What puzzled many was that, knowing the semiconductor industry was crucial, why didn't the U.S. control it from the source? Now that their own company was struggling, they commanded three Japanese companies to halt production.
Currently, memory prices fluctuated wildly. It felt like they weren't buying memory chips but seafood.
The Japanese worked diligently but still hadn't caught up with the technology gap. As for United Microelectronics Corporation, William White had taken it for granted; without external help, it would take at least five more years.
William White regretted not taking over Motorola's businesses earlier. If he had his own related companies, he wouldn't be stressed over memory sticks now.
As an end user, the biggest headache was the price changes. As for technical issues, those were not his concern. Dynamic memory had reached a critical threshold.
After the emergence of one megabyte memory, its capacity had a leap. With the three major Japanese companies no longer allowed to produce, William White believed there would definitely be more turmoil.
"Tom, we can't go on like this. If we can't effectively lower the price of one megabyte memory, all our subsequent products will be affected," William said.
"Sir, it's a mess right now. The Japanese companies are clearly agitated, and product yield has actually declined," Tom replied.
"Ugh, I just don't get it. What's the point of changing those three companies? What's in it for us?" Tom ignored his boss's complaints, knowing he could say whatever he wanted. If that got out, it would cause quite a stir.
"Sir, UMC can process, but their memory technology is simply too weak. Their equipment can't match the Japanese, and they lack the funds. Plus, they generally take a conservative approach to overseas investments."
Right, during this time, Taiwan entrepreneurs were quite wary of international capital. To maintain control over their businesses, they usually adopted conservative strategies.
"Tom, this matter is far from over. Go talk to Filson and see if there's a chance to take a controlling stake in a European company."
"Yes, sir. I'll talk to Filson." Tom left happily, having gathered the information he wanted. Clearly, the boss didn't like expensive memory.
William White already knew about the situation Tom reported. The awkward part was that the Japanese seemed to have better technology.
...
The boss suddenly planned to get into dynamic memory. Filson felt a headache coming on after hearing the news. This investment seemed too big, and besides, was this thing really dependable?
Though he didn't say they would start immediately, Filson knew that the decision-making time could be lengthy, while confirming the investment could be quite short.
He had been selling off stocks recently, so he was well aware that the cash flow on the boss's end was increasing. Whether the investment was reliable was unclear, but if he were holding on to U.S. dollars, it would be a sure loss.
The U.S. dollar was about to take a serious hit, and this wasn't a secret to them. Those with means were looking for ways to borrow U.S. dollars, even if interest rates were a bit high; anything was worth it.
...
William White planned to enter the semiconductor industry, and this time he had no intention of partnering with any company; he clearly aimed to go solo.
"Mr. White, shouldn't America's high-tech technology stay in the country?" the questioner asked, clearly with ill intentions. William White didn't even glance at him, choosing to elegantly ignore him, realizing that the guy was obviously from Murdoch's newspaper.
"Mr. White, I'm a reporter from the Washington Post. What's the purpose of placing your factory in London?"
William paused and began to speak slowly. The previous reporter was furious because they had asked similar questions, and yet he was completely disregarded by William.
"Do you folks know? I am a patriot; how I wish I could help my country." A group of reporters nearly gagged. "When it comes to dynamic memory, do you folks realize that we have a significant gap compared to international advanced technology? The folks in Asia can produce one megabyte of memory, while we can only offer 256K technology. Moreover, our yield rate is very low. Now, let me tell you a fact: America is a technology desert." Leaving a group of reporters dumbfounded, William White walked away.
His nonsensical rant immediately stirred up a storm. Some expressed disdain, others showed concern. The fact that America couldn't produce one megabyte of memory was undeniable, yet no one could refute it.
Holy moly.
The American public couldn't take it anymore. How long were these freeloaders going to keep deceiving us? Didn't they say that the other folks stole our tech?
Are the ones with good tech really stealing from those with weaker tech? Are you kidding me? What did William White mean by using advanced European technology?
Just listen, a technology desert.
Well, it was the same old tactic. William White swapped the narrative again, claiming that America couldn't produce it because it didn't want to spend money -- low quality was indeed a production management issue. That had nothing to do with so-called technology.
The key issue was that people seemed to believe him more.
As the conversation shifted elsewhere, the bystanders quickly discovered that the collapsed telephone and telegraph company had a lab, acquired by this big shot.
And why did he acquire it? He couldn't bear to see technological achievements being stolen, especially since this lab would have been disbanded after judicial division.
A selfless image of him instantly emerged; bystanders were quite sure William White must be a paragon of virtue.
...
"I can't believe it; you're actually shameless enough to stoop so low?"
"George, the original script included a heart-wrenching scene. I thought it was unreasonable, so you know, I'm not worse than that actor from Washington."
"Alright, alright, if I learn this, I should have a promising future."
"Hey, you come from a distinguished family, how could you be worried about your future?"
"William, tell me straight, can we really not produce that thing?"
"Well, let me put it this way: at least a year delay, you know Moore's Law?"
"Not really."
"Better get clear on this -- let me break it down for you: the folks from Asia can currently produce one megabyte; their lab must have two or four megabytes. Semiconductors double every eighteen months at the very least. This isn't just about capacity but also transmission speed and technology. A year behind means you're going to have to face the P-50 against an F-14 in a dogfight. You wouldn't think the P-50 stands a chance, would you? Even though it's a pretty decent plane."
"Isn't the gap that big?"
"Heh, the gap is even larger. But don't take it too hard; our CPU and GPU are ahead by an even greater margin."
"Alright, I'm getting the picture. The technology desert is nonsense, and the memory gap is a fact that's irreversible."
"Yes, Europe also has its gaps, but I have money, so there's still a chance to catch up. If the gap is too wide, there's nothing you can do."
There was something William White didn't mention: even if the technology were the same, our workers couldn't compete against those in Asia; in the end, it would still end with us on the losing side.
*****
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