Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 143：6-Nanometer Chip

The following day, Foster made an announcement to the world, declaring that they had successfully developed a 6-nanometer chip! While the difference between the 7-nanometer and 6-nanometer chips was merely one nanometer, their performance disparity was a staggering 30%! Consequently, the announcement of the 6-nanometer chip by the Beautiful Country caused ripples of excitement across the globe.

At present, chips are ubiquitous, serving as the core components in nearly every field. Particularly in high-tech industries, the impact of a single chip is immense. Each breakthrough in chip technology results in a considerable enhancement in the performance of high-tech projects.

Not long after the Beautiful Country revealed the 6-nanometer chip, they received congratulatory messages from various countries.

F Country: "Congratulations to the Beautiful Country on the successful development of the 6-nanometer chip. As the technological leader of Blue Star, we hope for even closer cooperation between our two nations moving forward!"

Sakura Country: "Congratulations to the leader for the 6-nanometer chip! Let's see how Dragon Country tries to dominate the chip market this time!"

Kimchi Country: "From now on, we will only purchase chips from the Beautiful Country."

...

Foster, upon receiving these congratulatory calls, couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. The 6-nanometer chip was a high-end product, with many countries relying on it for their advanced equipment. As a result, the Beautiful Country managed to reclaim significant portions of the chip market.

However, the incredibly low price of Dragon Country's chips forced the Beautiful Country to reconsider its pricing strategy. The profit margin was far from satisfactory. Ultimately, Foster decided to give Dragon Country a call.

Foster: "Your Excellency, it's a pleasure to speak with you again. Haha..."

From the tone of his voice, it was clear that Foster was attempting to flaunt his success.

Your Excellency: "Mr. Foster, just get to the point. No need for the pleasantries."

Foster: "Ah, Your Excellency, you're as straightforward as always! Haha... Who would have thought that Dragon Country could manage to develop a 7-nanometer chip!"

Your Excellency: "It was all because of the pressure from your country. We just happened to make the breakthrough, haha..."

Foster: "It's unfortunate, though. No matter how impressive you are, we in the Beautiful Country have already developed the 6-nanometer chip. Tsk, tsk... you're always a step behind, haha..."

Your Excellency: "Mr. Foster, surely you're not calling just to boast! How childish."

Foster: "Of course not! I'm here to discuss cooperation."

Your Excellency: "What kind of cooperation could we possibly have?"

Foster: "I'm sure Dragon Country would benefit from our 6-nanometer chip. If you're willing to triple your chip prices, we can sell some to you. What do you think?"

Your Excellency: "The price of goods is determined by the market, not by me!"

Foster: "Hm. In that case, Dragon Country can forget about ever acquiring our 6-nanometer chips!"

Foster slammed down the phone in frustration, realizing that Dragon Country was truly ungrateful. He swiftly formulated a set of rules targeting Dragon Country:

To purchase the 6-nanometer chips, Dragon Country must first buy 10 billion dollars' worth of chips from the Beautiful Country. Dragon Country is forbidden from purchasing any of their chips.

Many nations, eager to obtain the 6-nanometer chips, had no choice but to comply with these rules. As a result, the Beautiful Country quickly secured a large number of chip orders.

However, Foster's celebration was short-lived. Soon after, Dragon Country made an announcement of their own, claiming that they had developed a 4-nanometer chip!

This news sent shockwaves throughout the world. The Beautiful Country was the first to cry foul, accusing Dragon Country of lying.

"The Dragon Country just developed the 7-nanometer chip, and now they're claiming to have developed a 4-nanometer chip? Impossible!"

The Beautiful Country had spent a full decade moving from the 7-nanometer chip to the 6-nanometer chip—such a leap was beyond their imagination.

International Forum:

Beautiful Country: "Don't believe it, Dragon Country is merely attempting to sabotage the chip market by falsely claiming a 4-nanometer chip!"

Sakura Country: "Our leader is right. Dragon Country just developed the 7-nanometer chip. There's no way they could have instantly developed a 4-nanometer chip. Everyone knows how difficult chip development is!"

Kimchi Country: "Exactly. Don't believe it, Dragon Country could never have developed a 4-nanometer chip."

F Country: "Haha... This is laughable. How could Dragon Country develop a 4-nanometer chip? I suspect they might have even stolen the technology for the 7-nanometer chip from the Beautiful Country!"

Beautiful Country: "You, my friend, have truly sharp eyes!"

...

Just as the Beautiful Country was attacking Dragon Country, Dragon Country released the performance data and order details for their 4-nanometer chip. The countries that had criticized Dragon Country had no choice but to fall silent.

Many nations began quietly inquiring about the 4-nanometer chip, eager to purchase it. The 4-nanometer chip's performance was twice as powerful as the 6-nanometer chip, creating a gap that was nothing short of a chasm.

To control the situation, Dragon Country placed restrictions on those countries wishing to buy the 4-nanometer chip:

No country could purchase chips from the Beautiful Country.

Many countries found themselves caught between choosing Dragon Country and the Beautiful Country. Yet, 99% of them leaned toward Dragon Country, as the 4-nanometer chip was simply too tempting. Even the Beautiful Country, with their numerous high-tech projects, longed to purchase some—many of their systems were hampered by chip limitations and could not achieve 100% efficiency.

But, since relations with Dragon Country had soured, the Beautiful Country was clearly out of the running.

Foster, both curious and frustrated, wondered: "How did Dragon Country manage to develop the 4-nanometer chip?"

He was also annoyed, realizing that if he hadn't tried to show off in front of Dragon Country, they might still have been able to purchase the 4-nanometer chips!

He now fully understood a profound truth: Never flaunt your success, for pride often leads to misfortune!