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Chapter 1117: Chapter 976: Photovoltaic Order
The media went into a frenzy.
"The fastest acquisition in history, taking only two days, ERV has completed negotiations with ARM, the top design company in the semiconductor industry. Now facing the final checkpoint: the UK Government." --Associated Press.
"Why would ARM readily agree to this acquisition?" --The Times.
"ERV will replace ARM to become the new semiconductor giant." --The Sun.
"ERV’s second major move, acquiring stocks from several minor shareholders, but still not reaching absolute control. If it continues to acquire, ARM could face the risk of delisting." --BBC.
"Microprocessor giant changes hands." --Xinhua News Agency.
...
ARM.
A company never short of money and viewed positively by all shareholders.
The founder agreed to sell all his stocks within just days to instead hold stocks of ERV, which, compared to the typical months or even a year’s standard, was incredibly fast.
More than just fast.
It was like flying.
Much like earlier when various major companies wanted to join ERV, but ERV didn’t bother with them, ARM held a dominant position in the semiconductor industry and was in the same situation as ERV at that time.
"Why would I sell if I can continuously make money by selling IP?"
All major companies knew the founder’s attachment to this company. In today’s rapidly growing mobile business, ARM’s chip shipments based on ARM architecture exceeded two billion last year, and it surpassed three billion by the third quarter of this year.
Within a few years, it could even exceed ten billion per year.
Who sells is a fool!
But this time.
The founder of ARM did indeed play the fool in everyone’s eyes, and it was inconceivable why ARM, which had absolutely no reason to sell, was so easily persuaded by ERV.
Initially.
A Fighter visited the UK.
ARM outright refused, even a doubling of the price didn’t work, but when the Fighter pulled out a document and a few chips, gradually, the negotiation turned in favor of ERV.
It was a new chip architecture technology.
And some finished products.
The new architecture technology bypassed all of ARM’s patents, owning compatibility and scalability on par with ARM’s, and even surpassed it in terms of energy consumption and heat dissipation.
At the same frequency,
The performance parameters were much more robust. ERV claimed it was a breakthrough from the American SVC Computer Company. ARM quickly investigated, and it was true, this company has been researching more advanced optimization architecture technology.
It seemed to have made significant breakthroughs.
After two days of testing and studies by the board of directors, coupled with ERV’s financial strength and ’threats,’ as well as cooperative relationships with major giants, ERV also promised to continue using ARM architecture.
Incorporating the good elements from the new architecture.
Finally, weighing the pros and cons, the founder agreed, because once this new architecture hit the market, ARM would lose its monopolistic position and face brutal competition.
ARM had long-term cooperation with major semiconductor giants.
However, those giants were also shareholders of ERV.
Once competition started,
ARM’s position would be lost, the replacement fee would significantly decrease—this posed a direct threat to ARM’s existence, hitting where it hurt.
Seeing the promising future of ERV.
In the end.
From a 1.5 times premium acquisition.
It changed to three percent of the stocks.
Investing in such a dominant and well-capitalized company was worth it.
Only, what he didn’t know was that the chip using the new architecture technology was entirely a ’counterfeit.’ Tang Qing instructed the Fighters to develop new architecture technology, which had made some progress.
But it was not yet capable of circumventing all of ARM’s patents.
It was not at the level to compete with the mature ARM architecture chips.
Parts of the cores of those few chips ’designed’ were covered up as corporate secrets, and ARM personnel were not allowed to dismantle and inspect the innermost parts of the chips. This was where the trick lay, as they had installed quantum transmission modules.
Such modules.
Could enable the chip to achieve its physical limit of calculation speed without consuming much energy or generating heat because the main calculations were not happening within that chip.
But rather at Little Two’s place.
Thus,
ARM capitulated.
Within the documents provided by ERV, there was not only the ’new architecture technology’ but also ARM’s technology optimization plans. As soon as the engineers saw it, they knew that if these were incorporated without adjusting the craftsmanship.
It could completely improve the chip’s processing efficiency by fifteen percent, and ERV even revealed that they had developed a matching optimization algorithm which could further achieve at least a twenty percent improvement on this basis.
Shocked beyond belief by indisputable data.
ARM was completely convinced.
Technically,
They were indeed outclassed, and everyone wanted to meet the architect from SVC Computer Company. ERV promised that once the UK Government approved, they would invite that engineer over.
...
At this time.
Japan.
Sony Headquarters.
The previously sulky president now sported a beaming smile.
"Humph, ERV, wanting to acquire ARM, one of America’s three prides in computer technology, do they really think the UK Government doesn’t exist? I don’t believe the UK Government will pass it so easily."
However.
Face-slapping arrived swiftly.
Also, the next day.
September twenty-seventh.
The UK Government announced its approval of ERV’s acquisition of ARM Computer Science Company, which proved that UK technology is world-leading and also extended its congratulations to ERV, welcoming its investment in the United Kingdom.
Upon seeing this news.
Sony’s president nearly choked.
In the end.
He finally understood the reason.
It turned out that ERV had promised not to relocate ARM.
And would use all resources to promote ARM’s architecture technology, and at the same time, ERV would invest in building six computer technology research and development centers in the UK, collaborating with prestigious universities like Cambridge to establish the "Future Internet Technology Research Laboratory."
It was expected to create at least two thousand jobs.
"..."
Clearly.
After weighing the pros and cons, the UK government was brazenly bought over by ERV with those two thousand jobs, and not laying off ARM’s employees, which meant, in the end, the UK government had profited.
Of course.
This was reported by the media.
Privately.
To speed up the UK Government’s approval, ERV also promised two conditions: the new architecture technology would be sealed, and all patents would be transferred under ARM, turning SVC Computer Company into an ARM subsidiary.
Secondly, ARM’s main research personnel must be British, and the headquarters could not be moved from the UK.
After several favorable news.
ARM’s stock price had risen directly by ten percent, and on September twenty-eighth, ERV announced, after internal restructuring of operations and strategies, that it would initiate an IPO.
Applying to Nasdaq.
If all goes quickly.
By May of next year, ERV was set to enter the NASDAQ Market, and this news once again drove ARM’s stock up by five percent, and other stocks related to ERV also saw a slight increase.
...
Huaxia.
Shanghai Stock Market.
It had been almost a month since Ayman’s last visit, and Tang Qing had been back at school for a month, resuming his stable life, but every evening, he still kept an eye on ERV’s progress.
Taking almost half a month.
With unbelievable speed, he completed ERV’s strategic layout; next, it was time to set sail.
Returning home in the afternoon.
"Tang Qing, I have news for you, Microcrystalline Technology won the bid."
It seemed it was timed just right.
Ayman had just come in right after.
The bid submitted two weeks ago, after two weeks of discussion and screening, finally had a result, of which Tang Qing obviously knew; Ayman had exerted himself fully, and Tang Qing naturally needed to push harder.
"That’s good, thank you." Tang Qing expressed his gratitude, as Ayman indeed provided considerable help.
"How will you thank me? Will you send me food?" Ayman asked with a smile.
"Wishful thinking, buy your own food. At most, I will send you some fruit wine." Tang Qing refused to budge.
Ayman brightened up, "When will it be delivered?"
"Go to our Saudi capital’s fruit wine store to pick it up; I’ll let them know to give you five boxes for free, without using up your share," Tang Qing stated directly, mailing? That would be too troublesome.
Just use Uncle’s collaborative channel.
A matter of a single sentence.
To facilitate several collaborators in getting fruit wine across regions, several distributors agreed that certain customers could use their purchasing shares across sales regions; if it were Tang Kai, he could freely take fruit wine from any store provided the shop had it.
These four fruit wine dealers were friends.
Tang Kai, Wangsa, Wei Jun, and Tang Liang, they hadn’t even brought up the service charge; as long as it wasn’t too much, clearly affecting profit, no one would worry about that little bit of money.
"Haha, that’s great."
Hearing about the five free boxes of fruit wine, Ayman laughed with relish. "By the way, Tang Qing, ARM got completely acquired by ERV, what should we do, should we sell all our shares?"
"No need, I estimate ARM’s stock price will still rise. Anyway, we are not short of money; let’s earn a bit more. Humph, it’s infuriating, they bought the company I had my eye on, so infuriating." Tang Qing feigned anger.
Ayman quickly consoled, "It’s unpredictable, ERV suddenly announced the acquisition of ARM, a company valued over fifty billion dollars, we can’t afford to provoke them."
"It’s just infuriating; I’m not short of their money." This sentence, however, was Tang Qing speaking on behalf of Huaxia company, a small resistance to ERV’s acquisition of ARM, but his company being outright ignored.
Though both companies were under his control.
Still, this differential treatment was uncomfortable for Tang Qing, it felt discriminatory.
"Don’t be angry, Microcrystalline Technology’s solar energy technology, I’ve heard from my uncle it’s quite good, if we succeed with Saudi, you won’t be doubted when taking on other projects.
Moreover, I have another piece of good news. Previously, I visited Algeria with my father, met my future father-in-law, and got to know quite a few Algerian officials; I heard they also plan to develop clean energy.
And it’s in the province where we’re drilling oilfields, if needed, Alison could help out; I heard the project funds are at least six hundred million dollars," Ayman conveyed a ’business opportunity’ to Tang Qing.
Unfortunately.
This news.
Tang Qing already knew it.
Because the current speaker of that province in Algeria was the fighter who had been in charge of local security.
The previous plan was for him to rise to the deputy speaker by the end of this year.
But plans can’t keep up with changes; the other two competitors wiped each other out, exposing dirty secrets, and both ended up in prison, allowing the fighter to gain advantage cheaply.
This project was still operated upon by the fighters.
Bidding in a month.
By then, his company was definitely going to win the bid
Of course, barring any surprises.
Because politics often accompany compromise; if the former speaker of that province, now serving as the Minister of the Algerian Ministry of Energy and Mining, does not intervene, it’s almost a certainty.
