Reborn Tech Maniac

Chapter 922 The top leader in Silicon Valley is very busy
……

At this stage, the performance of supercomputers has broken through the 1000 GFLOPS or 1 TFLOPS mark.

The latest supercomputer of Fangyuan Company, relying on Zheru's 64-bit RISC microprocessor Holder, has reached 2.3796 TFLOPS—but according to predictions, this is a finished product that is a technical test and will be first deployed in Cupertino for personal use. However, it is still unknown whether the world's strongest name will be strong until the end of this century, because 64-bit RISC microprocessors are maturing and breaking out.

Tang Huan's diligent pursuit of supercomputers has not only focused on the product sales revenue and various honors it can bring, but also his own application needs.

For example, analytical calculations of biotechnology companies, automatic driving simulation calculations of automobile companies, financial model calculations of investment companies, etc.

In particular, this kind of superhuman computing power provided for the financial field is favored by the richest man.

Judging from the signs that have been carefully observed, international capital speculators have already set their sights on targets in Asia.After all, building a warehouse is a gradual and continuous process. No matter how quietly they prepare, they can be caught by those who are interested.

The richest man's "follow the trend" action this time, seeking money is secondary, and other purposes are the most important; and with stronger computing power, it will obviously make him more comfortable.

The hardware of a supercomputer is only a basic foundation, and the actual performance of the actual operation depends on the level of software preparation.

Therefore, Tang Huan specially expressed condolences to those researchers who defected from Bell Labs.

After AT&T spun off Lucent, which specializes in communication equipment, Bell Labs, a pure research institution, was inevitably hit hard in an atmosphere that only pursued utilitarianism. As a way out, many of them went to Wall Street to work as financial analysts—Tang Huan also took the opportunity to recruit some people.

It seems unbelievable that researchers from Bell Labs went to Wall Street, but it is actually quite normal—including some engineers in NASA, who also have the capital to make such cross-border transfers.

The reason is also very simple-these researchers have a good foundation in mathematics, and in the past, they would need to do their own daily work and compile some codes on the computer to assist in the research.As a result, everyone has become a master who is proficient in both esoteric mathematical algorithms and mature computer programming skills. Going to Wall Street really means "making a lot of money" and "doing what you do".

Such technical elites hired by the richest man have established a model for each Asian economy to dynamically evaluate its ability to withstand shocks, collapse time and other data.

……

After Tang Huan returned to Cupertino from Mountain View, Andy Grove's preferred successor, Craig Barrett, was already waiting in the office.

We are all acquaintances, without too much greetings, the conversation quickly turned to the topic.

In fact, when Intel_iAPX_32, Intel's first 432-bit microprocessor in the true sense, failed to be slower than the 16-bit Intel_80286, Craig Barrett, Paul Otellini and others became Intel and philosophers. Ru is an important communicator between the microprocessor department and the software department. His achievements are obvious to all in terms of operating system support and optimization of x86 family microprocessors, and the introduction of RISC technology advantages.

Now that Craig Barrett has become the CEO of Intel, Intel and Zheru, Zheru Software, Fangyuan, and even his personal relationship with Tang Huan need to be re-examined. The main reason why I took the time to meet Tang IT.

Intel under the leadership of Andy Grove has reservations about Tang Huan's attitude towards CPU, and even guards against his obvious performance. In addition to cooperating with Caltech, Intel uses Pentium_Pro to develop a supercomputer with a computing performance exceeding 1 TFLOPS. , and a 64-bit CPU.

In the late 1980s, HP proposed an instruction set architecture called Explicitly_Parallel_Instruction_Computing - Explicitly Parallel Instruction Operation or EPIC.The general principle is that the CPU schedules resources and executes them in parallel through a software compiler instead of adding hardware complexity.

Andy Grove took Intel and joined the EPIC Alliance to develop 64-bit microprocessors.

This phenomenon reflects the incompatibility between Intel, which has always wanted to enter the high-end market, and Tang Huan.

Just like the leaders of various major countries need to exchange phone calls with each other to reach consensus on some important issues, Craig Barrett also needs to sort out some of the problems left by his predecessor as soon as possible-nothing else, just the circle Personal computers, the largest consumer market for Intel microprocessors, had to be maintained.

The demeanor of the richest man is still very graceful!
It is a good thing that Intel sent its own CPU to the supercomputer, which shows that the product performance has made great progress; it is also a good thing that Intel joined the EPIC alliance. After all, it is not easy to develop 64-bit microprocessors, and multiple spare tires are also safe. .

Will Zheru's RISC microprocessor Holder be affected by these actions by Intel?Not quite yet. Holder has many competitors. After MIPS, SPARC, Power, Alpha, etc., it doesn't care about one more!
Tang IT's attitude is very clear - the status of Intel's microprocessors in the personal computer industry will only be further improved.

However, because of this, Tang Huan still believes that Intel's 64-bit CPU direction should be compatible with the existing x86 family microprocessors just like introducing some RISC technology into CISC's x86 family microprocessors to revitalize them. Based on the processor-the prospect of this solution will not be worse than Intel's joining the EPIC alliance.

In addition, Intel should try to diversify its business operations to reduce the risk of industry cycle fluctuations. Tang Huan used Hollywood production companies outside the circle and Netscape, which is facing bankruptcy inside the circle, as examples to illustrate that in a tree How sad it is to be hanged.

Craig Barrett, who had a pleasant communication with Mr. Richest Man, humbly asked: "If Intel conducts diversified operations, which direction should it choose?"

Tang Huan pointed out very happily: "For example, network solutions - the trend of integrating traditional network cards into motherboard chips has become obvious, and new technologies and applications such as Gigabit Ethernet, wireless LAN, and network firewalls are also the trend of the times, and even low power consumption , Mobile communications can also become a new direction for Intel products.”

Speaking of this, Tang Huan specifically mentioned: "Presumably you have also seen the latest popular U disk, which is bound to replace all traditional external mobile storage products including floppy disks-its further application is the current role of hard disks. However, due to the different principles of reading and writing, further in-depth research and development is needed in terms of service life and main control performance. With the existing foundation, Intel is fully qualified to enter this promising field and gain a first-mover advantage. "

Craig Barrett nodded from time to time in an educated manner, and finally asked tentatively, "Don, what do you think of the field of solar energy as an option for diversification?"

The richest man smiled slightly, "Intel's way of making profits is to invest heavily in early-stage research and development, and to make money back through the time difference in the market—if you can change this single model, you may be able to resist the development of companies including Yiben, South Korea, Even with the impact of Asia including China, there will naturally be more diversified options.”

……

Not in his place, not seeking his government.

Although Craig Barrett had quite a few opportunities to communicate with Tang Huan in the past, the level and realm were definitely not as good as today's. So when he left, he was satisfied, full of confidence, high-spirited and high-spirited.

As soon as the new CEO of Intel was sent off, the assistant reported the news from Apple Computer Company—Jobs had officially announced that Apple Computer Company’s next-generation computer products would use the Holder microprocessor. Then say goodbye to IBM's PowerPC.As for the reason, it is because of the obvious difference in the richness of the software ecosystem between the two.

After Tang Huan heard this, he smiled slightly——Jobs moved quite quickly. In such a short period of time, he sorted out the chaotic and disorganized personal computer product line of Apple Computer Company, and sorted out a clear context.

In order to share and bear the excessive achievements and resources in his hands, the next move that the richest man arranged for Apple Computer is to "de-computerize" and become Apple.

However, there is no urgency for this matter within a year or two; Apple Computer has to come up with products that are attractive enough to consumers first, and getting out of the predicament is the top priority.

And he, the top leader in Silicon Valley, is not usually busy, and he has to go to the headquarters of HP, the witness of the development of Silicon Valley.

……

Recently, HP, the "big brother", got into a little trouble, which once again proved what it means to be "under a heavy reward, there must be a brave man".

It turned out that Hewlett-Packard had just made a big deal—through its European subsidiaries and Dubai office, it sold a series of products worth 1 million US dollars to Iran, including computers and printers.

It is well known that the diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran, the Middle East thorn in its eyes, are tense. What's more, the Bill Clinton administration imposed sanctions on Iran in the form of an executive order in 1995. Prohibited export of high-tech products to Iran.

Just like many large companies in the United States, through overseas subsidiaries, using rules to avoid high taxes in the United States, HP’s behavior of walking a tightrope is a game between businessmen and politics-as long as the profits are sufficient, I will control your federal government~ What are the government regulations!

In fact, this kind of phenomenon is not uncommon in the American business world, and Tang Huan is toward HP in his heart-with this "big brother" as an example, he will have a greater advantage when exporting technology and products to China. The space is not!

Now, however, HP has to pay for its fraudulent behavior - inquiries from the federal government, especially the US Securities and Exchange Commission, have come one after another, even if HP has one of its founders, David Puckard, who served as CEO from 1969 to 1971. With Nicholasson's government ~ the Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States, and Hewlett-Packard's long-term provision of solutions for the US defense field and other special sources and contacts, public relations are not so easy.

The current CEO of HP is Louis Pratt.It took over from previous chief executive John Young in 1992 and has done admirably.One figure can explain the problem, that is, HP's sales increased from 1993 billion US dollars in 200 to 1996 billion US dollars in 380.

Still, Louise Pratt is not well received by Wall Street.The reason seems unbelievable, that is, he is too low-key to perform as personable and demagogic as Jobs, and even the media ridiculed his stupid image with thick lens eyes and strict eyesight.

It has to be said that the times have changed, and Wall Street’s tastes have also changed accordingly, and people who work hard are no longer so favored—one evidence is that a group of people who emerged from Silicon Valley in the 1990s were open-minded and willing to disagree with each other. The "big-mouthed" CEO who knows how to quarrel is considered to be "as capable as his temper is," and is highly respected by Wall Street.

In short, the CEO that Wall Street likes should be personable, have "good looks", be able to give a speech with gorgeous electronic slides, and be able to inspire the audience to raise their hands and cheer.

And Louis Pratt, who adheres to the "Way of HP", is a bit out of the group.

In Tang Huan's view, the essence of this phenomenon is that Wall Street capital wants to completely control Silicon Valley.

However, high-tech companies like Hewlett-Packard that have been able to successfully go to the present all have a systematic culture such as the "HP Way" to cohere into a whole.

How to break this framework?

The most direct way is to control the selection of executives such as the CEO, and they cannot be selected from within the company. It is best to find someone from the outside.

Intel's current round of CEO handover is a completely internal change of power; and looking at the current situation, it is really hard to say how HP will hand over after Louis Pratt.

Just as Tang Huan applauded HP for doing a deal in Iran, he also hoped that HP's management could resist the penetration of Wall Street.

After all, with such a "big brother" standing in front, the richest man has more reasons to "greed" for his own power to control Silicon Valley.

(End of this chapter)