Chapter 121: The Guillotine Match
The world’s first diamond-based semiconductor.
It used the already obsolete 130nm process, but it supported variable clock and variable core functions.
Its boost clock exceeded 8GHz, and its power consumption was only about 20W.
This semiconductor did not have the AMD64 license, so it lacked various instruction sets.
However, it overcame that drawback with its raw clock speed.
It was several times faster than the AMD64 architecture that calculated through exclusive instruction sets.
Especially in operations such as integers or floating-point numbers, it crushed the existing highest-performance processors.
What was more shocking was that there was not even a platform that properly supported this processor.
The one that appeared at the demonstration was a roughly modified platform of an existing motherboard, and it was doubtful whether it worked properly.
But even in that state, it boasted overwhelming performance over the existing processors in basic benchmark programs.
…This was Quantum Solution’s claim.
No one knew if the benchmark was real, and the results could be manipulated.
Whether that semiconductor was really something that would turn the world upside down would only be known after it was released.
Even if the performance was acknowledged by a hundred times, it would be meaningless if the support programs and platforms did not back it up.
The computing field of the 21st century was so vast that one processor could not solve everything.
—What’s the point of having 11 times the performance? There’s not a single program that runs on it.
Of course, if they rewrote the code to match the processor, it would work, but it was doubtful which company would comply with their exclusive attitude.
And if they ran it with emulation, the advantage of performance would drop significantly.
Anyway, the reporters were impressed by the presentation, but how the US and the companies would react was unknown.
Would the countless companies, the dinosaurs that dominated the world semiconductor market, admit defeat?
Never.
The 21st century could be called the era of semiconductors without exaggeration, and their status was more than traditional oil companies.
You could tell their position by looking at which companies President Baldwin met first after taking office.
Compared to those giants, Quantum Solution was definitely small in size.
However, looking down on Yu Ji-ha based on his current size was the stupidest thing in the world.
He had the ability to implement his delusions into reality.
Whether it was his ability or thanks to artificial intelligence was debatable, but it would be revealed clearly with this semiconductor.
The reporters typed sentences like this:
—Assuming that the information is accurate, the performance is really amazing. But there are many inventions in the world that have excellent performance but fail to shine. I hope this is not one of them.
—It’s unlikely that they made a commercial semiconductor in just a few months, and I think the theory was already established when Lucia appeared.
—They gave a choice to the world’s semiconductor companies. Themselves or America. It seems that choosing both is not acceptable.
—The US and the giants will not sit still. They may respond and put Quantum Solution in crisis.
—There is a slight possibility that Yu Ji-ha could really change the entire semiconductor market. In that case, America will lose one of its pillars of hegemony.
It remained to be seen if that would happen.
***
The appearance of the diamond semiconductor had an impact beyond performance, as if it had thrown a nuclear bomb at various fields.
Especially in academia, some argued that it was another semiconductor because of cost issues and that mass production was impossible with artificial diamonds.
—How long do you have to grow it in a pressure vessel to use it as a wafer? It’s impossible to make semiconductors with artificial diamonds at this point.
—Cost is also a problem, but quantity is even more so. The system semiconductor market in 2031 has a size of about 45 billion dollars for high-performance processors. This can’t be filled with artificial diamonds.
-As always, Yu Ji-ha did not publish any papers related to academia. How can we trust anything from him?
The reason why academia came out so negatively was because Yu Ji-ha did not try to share any information at all.
Even if they tried to interpret it as positively as possible, they needed some data.
Some frustrated scholars even obtained Megacity citizenship and entered.
The problem was that there were quite a few scholars who settled down there because it was too comfortable.
—We don’t have to worry about money. We can just use expensive raw materials and do research. This is the paradise we dreamed of.
-But it seems that there is no core data on black metal here either. I doubt that even Yu Ji-ha knows anything about the transform phenomenon.
Anyway, academia viewed it negatively, and the US semiconductor companies had mixed feelings.
-Yu Ji-ha never lies. The product must be real.
-But there is probably a lot of exaggeration in the performance. 11 times is only for some benchmark programs, and the actual performance is only a few tens of percent improvement.
-Mass production is the problem, and I doubt they can compete with optimized silicon semiconductors. Sand and diamonds, isn’t it obvious which one is cheaper?
-He said he would create a new ecosystem, but considering the size of the global semiconductor market… Of course, we don’t doubt his ability, but this time it will be difficult.
-The embargo was not our decision. We can sell it right away if we convince the US.
The companies that directly imposed the embargo were negative, and those that did not showed trust in Yu Ji-ha.
And the most important US surprisingly did not react to this announcement.
No, it would be more accurate to say that they couldn’t.
President Baldwin was busy with personnel after taking office.
He had to change the federal government right away, so he couldn’t afford to pay attention to a dubious semiconductor.
On the internet, which was very interested in computers, especially high-performance processors, opinions were completely divided.
The mainstream opinion was that it existed, but 11 times the performance was only achieved when they ran optimized benchmark programs.
And the lack of supporting programs, let alone a decent platform, was also a weakness.
-In short, there is nothing but one processor. How long will it take Quantum Solution to create an ecosystem by themselves?
-I wish they had opened the specifications and recognized compatible models like IBM… But it would be hard to expect that from Yu Ji-ha.
-But you know what, if all this is true, and we are idiots, I really hope so. This damn semiconductor industry needs innovation.
They really did.
The modern semiconductor process was widely evaluated as having reached the limit of miniaturization and integration.
They introduced AI and achieved ultra-fine 1nm process, but this was a marketing term and not real, according to most opinions.
It was because the claims of the companies that claimed that they had improved their performance by several times because they had achieved 1nm process were accepted as they were.
—The actual process is probably around 4nm? The process is so mature that the performance is good, but it doesn’t mean that the line width has actually decreased.
—That too has reached its limit since two years ago. The companies are trying hard to increase the number of cores and add various functions, but the direct performance has not changed from two years ago.
—It will be difficult to improve performance as long as we use silicon. We need some radical change of idea.
Many research institutes experimented with various materials, but none of them actually reached mass production.
Everyone agreed that a new material was needed since it had been decades since humans made silicon semiconductors from sand.
—But not diamonds. That’s a gemstone.
On the other hand, institutions or scholars who were seriously researching quantum computers were cautious about this situation.
—Artificial diamonds made in high-pressure and high-temperature environments can easily reproduce quantum entanglement phenomena. If they knew this and developed it…
—Something doesn’t make sense. It feels like he’s not developing technology but pulling out something that’s already done.
—Still, if he really developed a diamond semiconductor, this is something to celebrate. I hope he works hard for humanity.
However, the diamond semiconductor was only a step leading to superconducting quantum computers.
The calculation unit that formed the core of Arma was made of topological insulators and room-temperature superconductors that were first discovered on Jupiter, and only they could stably maintain qubits.
Anyway, the diamond semiconductor announced by Yu Ji-ha caused a huge issue in many ways.
The moment its existence was confirmed, either the US or Yu Ji-ha would suffer a great blow.
-If it’s true, the existing semiconductor ecosystem will be shattered. And if it’s false, Yu Ji-ha’s credibility will be fatally damaged.
—Either way, it seems like an economic recession will happen…
—He went too far. He should have communicated with academia and proceeded cautiously in the first place.
—The US wouldn’t have pressured him if he did. If I had such technology, I would have done the same.
January passed by with all this noise and February came along.
Meanwhile, Silla Electronics and Hansung Electronics, which had been quiet for a long time, almost simultaneously unveiled one processor lineup each.
But this was more amazing than expected.
***
Normally, in the IT industry, new products are announced through separate events and are very noisy.
There are so many different products that they have to gather issues to avoid being buried.
But Silla Electronics and Hansung Electronics were different.
They updated their products on their websites and did not do any promotion.
If they were scheduled to be released in the second quarter, they should be making a lot of noise by now.
Especially if it was the diamond semiconductor that attracted the attention of the world.
But Yu Ji-ha ordered them not to do any promotion.
The word of mouth would spread even if they stayed still.
Of course, this industry was not enough with just word of mouth, but that was when the product was normal.
The diamond semiconductor had the power to overturn the entire semiconductor industry, and therefore did not need to spend money on promotion.
Its performance would shock the world, and the world would do the promotion for them.
Hansung Group would have wanted to raise a big issue and focus attention, but they had no choice because the other party was a super boss.
So two products were quietly released on their websites, and Korean netizens who were watching Silla Group with eagle eyes rushed in.
—Diamond semiconductors are out!
—What’s the codename? Esil? Why does it sound like a person’s name?
—Is it true that Hansung Electronics’ website says it’s a mobile AP? When did they develop a mobile version?
—They probably outsourced production to Quantum Solution.
—No, what I mean is AP means it has a GPU. Where did they get that?
—PC processors also have integrated graphics. Did they make this themselves?
Netizens were furious at the performance indicated on the sheet.
—Is 8GHz boost clock real? Don’t you need nitrogen cooling for this?
—Fuck, my Intel CPU eats 200W by itself, but this is 1/10 of that.
—What is variable core? Does the number of cores change depending on the task?
—Wasn’t it concluded that mass production was impossible? Artificial diamonds are expensive too.
—Yu Ji-ha must have done something. Or Lucia did.
—GPU is… better not to expect too much?
—It would be a relief if it’s not a graphics accelerator.
They all admitted the CPU itself, but they didn’t have high expectations for the GPU.
The roles were different in the first place.
GPU was specialized in floating-point operations, and the process and know-how accumulated over decades were not easy to catch up with.
Of course, there were some hopeful speculations that he would soon get his hands on the GPU, since he had created a diamond semiconductor in a few months.
—At least not now. This GPU is just for displaying the screen.
—But the internal structure of the AP shows that the GPU occupies a large area, right? It’s not even inferior to the M3 chip.
—What the hell is this thing?
There was not much information besides the model name Esil, so everything was a guess.
Even the mobile AP did not have a name yet.
In the meantime, Android Lucia announced an internet broadcast.
The existing Lucia was contractually prohibited from all kinds of commercial activities.
It meant that he could not make money with Lucia.
The only exception was Yu Ji-ha, who was the creator, which was somewhat natural.
Anyway, there was a rumor that the identity of the codename Esil would be revealed in this broadcast, which caused a stir.
—Lucia is going to run benchmarks and play games?
—The president is also coming out. Can I donate?
—The drone will catch you.
Yu Ji-ha had also used internet broadcasting at the black metal battery demonstration, but this time he said he would appear in person.
Everyone was looking forward to seeing Yu Ji-ha in person, as they had only seen him on official occasions.
In fact, it was Arma’s suggestion that he appeared on the internet broadcast.
“According to the data analysis, Master’s image is so full of war, execution, and dictatorship that it needs to be diluted.”
“Well, do I need that when I have power? I doubt that image renewal will be possible with one broadcast.”
“Just showing Master’s daily life will appeal to young people.”
“Prepare it briefly.”
It wouldn’t hurt if he could renew his image with a short shooting.
Equipment was installed in Yu Ji-ha’s room designated as the broadcasting place, and Lucia No.1 started preparing.
Since the preparation process was also broadcasted through a separate camera, an enormous number of people flocked in.
The Silla Group’s server easily handled tens of millions of traffic that suddenly poured in.
—Lucia is really pretty… No wonder they said not to make money with her on BD.
—I wonder if she will do a neck-breaking performance on the broadcast. The viewers will love it to death.
—I also ordered Lucia, but the supply is so backed up that I have to wait for three years. Sigh…
—But who is that staff? He’s been acting friendly with Lucia since earlier?
—Huh? Is that Ji-ha hyung?
The viewers belatedly realized that the man who looked like a staff member was actually Yu Ji-ha.
As he turned his head, the chat that tens of thousands of people poured out stopped just before it reached.
—Everyone take your hands off the keyboard~~~!
—Loyalty loyalty!
Even foreigners knew Yu Ji-ha’s infamy well enough that there were even hail Hitler chats.
Of course, Yu Ji-ha didn’t care about it and greeted the viewers.
“Hello, I’m Yu Ji-ha, who is in charge of the presidency of South Korea. I came out today to introduce you to the diamond semiconductor, so please take it lightly.”
People admired him as they saw him in a casual T-shirt outfit.
—I didn’t know because I only saw him in suits all the time, but he has a great body.
—He looks like an idol when he gets a proper camera massage.
The news of his appearance spread and the number of viewers continued to increase, surpassing one million.
As the demonstration began in earnest, people exclaimed.
—That’s a game that can’t even defend 60 frames at 8K resolution with recent graphics cards.
—Wow… Does that mean there’s a GPU built into the chipset? Like a mobile AP?
As soon as the game ran smoothly, people were ecstatic to see the numbers displayed on the monitor.
—Is that a monitor that supports up to 240Hz at 8K? It’s 230 frames. Crazy crazy.
—Is that possible with other systems?
—Impossible. It’s been concluded long ago that even if you spend 10 million won on an estimate, you can’t defend 60 frames.
—Is 55W total power consumption real…?
—Will this destroy the graphics card industry?
Lucia received every reaction from the viewers while playing various games.
People finally realized that the operating system running the benchmark program was not Windows.
—Was that an emulation?
—That’s impossible. Do you know how difficult it is to access the Windows kernel?
—Then the problem of lack of support programs is solved.
The biggest problem of the diamond semiconductor was suddenly solved.
If he could run Windows on the basic operating system, there was no need to develop programs and attract software companies.
The important thing was performance, and he had no trouble running a game with a huge specification at 230 frames.
The temperature was stable and the total power consumption of the system was lower than the existing CPU.
—This is real.
As the chat room went wild, high donations started to come up.
They were mostly requests for contact in English, but the email addresses made people laugh.
—Apple, Intel, Orix… Every semiconductor company in the world was watching.
—It’s shocking that Windows can be emulated with almost no performance loss.
—But isn’t emulation illegal?
—Emulation itself is not illegal. There has to be evidence that he accessed the kernel illegally, but Microsoft would be in a dilemma.
—What happens now? Is the semiconductor industry doomed?
—If that can be mass-produced, at least CPU and GPU are confirmed to be industrial waste.
—Yu Ji-ha won the duel.
All that was left was for the heads of those who went up to the guillotine to be cut off.
A normal person might have stopped here, but Yu Ji-ha was a real doer.
The demonstration was over and he wiped off his smile as he looked at the camera.
“I gave you time, but not a single phone call came. So I’ll do as I please. All semiconductors from Quantum Solution will not enter American soil. The deadline is until the companies that participated in the sanctions go bankrupt. That’s all.”
Six semiconductor companies with a market capitalization of over 1 trillion dollars were on the verge of bankruptcy.
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