Chapter 862: Silicon Valley’s Invitation
Translator: _Min_ Editor: Caron_
Since major technological breakthroughs in graphene materials, phone screens, regardless of the technology, were replaced with graphene, and the chips also gradually transitioned from silicon-based chips to graphene chips. It was at this time that people fully realized how profitable Future Group would be from leading this materials science revolution.
80% of the world’s supply of graphene materials came from New Malaysia Special District, from Future Group’s graphene factories. Especially for high-strength graphene and semiconductor-type graphene materials, Future Group, which held the core technology, almost monopolized the entire supply market and controlled the undisputable pricing power.
Even Future Technology’s compet.i.tors, Apple, Samsung, and other electronics manufacturers, had to admit that their own technology was inferior. They used graphene screens produced by Future Heavy Industries and the Dark Blue M1 chips.
However, after obtaining a technical license from Future Group, Intel also subsequently developed a graphene chip to stop the downward pressure on the plunging stock prices. However, people with a clear read on the situation saw the technological gap between this rushed semi-finished product and the Dark Blue M1.
It was precisely because of this that the most unbearable loss of the European embargo against Future Group was the losses suffered in the electronics industry. Although the European Union seemed to have selectively forgotten about graphene and didn’t impose any penalty on the graphene materials exported by Future Group to Europe, Future Group unilaterally announced that it would terminate the supply of graphene to European companies.
This dealt a heavy blow to the supercomputer centers in Switzerland and other countries, as well as the European semiconductor companies that were already lagging behind Silicon Valley. If they wished to purchase Future chips, they had to purchase the chips at high prices through offsh.o.r.e dealers registered in Sweden, Norway, and Britain.
It was no exaggeration to say that with the increasing popularity of graphene materials, Future Group’s control of the global electronics industry also became more p.r.o.nounced. The reason why UA didn’t target Future Group was partly because of the coalition formed with the WASP consortium. On the other hand, they were concerned about the impact on Silicon Valley from the price fluctuations of graphene.
80% of the world’s graphene materials came from Future Group, and 60% were sold to Silicon Valley. Hastily disturbing the status quo offered no benefits for anyone.
If Intel could replace Future Group and solve the technical problems of graphene semiconductors and high-strength graphene materials, based on the tendency of the UA Department of Commerce, it would’ve launched a double counter investigation already.
The phone call was from Xia s.h.i.+yu.
Jiang Chen, who just stepped out of the door, immediately went back.
When Jiang Chen opened the door, Xia s.h.i.+yu put down the pen in her hand and said apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t know you left work already. Do you want something to drink? I’ll make you something.”
“Water is fine…Yawn… Get me a coffee – a mocha please.”
Jiang Chen wanted water, but his yawn changed his mind.
Xia s.h.i.+yu nodded and went to the coffee machine to help Jiang Chen and herself to two mochas. She then brought them back and sat down.
“Thank you.”
Sniffing the fragrance of the cocoa beans, Jiang Chen suddenly felt his sleepiness disappearing.
“No problem…when did you sleep last night? Why are you so sleepy?” she asked out of concern.
“Oh, maybe I slept a bit late last night.” Because it was too c.u.mbersome to explain, Jiang Chen followed along with the conversation.
At the same time, Jiang Chen yawned again.
For some reason, when she heard that Jiang Chen slept late, Xia s.h.i.+yu’s face suddenly blushed and she gave him a hard stare.
“Mind… Mind…”
“Mind?” With an eyebrow raised, Jiang Chen was confused.
“Mind your body, and learn to control it.” Xia s.h.i.+yu coughed then looked away as she finally spat out the words stuck in her throat.
Jiang Chen grinned at her face.
He would never get bored with her “not frank” look, no matter how many times he saw it.
“Why are you staring at me?!” Xian s.h.i.+yu stared at Jiang Chen back, stood up and walked toward her desk.
[It’s not like you will lose anything.]
Jiang Chen scoffed in his mind.
Holding a stack of doc.u.ments, Xia s.h.i.+yu tossed them on the coffee table after she returned and sat back on the couch. Judging by her serious expression, she had switched back to work mode. Jiang Chen’s grin also disappeared after he glanced at the doc.u.ments. He forced away the sleepiness in his mind and put on a serious att.i.tude.
“Silicon Valley Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurs.h.i.+p Summit?”
“Yes.” Xia s.h.i.+yu nodded. “It’s the largest and highest-profile technology event in Silicon Valley. It’s also an international professional conference in the technology field. We received an invitation. What do you think?”
Jiang Chen picked up the doc.u.ments and scanned through them.
It wasn’t a small summit. Although the organizers and partic.i.p.ants were all American companies in the beginning, the influence of later summits gradually spread to Asia. The areas covered included mobile internet, cloud technology, big data, games, smart hardware (home, internet of things, robots and wearable devices, etc.), education, medical care, and low-carbon, representing the frontiers of Silicon Valley.
The conference was held every autumn. Each time it was held, it attracted a large number of tech leaders from Hua, the UA, and the Asia Pacific region. These included over 1500 tech companies from Hua and the UA, over 1000 Fortune 500 executives, over 20,000 professionals, and more than 120 media outlets from different parts of the world.
The 16th summit was held in Shangjing, and this time, it was going to be held in the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley.
The UA’s invitation to Future Group to attend the meeting was undoubtedly a signal for peace. There was no need to be concerned about their intentions.
As long as missile silos existed for one day, no matter how much the FBA and the CIB hated him, they wouldn’t dare to allow accidents to happen to him on The UA soil. The situation in City M proved that in the 21st century, a more effective and terrifying force than nuclear weapons could destroy a civilization. Its name was an electromagnetic pulse.
Jiang Chen was considering what benefits this visit would bring him.
“The organizers are looking forward to our arrival. The UA Department of Commerce also hopes that we will cooperate more closely with Silicon Valley in graphene and artificial intelligence technologies. In addition, companies will also display the results of their research and explore business cooperation and investments at the summit. At present, we possess a very high market share in the graphene field, but the total value of the graphene market is still seriously undervalued. Through this summit, we can promote our products to more companies.” While Jiang Chen was weighing his decision, Xia s.h.i.+yu further explained the significance of this summit.
Jiang Chen nodded then closed the doc.u.ments.
“I’ll head back and prepare. It’s October 31st, right? When should we arrive?”
Xia s.h.i.+yu took an extra few seconds to process.
“Wait, you’re going to go personally?”
“What’s the alternative?” Jiang Chen smiled.