Yi seemed to have become a different person, suddenly grown up!
Whether it was his work style or his way of thinking, he was more mature than him.
"Truly my son, he's amazing,"
Wang Qing said with a laugh.
"Look at you showing off,"
Wang Shulin said, annoyed.
"But you're right this time, our Xiao Yi is truly excellent."
"Hahaha."
Amidst the laughter, the two washed up and went to bed.
The next morning, Wang Yi arrived at the chip R&D department.
As Wang Yi's most valued department, it had been recruiting a lot of talent recently, and there were many new faces.
"Boss, do you feel like there are more people again?"
Seeing Wang Yi arrive, Williams greeted him with a smile:
"They're all poached from Texas Instruments! Last year, Texas Instruments was already preparing to abandon mobile chip R&D, and this year, they truly abandoned it completely. These people were all laid off with nowhere to go. When they heard that Xingyi Semiconductor offers good benefits and the public safety here in Xia Nation is stable, they all came to me and joined."
"Excellent work!"
Wang Yi beamed.
Xingyi Semiconductor now had more foreign employees than domestic ones.
There was no other way; our semiconductor industry started late, and to catch up quickly, we had to rely more on foreign key personnel.
And Williams, with a series of skillful moves, had almost poached all the core talents from Texas Instruments' mobile chip department.
This meant Xingyi Semiconductor now directly possessed Texas Instruments' chip R&D department, which was a presence that surpassed Qualcomm.
If Qualcomm hadn't held Texas Instruments by the neck with CDMA licenses and basebands, Qualcomm would have been the junior, and Texas Instruments would have been the elder brother.
Simply put, Texas Instruments' 512MHz CPU was even more powerful than Qualcomm's 1GHz!
And Wang Yi had already obtained the CDMA license, baseband research was underway, plus the powerful team poached from Texas Instruments, so there would be no problem.
"Chairman Wang, I cut their benefits to save you money,"
Williams said proudly.
Wang Yi's expression was complex: "..."
"William, you've become more... mature."
Williams smiled brightly:
"An employee who knows how to save costs for the boss is a good employee! Moreover, consumption is low in Xia Nation, and such high incomes are not conducive to their struggle, so I cut their pay."
Wang Yi laughed wryly: "..."
What could he say?
In reality, the high salaries of these foreign semiconductor talents were not necessarily a good thing.
But there was no other way; they were at this level at Texas Instruments, and Wang Yi couldn't cut their salaries.
But now that these people were laid off, Williams taking the opportunity to cut their pay was harmless.
"With the addition of these fellows, our chip R&D has progressed much faster."
Williams elaborated:
"Currently, the SOC chip for smart homes is basically complete, using a 40nm process, which is considered first-class today. This kind of chip is much simpler than mobile phone CPUs, so it wasn't very difficult for us to make."
"Power management chips and fast charging chips are also completed, also at 40nm. We had already done these at Texas Instruments, but they have been fully upgraded!"
(End of chapter)