Editor's note:
Whether it is a product or a city, the brand is always the most recognizable symbol. 'Product' is to have high quality and good quality; 'brand' is to be competitive and influence. Strive to become a global city and society of excellence The international metropolis, the 'four big brands' is exactly the layout of Shanghai, which is based on the current and profound. In this context, the Morning News interviewed more than ten people from all walks of life to enhance the city's attractiveness and creativity. , competitive practitioners. In them, we see that improving Shanghai's urban energy level and core competitiveness, both long-term preparations and determinations to fight for the day. Soundproof room, analog radio, aging test Room... On the sides of a long corridor, there are more than a dozen large and small laboratories. After a small 'test', a small chip will show the 'Chinese core' for this era. speed.
Seventeen years ago, the domestic integrated circuit industry had just started, and there were only a handful of chip companies, but the fertile soil of Shanghai's rapid development attracted a group of scientific and technological talents.
Yin Botao, with his desire for high technology, came to Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, switching between circuit diagrams and codes every day, and began to use the computer to describe the 'core' future.
From one room to the world, in a blink of an eye
In 2001, 24-year-old Yin Botao joined the predecessor of Ziguang Zhanrui - Spreadtrum Communications. At that time, Spreadtrum Communications was just established three months ago. There are 67 employees in the company, half of them are in the US, and half are in Zhangjiang, Shanghai. In the small building.
At that time, the domestic integrated circuit industry had just started, and there were only a handful of chip companies. However, the fertile soil of Shanghai’s rapid development attracted a group of scientific and technological talents. 'I saw many communication companies at the time, including some companies in Europe and America, often Customer support, service class, no core research and development, Spreadtrum is the only company I can access the core technology of communication chip. At the time I just graduated, it was very important for me to learn advanced technology. 'Yin Botao The introduction said.
The initial office location of Spreadtrum was a room of sixty or seventy flats with several large tables, four or fifty computers on the table, and some measuring circuits and equipment for welding. What impressed Yin Botao was At the time, the boss and the staff were sitting together and there was no separate office.
Two or three years later, they changed from a room to a small building next to it, and then changed to a building in Zhangjiang's landmark. After more than a decade of development, Ziguang Zhan Rui already has its own landmark. The office building has more than 4,500 employees, more than 90% of which are R&D personnel. There are 14 technology R&D centers and 7 customer support centers around the world.
Yin Botao also grew from a regular engineer to a leader in the chip industry.
From '0' to '100', a few life and death
'I don't think it's like, because we are 0. When we first joined, maybe even the chip's integrated circuit didn't know what it was.'
Although the people at the beginning of the company are full of enthusiasm, the funds are limited. As a chip company, it needs heavy capital and constant investment. If there is no follow-up funds to keep up, the company may not be able to run. After that, Spreadtrum Communications encountered financial problems and urgently needed a second round of investment. In order to be able to operate normally as soon as possible, Spreadtrum Communications chose to start from 2G.
Yin Botao said, 'At that time, 3G was already the main product, but considering that 3G's technology investment is relatively large, and input and output may not immediately see the effect. 2G's investment is relatively small, which can prove the utility of the product, Can train the team, so the first step of the exhibition is to do 2G first.
This is the first time the company has faced life and death. Yin Botao still remembers it. In the middle of the night in 2002, everyone in the exhibition was staying in the lab. The next day they will go to the investor to demonstrate the call function of the 2G chip. If successful, the company can get the investment.
Until three o'clock in the morning, they finally got through the real chip, the company can continue to move forward.
5 years to grind a 'core', there is no shortcut to success
Shortly after entering the exhibition, Yin Botao and the team began to develop and design GSM/GPRS chips. Looking at the circuit diagram and code every day, doing various designs, day after day, the blink of an eye is 5 years.
In 2005, the more integrated GSM/GPRS chip was finally developed, the cost is half cheaper than other companies, and the energy consumption is lower and faster. In 2006, the GSM/GPRS multi-mode mobile phone core chip technology won' National Science and Technology Progress First Prize', as a key contributor, Yin Botao obtained a personal certificate.
'Developing a chip usually takes 12 to 24 months, but at that time it was just started, the team is not experienced enough, and it has to be recognized by the customer, so it takes a long time. Our customers are global enterprises, they do not have to choose The purple-lighted chips can also be selected by other European and American companies. For them, the standard is the same.
In order to shorten the gap with others, Yin Botao and the team have been running forward.
European and American companies can achieve mass production of a chip, which may take two years or even three years, and they can use 13 to 14 months to mass production. There is no shortcut to success, for the chip industry that started late. This is especially true.
Their speed is accumulated by time. Others work 8 hours a day. They work 16 hours a day. 'One time the teacher asked my child, 'What do you like,' and he replied, 'My father likes to work overtime'. ' Yin Botao This can't be laughed.
Cross the technology gap and stand firm in the industry front end
At that time, Zhan Rui adopted the foreign mobile phone integrated circuit technology standard, and all products need to pay for this standard.
'A chip company makes products, the next step is to make standards. Many foreign companies have already passed the step of making products. They are also making products while making standards. The main profit may be 70% from the standard. Not the product itself. This is a big gap between us and them. ' Yin Botao said.
After the company has accumulated a certain amount of money, Yin Botao, as the person in charge of technology, began to lead the team to the technical research and development and commercial promotion of China's independent 3G standard TD-SCDMA chip.
The communication chip needs to be tested frequently. Yin Botao often travels with the team around the country, and stays in each place for one month. In this month, because of the work needs, they work every day until five or six in the morning. In his words, it is the sun. We went to sleep', then slept until eleven o'clock to continue working, and then rushed to the next location for a test after one month.
At that time, our TD-SCDMA was very successful and became the first in the entire market, occupying 70% to 80% of the market. TD-SCDMA chips use our own national standards, no need to pay, and reduce costs. Through TD, we have established a firm foothold in this industry, and also won the 2012 National Science and Technology Progress Award. ' Yin Botao said.
In this way, Ziguang Zhanru has developed into the world's top three mobile phone baseband chip design companies, 80% of which are sold overseas. In India, Southeast Asia, Africa has become the largest local shipment. One of the chip design companies, one out of every four mobile phones in the world is equipped with a purple light show core.
Seize the opportunity, overtake the corner
After more than ten years of development, the gap between China's chip technology and foreign countries is gradually narrowing. Ziguang Zhanrui has developed China's first LTE mobile phone chip platform with key technologies for independent general-purpose CPUs, becoming the first in China and the second in the world. The independent chip manufacturer of the key technology of the independent general-purpose CPU truly realizes the safety and controllability of the chip level.
'In the low-end, we have been on an equal footing with foreign companies, and even lead some, but there is still a gap in the middle and high-end. We are now doing 4G, and at the same time investing 5G. The current level of 4G has reached the international level. 60% to 70%, 5G reached 80% to 90%. ' Yin Botao said.
In terms of 5G communication technology, Ziguang Zhanrui has participated in the 5G test working group led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, completed the first and second phase tests, and successfully realized the interoperability docking test with Huawei 5G prototype base station.
At present, it is actively promoting the third-stage technical verification, and plans to realize the commercialization of 5G chips in 2019, and realize the simultaneous deployment with the deployment of 5G mobile networks.
The integrated circuit industry is a strategic, basic and leading industry that supports economic and social development and safeguards national security.
It is understood that the scale of Shanghai's IC industry has reached 120 billion yuan, and the number of enterprises has exceeded 500. It has become the region with the most industrial concentration, the most complete industrial chain and the highest comprehensive technical level. The industry scale has exceeded 200 billion yuan in 2020, some indicators. To achieve world class.
At present, the global integrated circuit industry is triggering a new wave of mergers and acquisitions in technological innovation and model innovation. It is an important opportunity for China's IC industry to catch up with the international advanced level and realize the 'curve overtaking'.
China has the world's largest integrated circuit market, Yin Botao is very confident about the future. He believes that this largest market will inevitably give birth to a great enterprise.