Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 133：Technical Reference

"Silicon wafer purity of 99.9999%?"
The entire room erupted in laughter.
"99.9999% purity for silicon wafers? What a joke! The best chips in the Beautiful Country use silicon wafers with only 99.99% purity!"
"Is this kid drunk?"
"If he had said he could achieve 99.50% purity in five days, I might have accepted it, but 99.9999%? No way!"
The researchers from the silicon wafer department were all murmuring among themselves, certain that Jiang Fan was just boasting.
Gao Jiang tried to keep his expression in check and addressed Jiang Fan.
"Little Jiang, do you know the purity of the silicon wafers used in the most advanced 7nm chips from the Beautiful Country?"
"I don't know the specifics," Jiang Fan replied honestly.
"Haha... Let me tell you, it's 99.99%. You don't even know the best technology from the Beautiful Country, and you're claiming that you can produce 99.9999% pure silicon wafers. Are you joking?"
Everyone laughed again after hearing Gao Jiang's words, realizing that Jiang Fan didn't even know the technological limit of silicon wafers in the Beautiful Country.
They were convinced that Jiang Fan had no understanding of silicon wafer technology.
Jiang Fan, seeing the doubt in their eyes, spoke with calm assurance.
"Does the Beautiful Country 's silicon wafer technology have anything to do with us?"
Everyone was stunned, and for a moment, no one spoke. They exchanged confused glances, unsure of how to respond. After thinking it over, they realized he had a point.
Indeed, the Beautiful Country's silicon wafer technology had no direct relevance to their own work.
Before Gao Jiang could argue that the Beautiful Country's silicon wafer technology was the highest standard, Jiang Fan continued.
"If we can develop the 7nm lithography machine and reach a world-leading level, why can't we surpass the Beautiful Country in silicon wafer technology? You all look to the Beautiful Country as the benchmark for technological progress, but why can't we set the standard for the entire world?"
Jiang Fan's words silenced the room. Everyone fell into deep thought.
Indeed, in their minds, whenever they encountered any technological challenge, their first thought was to compare it with the Beautiful Country standard. If the Beautiful Country hadn't achieved it, they subconsciously assumed it was impossible.
They had always believed that the Beautiful Country's technological level was the peak of the world, and anything they hadn't developed was beyond anyone else's reach.
Such thinking had been deeply ingrained in them during their education.
In truth, as researchers, the most dangerous mindset was this one.
Once they confined their thoughts, it was like placing themselves in a cage, denying all possibilities beyond it.
The thought sent a chill down everyone's spine. As researchers, they understood the danger: adopting such a mindset meant their careers were essentially over.
The most vital quality for a researcher was boundless imagination and creativity.
"You may not trust me yet, but please give me five days. You will see the 99.9999% pure silicon wafer developed by Dragon Country," Jiang Fan said, his voice unwavering.
"I believe in you!"
A woman's voice suddenly broke the silence in the room.
Jiang Fan looked up and saw it was Qiao Yifei.
Soon, others exchanged glances and began to applaud, showing their support.
Though they were uncertain whether Jiang Fan possessed the technical know-how, his bold words had struck a chord with them.
Qiao Lao looked at Jiang Fan with admiration. Dragon Country indeed needed someone like him—an individual with the ability and drive to lead the research community and build a technological empire of their own.
Due to the urgency of the situation, the meeting concluded quickly, and the silicon wafer department immediately transitioned into a closed research phase.
...
The United States.
The day after Foster's conversation with Number One, he convened an emergency meeting.
This time, additional representatives from the fields of science and economics were present.
Foster began by summarizing the main points of his conversation with Dragon Country.
Once he finished, Carl was the first to speak.
"Lord Foster, I told you from the beginning not to hand over Professor Holt, and now not only have we failed to acquire the ITER magnet material technology, but we've also lost a mathematician and ten billion dollars..."
Foster replied, "Mr. Carl, we haven't left empty-handed. At the very least, we've established a good communication channel with Dragon Country. They were about to share the technology with us—some unexpected issues arose along the way..."
Member 1 interjected, "I don't think Lord Foster's decision was wrong. Dragon Country is on its last legs, barely holding on..."
Foster nodded approvingly at this remark. He shared the view that Dragon Country, under the pressure of their economic sanctions, was merely struggling to survive. He was confident that soon, they would be forced to hand over the ITER magnet material technology.
He then turned to Berni, the former ambassador who had spent a decade in Dragon Country.
"Berni, what's your opinion?"
Berni, lost in thought, finally pursed his lips and spoke.
"Dragon Country is like a sleeping beast. Don't provoke it. Let it sleep..."
Everyone chuckled, as Berni had repeated the exact same sentiment as during the previous meeting.
Foster didn't pay much attention to his words. After all, he had only asked casually, given Berni's age. It seemed like he should let the elderly ambassador rest at home for the next meeting.
"Everyone, share your thoughts," Foster said.
"I believe we should escalate the sanctions on Dragon Country. They won't last more than ten days. After that, things will fall into place..."
"Though economic sanctions may have a good effect, they will also incur losses for our country. After all, Dragon Country accounts for a third of our chip exports. In the short term, it won't matter much, but in the long term, the losses could be significant..."
"That's true. So, we should act decisively and increase sanctions on Dragon Country to force them to hand over the ITER magnet material technology, and restore our export trade with them as soon as possible..."
After two hours of discussion, they reached a consensus.
They would simultaneously engage in peace talks with Dragon Country while ramping up economic sanctions, creating panic among the people and businesses in Dragon Country, pushing them to pressure their government into handing over the ITER magnet material technology.