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Chapter 1105: Chapter 965 Switch to Another Industry
Although he knew the truth,
However,
Tang Qing couldn’t elaborate to Ayman. It had only been a few minutes, and he had already uncovered so much; it seemed a bit too incredible. He just needed to maintain a skeptical attitude.
Ayman asked in confusion, "Tang Qing, did you hear something?"
"No, it’s just standard practice to approach all business with caution, especially since this is a major deal. Any mishap would be hard for us to bear, don’t you think?" Tang Qing certainly wouldn’t admit it.
To be honest,
If it were truly a good project,
Tang Qing wasn’t averse to getting involved.
Even if it were a trap, he could break through it with strength.
But the ’bait’ in this trap was really not appealing at all, not enticing in the slightest, hard to swallow; naturally, Tang Qing had no interest in playing along with them. It was enough for him to watch the drama from the sidelines.
Perhaps,
It could be quite interesting.
"I... I see, it looks like I need to think it over carefully too," Ayman thought Tang Qing was making excuses not to get involved in the project, so he quickly looked for a way to save face.
As for his own continued participation,
He still had to go back and discuss it with his father.
Ayman was disappointed that his primary goal for this trip had not been achieved; perhaps Tang Qing didn’t want to take the risk, or maybe the funds were insufficient. In any case, the potential collaboration had fallen through.
Not far away, on the sofa,
Zeng Rou listened to the dialogue in a daze.
"Jiaxue, did that Ayman just now say he’s looking to cooperate with Tang Qing in drilling for oil?"
"Yes, before, Tangtang and Ayman bought an oilfield in Algeria, and it has now entered the mining stage. It will officially start producing oil soon, and this visit is also something of a celebration."
Lin Jiaxue had some understanding of this oilfield.
She knew Tang Qing had spent several billion dollars to acquire a forty percent stake. After so much time getting used to dealing in billions of dollars, she wasn’t as shocked as before.
Zeng Rou’s heart raced.
Could he really be so wealthy? Collaborating with a Saudi prince to drill for oil is one thing, but Ayman’s English was easy to understand, and he had actually invited Tang Qing again, this time for a project worth at least two billion dollars.
That’s equivalent to a hundred and sixty billion RMB.
Yet Tang Qing turned it down.
Could it be a lack of money?
It didn’t seem like it, as Tang Qing had emphasized the risks, not a shortage of funds. If it were a matter of money, it wouldn’t be shameful to say so—they were all well-acquainted, and lacking funds is normal for businesspeople.
"It seems we can only look forward to future opportunities for cooperation," Ayman said, not offended.
"That’s not necessarily the case," Tang Qing said with a smile as he looked at Ayman.
"Oh?"
Ayman looked at Tang Qing, puzzled.
What did that mean?
Tang Qing explained, "Our cooperation doesn’t have to be in oil drilling. To be honest, as far as I’m concerned, drilling for oil isn’t as profitable as mining in the traditional industries. It’s just that the special status of oil makes it a kind of ’noble project.’"
"International oil prices fluctuate too much; they’re muddled with too much great power competition and are not necessarily market-driven. The United States and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) hold too much pricing power. So why not switch to another industry?"
Tang Qing truly didn’t think oil drilling was such a great project.
Or rather,
It wasn’t a good project for individuals.
Because it’s too uncontrollable. The tussles between the United States, the Arctic powers, and various Middle Eastern countries are the main forces influencing oil prices, on top of the relationship between the United States and OPEC.
Output,
Price,
Oil has a political significance that far outweighs its economic value. Myanmar Bank Group can engage in such business because the goal isn’t to make money but to exert influence over the energy industry.
Tang Qing wasn’t particularly interested in oil drilling.
His previous cooperation with Ayman had mainly been because he thought highly of the man, wanting to make a friend who could prove useful in the future. With ten to twenty billion dollars at his disposal, Tang Qing would rather invest in mining and real estate.
"What industry?"
Ayman’s interest was piqued.
Tang Qing’s business acumen seemed quite impressive. Otherwise, even with his massive capital, he would not have been able to manage all of his subsidiary companies so successfully, with not a single one having gone under.
"You don’t like earning small change, nor do you fancy ordinary projects that could tarnish the reputation of the Saudi royal family. So, I do have a suitable business proposal for you—it’s the UK’s ARM Company."
"ARM?" Ayman muttered to himself.
Recalling information about the company, Ayman was not oblivious to world affairs—he had heard of and understood the major global companies, including this one.
It was a high-tech company based in the United Kingdom.
Its main business was semiconductor intellectual property rights.
The company had no physical products; it was involved solely in the design and architecture of chips and processors, profiting by licensing its patent technology to other semiconductor enterprises. The company didn’t manufacture a single chip—
A very low-profile company.
Its main competitor was Intel.
As for the rest—
Ayman was not so familiar.
"It’s this company. I’m very interested in their stocks and optimistic about their future. If possible, we could collaborate to acquire this enterprise," Tang Qing swirled the wine in his glass.
"You’re not joking, are you?" Ayman exclaimed in surprise.
Acquire? 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
What kind of joke was that?
"Do you know the corporate background of this company? The resistance we face in acquiring it isn’t small; just the UK Government is a hurdle, not to mention the shareholders who are difficult to convince."
Ayman frowned.
Although he didn’t know much,
He was aware that such a company was not something just anyone could acquire. ARM almost dominated the global microprocessor market, with over seventy percent of smartphones using their technology.
To think about acquiring—
The difficulty was immense, others weren’t exactly short of cash.
"Of course, I know. This seemingly unremarkable company with a market value of only a few billion dollars controls patent technologies that almost cover the entire microprocessor patent field. It has a very promising future," Tang Qing said.
This company was not just promising.
It was extremely promising. Although its market value was only a few billion dollars at the moment, six years later, due to a surge in sales of global smartphones and tablets, its market value would increase tenfold.
To almost two hundred billion dollars.
And kept rising.
At its peak, over ninety percent of the world’s mobile phones and more than a quarter of electronic devices used this company’s technology. Intel was the king of computer CPUs,
But in the embedded field, it was ARM alone at the top.
Also, because ARM only designed and did not produce, without any factories, focusing solely on research and development, its market value wasn’t high.
If ARM were to produce its own chips like Intel, its market value could multiply yet again. However, due to strategic decisions, before Tang Qing’s rebirth, ARM was only involved in research and development.
Since even his own mobile phones couldn’t escape the use of ARM technology,
Therefore,
Tang Qing became interested in the company, with the goal of acquiring it not solely for profit but to give the Myanmar Semiconductor Industry Group a rightful qualification to manufacture microprocessors outright.
The covert production of ’infringing’ products
Would never be legitimate.
Not to mention the difficulty in selling such products, which could also easily become the subject of lawsuits.
If possible, using this company as a window for technology output might also be worthwhile. Zhiya Technology had already made significant advancements in microprocessor research and development, which were based on ARM’s technology architecture.
Leveraging the company’s foundational patents to usurp Intel’s computer CPU market... seemed quite interesting.
