industrial maniac

Chapter 401 James' HD Interface

Early morning of May 4rd.

Founder's internal canteen.

Xu Fei called Wan Tao to understand the current situation of Wanxin International, and at the same time thought about which technologies to transplant from the analog electronics industry, which can help the Octopus graphics card to grow bigger and stronger quickly.

As the saying goes, analog electronic technology is a bridge between reality and virtual world.

Like a digital camera, its working principle is to capture the scene into the analog device-photosensitive element through exposure technology, and then the processor counts and translates the lit pixels in the photosensitive element into 0101, and then compiles it into code for convenient transmission. Finally, it is presented to the user through the simulation device-display.

Like recording and broadcasting equipment, its working principle is to record sound into the surface layer of the ferromagnetic material of the analog device, and the processor then counts and translates the current contained in the surface layer of the ferromagnetic material into 0101, and then compiles it into code for easy transmission, and finally passes the simulation The device plays a sound.

This is true for keyboards, mice, PLCs, and numerical control devices.

It can be said that any electronic product in the world cannot escape the law of 'analog→digital→analog'.

If a country does not have an analog electronics industry, it will never be able to produce a complete set of 'electronic products'.

On the contrary, if a country does not have a digital electronics industry, it can reshape its technology tree by means of 'analog→analog'.

And in the graphics card industry.

The type of electronic products that Octopus Technology intends to develop must be digital electronic products, otherwise they cannot be compatible with existing overseas computers.

But the graphics card is also 'analog→digital→analog'.

The first simulation refers to data entry, including photos taken by digital cameras, vector graphics made by designers, and game models built by artists.

Since the computer is a terminal, and the graphics card is also the final device, except for the games made by ourselves, we cannot determine these analog values.

Therefore, the entry of analog data has little to do with the graphics card industry that is about to develop.

The second number refers to data processing, including the image sent by the CPU, the graphics card GPU calling the API to draw the outline, the material and texture made by the designer, and the rendering of the graphics card itself.

This requires a powerful data transmission channel, powerful computing frequency, and a good graphics processor architecture. It is related to the materials, technology, production process, and packaging process of the Daze Industrial Complex, and has nothing to do with the analog electronics industry.

The third simulation, which is the final work of the graphics card, includes converting digital signals to analog signals and transmitting the analog signals to the display.

These two processes, one is called digital-to-analog conversion, and the other is called analog signal and imaging algorithm.

Due to the development of the analog electronics industry, it has been stagnant for more than 20 years. On the surface, these two technologies have been weakened infinitely, and no one even learns them, but in fact they are monopolized by major manufacturers, that is, eaten by the Texas Instruments gang. eat alone.

Otherwise, Dongfang would have been able to produce professional monitors, own speaker equipment without paying patent fees, and even develop its own 'radio frequency chip'.

From here we can see how important 'digital-to-analog conversion', 'analog signal and imaging algorithm' are.

In the past, our own camp had nothing, not to mention digital-to-analog conversion, and even digital cameras, memory chips, and chips that could keep up with development could not be produced, so naturally we could not develop the graphics card industry.

Fortunately, there are adults.

Two years ago, with the help of the computer that came with the radar module, Xu Fei let his superiors understand the importance of analog technology and founded Wanxin International.

Wanxin International is responsible for the development of the eastern analog electronics industry. Since it landed in Shanghai, it has always attracted the attention of the board of directors.

If you lack money, you can get money, if you lack talents, you can send talents, if you lack technology, you can buy technology from adults, if you lack materials, you can buy materials from adults, if you lack equipment, you can find customized equipment from adults...

Up to now, Wanxin International has become the largest and strongest electronic technology research base in the East. It has many universities such as the University of Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, East University of Science and Technology, Xidu University of Science and Technology, Jingcheng University of Science and Technology, and Dongshan University of Science and Technology as talent pools. .

It is only affected by the business environment of the home planet, and in order not to reveal the money, as the first private company in the East to research the analog electronics industry, Wanxin International has suffered serious losses year after year due to hindered business development, and has debts as high as hundreds of billions. money.

Of course, in fact, Wanxin International won the PCB boards, graphite X patches, power supply interfaces, CCC network switches, etc. business.

With the explosion of industries such as automobiles, aviation, aerospace, mobile phones, speakers, and digital 3C, Wanxin International has an annual turnover of more than 5000 billion red notes, making it a large taxpayer on record.

After Wan Tao explained the existing technology of Wanxin International, he talked about the Octopus graphics card: "In terms of graphics processing, the factory manager needs to find a way by himself. In terms of analog signal output, Wanxin International can provide a set of 'realistic technology'.

This technology is also called display enhancement and intelligent light supplement. After the 'digital signal is converted into an analog signal', the analog data is processed again through the analog chip, and then sent to the display.

It sounds a bit redundant, but we tried to integrate this technology into the display, and the effect is quite indistinguishable, not even inferior to the HDR technology developed by Qualcomm in 98, which is to take multiple photos and then synthesize an HDR image to enhance display effect.

But our simulation technology belongs to "simulation", just like stairs, our simulation technology can round the edges and corners of the stairs, making the stairs look more "pleasing to the eye" and softer, Qualcomm's HDR technology makes the stairs The edges are sharper, brighter and sharper.

Can not say which is better, this is just a technical means.

Just in the field of film and television, 2D movies played with realistic technology can allow people to enjoy a dynamic visual experience beyond 2D. Qualcomm's technology looks clearer, more colorful, and more digital, and it will be "tiring" for a long time.

In the field of games, the 3D game screen displayed by the simulation technology is more realistic than that of ordinary graphics cards. Due to the addition of an analog chip, the workload of the graphics card is reduced, and it can even help low-end graphics cards to present the effect of mid-to-high-end graphics cards.

Qualcomm's technology uses multiple photos to synthesize one. Since it occupies the data transmission channel, the workload of the graphics card will increase by N times, but it will reduce the performance of the graphics card, so that the mid-to-high-end graphics card will at most present the effect of a low-end graphics card.

Of course, both sides have added an image processing link, and the final display delay is the same, they are about 45ms, and ours is 50ms. "(In this period, the response time of the display has not been paid attention to, it is not below 10ms now, but it is terribly high)

While Wan Tao was narrating, the fourth secretary organized his words into a document, spread it on the dining table, and circled a few key points.

'This is the difference between having a secretary and not having one. '

Xu Fei secretly sighed, picked up the document and flipped through it, "Is our technology based on a common graphics card or an analog graphics card?"

"Ordinary graphics cards are used with ordinary monitors. After all, XLED panels are mainly used in the field of smart phones due to the impact of shipping prices. In the field of TVs and computer monitors, they only occupy 20% of the market. If we want to sell analog computers on a large scale, Always consider the cost of changing phones for the audience.”

"You license this technology to Octopus Technology and ask for a 5% licensing fee for each graphics card."

"Good factory manager."

After Wan Tao agreed, he thought for a moment, "Because your octopus graphics card uses a digital processing solution, we can't help you much here."

"It's okay, as long as there is one advantage in making products, capital can infinitely magnify this advantage, cover up all shortcomings, and finally sell it at a high price. Moreover, we are a Daze industrial complex with many advanced materials and a world-leading Packaging technology, just like what the outside world praises our driving computer, the structure is not enough, the materials are assembled, the performance is not good, the channel helps, and stability and ease of use are king.”

"Are you sure, this is not scolding you?"

"Tao, you didn't give me New Year's greetings this year."

"Don't worry, big brother. After the child is born, I will take him to kowtow to you immediately."

"It's a good feeling."

Xu Fei hung up the phone with a smile, and sighed, "Time flies, and Wan Tao's children were born unexpectedly."

"Actually, you can have some too." The fourth secretary loosened the neckline for Wei Kecha, and straightened his chest.

Xu Fei looked down at the computer, not paying attention to this scene, "The last stage of the analog signal transmission has been solved, and the next step is to solve the graphics processor."

Graphics processor is referred to as GPU for short, and its composition is similar to that of CPU, except that GPU is mainly used to process images, does not require high computing power, and is good at repetitive tasks.

This repetitive work is mainly for 3D modeling or 3D rendering, which calculates vertices or pixels. Therefore, the graphics card needs a powerful allocation capability to quickly allocate the resources transmitted by the CPU, and then requires many small processors that can calculate pixels. , to piece together the resources into a picture.

The data in the small processor flows repeatedly due to repeated operations. This small processor is also called a 'stream processor'.

The number and distribution scheme of stream processors is the graphics card architecture, which is also an important indicator for determining the performance of the graphics card.

With this thing, you need a PCB board to carry it, and set up a series of capacitors, inductors, controllers, etc., when processing complex graphics, use more power to prevent the stream processor from running, or when processing simple graphics , less power supply, to avoid burning many stream processors.

Up to this step, except for the structure, all the above electronic devices can be produced by themselves.

Next is video memory.

The video memory is used to hold the data processed by the GPU, or the rendering data to be extracted, involving capacity, frequency, and bit width.

At present, mainstream graphics cards, such as N4 MX and Core 4 TI, use about 150nm process technology, have 2900 million transistors, and use 64M video memory, 128Bit bit width, set 4 data channels, 2 rendering pipelines, frequency about 250MHz~300MHz, bandwidth 7.2GB/s.

Due to its own foundry memory particles and its own technology, it will be able to provide Octopus graphics card with a 120nm process technology, 4500 million transistors, 256M video memory, and 500Mhz frequency to run 3D games with better and better picture effects.

Then use the packaging process of 1 large and 3 small GPUs to make up for the lack of data channels caused by the architecture.

In other words, the N card has 4 data channels, 2 rendering pipelines, its own 1 large and 3 small GPUs, and uses graphite X chips to form 8 data channels, which can completely surpass them.

So, the rest is to combine the above things into a 'graphics card'.

But whether it can be applied to a computer depends on the 'interface'.

If the computer interface, such as VGA, DVI, etc., is not compatible with your own graphics card, it is useless to make it.

If these interfaces are compatible, it means that the company has to pay a large licensing fee.

And Xiaobu made it clear that he would not allow Ironhide to enter the field of graphics cards...

This means that even AMD, Dell, HP, and Pingguo, which maintain cooperation with the Daze Industrial Complex, will not adopt and be compatible with their own graphics cards.

Therefore, it is time to 'play hooligans'.

According to Xu Fei's understanding, a discrete graphics card is originally an electronic product that is independent of the CPU and has a power supply, GPU, and radiator.

Well, if it is taken out of the main box and turned into a 'small main box', it is completely feasible.

As for this small main box, in order not to take up space, we can completely innovate the shape of the graphics card, and design it as a 'black octopus pirate', or a 'flying saucer', or a 'mechanical toy' shape, as a 'decoration'.

For the same reason, metal speaker functions, time projection, RGB lighting, and time hourglass can also be added to increase selling points.

You can even add a separate display to remind the temperature, speed, power, or manually adjust the power and speed.

Even the graphics card box with the display screen is submerged in the coolant to make it into a fish tank.

In short, the graphics card is separated from the main box, and you can play however you want.

Because this is an unprecedented market.

The problem is, how to get the interface, and make the computer CPU and computer motherboard recognize their own independent graphics card, and then transmit the image to the existing display.

Xu Fei picked up the laptop on the dining table and counted the input and output ports.

Including U port, Ethernet port, VGA, audio.

Obviously, a single interface cannot support the "discrete graphics card" with many functions of its own.

'It seems that it is necessary for TEP to popularize a new interface for synchronous transmission of audio and video for computers following the T-type interface. '

Xu Fei immediately contacted James and asked him to operate it.

In the capital world, as long as the capital is strong enough, anything can be done.

In less than half an hour, James gave a reply.

In the name of the North American Iron Tower Corporation, it invested 10 billion US dollars and called on global broadcasters, media tycoons, and consumer electronics manufacturers to jointly research a general-purpose 'high-definition multimedia interface' + 'wireless network transceiver module' to eliminate Due to the rapid development of electronic products, the "inconsistent interface" and "inconsistent signal frequency" generated have an impact on broadcast signals.

The Tower Company invests, each company contributes personnel, the scientific and technological achievements are shared globally, and the license fee is permanently exempted.

This has made many companies with interface patents dare not speak out, and it has also made many companies who have had enough of patent licensing fees ecstatic.

It was less than half an hour after TEP Chairman James made his remarks on BBS, Yahoo, and Sohu respectively.

Sony, Hitachi, Panasonic, Toshiba, Philips, and Thomson all joined in, and even expressed their willingness to donate as much money as possible to unify the global interface.

Immediately afterwards, Pingguo, Samsung, Bandai Mobile, KingS Mobile, Great Wall Industry, and Red Founder responded to the call.

TEP has many investments in the East, and James will naturally not refuse the participation of Eastern companies.

As a result, many Eastern companies who were waiting and watching, also started to sign up after being contacted by someone on the phone.

BYD, Huanxu Electronics, appo mobile phone, Weihua Technology, ZTE Technology...

By the evening of North America, about one-third of the world's electronics manufacturers have participated in the program.

Immediately afterwards, James took the vertical lift private business jet, took the salesman - Kelin, and the person in charge of North American Forberle, and visited IBM first, surrounded by the TEP emergency brigade.

James is known as the "major shareholder" of overseas bases in North America. Even Raymond, who is in charge of the Marine Corps of the Marine Corps, has to consider offending this guy. When he checks his own accounts, will his subordinates use the Mavericks to Boom himself from the sky.

The fact that TEP actually controls overseas bases in North America is also the main reason why the oil king values ​​TEP and is quite polite to Strauss.

Now James came to the door, just for a small audio interface. IBM, which has a military background, naturally would not resist, and even took the initiative to donate 2 of the latest high-performance laptops to TEP to support the joint defense contract of "North America" Boot Training' program.

(Before United Defense was acquired by TEP, it had a "combat simulation cabin", which was responsible for the training of recruits in North America. The mechanical simulation cabins such as trucks in Germany were imitated by its products. Later, Xu Fei reduced the simulation cabin to the size of a palm and placed it On the chest of the robot, it is used for the little squid to operate the robot and disguise the intelligent robot.)

James got IBM done, rested overnight, and visited Dell the next day.

Headquartered in Texas, Dell is a capital enterprise that supports Xiaobu, and also belongs to the JP Morgan faction. Naturally, it will not give a good face to James, who is from the oil magnate faction.

But votes are a good thing.

After receiving the news, Xiaobu rushed to Austin from Washington on the same day, hosted James, Kelin, and the general manager of Foberle, and took the 37-year-old founder of Dell-Michael Dell to reach a strategic cooperation with TEP .

For example, the driving computer of TEP cars will be designed by Dell in the future (Xu Fei is the foundry, and TEP cars have always used the simplest driving controller)

For example, Dell introduced the T-type interface, and removed a U port in notebook computers and desktop computers, and changed it to the high-definition multimedia interface-HDMI dominated by TEP.

The cooperation between the two major capitals is gratifying.

During the banquet, Xiao Bu, who was very happy, expressed to James his concern about a certain dog dealer entering the field of graphics cards.

Even the speculation of the RAND Corporation: Xu Fei engages in games → enters the field of graphics cards → trains graphics cards → implants electric vehicles, builds smart cars → monopolizes the global auto industry, and narrates it carefully.

James, who was seriously injured by the dog dealer Boom and stayed in the hospital for half a year, immediately said, "We also engage in electric power, following the dog dealer's path, so that the dog dealer has nowhere to go!"

Xiao Bu immediately picked up the goblet, "Stinger Si!"

"However, Mr. Bu, we don't have a supercapacitor. Our flywheel battery is only suitable for the aerospace industry and cannot be commercialized on a large scale. If we want to develop electric vehicles, we must find a power battery."

"Mr. James, do you have any plans for your company?"

"We need to introduce lithium iron phosphate batteries from BYD, or consider their lithium-ion polymer batteries, or get the authorization of graphite X patch, and introduce a combination battery of lithium ion + graphite X patch."

"It's just a battery. It's not a technological barrier. Your company can figure it out."

"Then trouble Mr. Bu, ask the Congress to draw up a list of commodity imports."

"No problem, come, come, Tinsel!"

James also raised the goblet, "Stingers!"

That night.

The drunken James, who was born in the same year as him, hit it off right away, and almost developed into budding brothers Xiaobu and Kelin, as well as the general manager of Fobole, flew straight to California, and then broke into the Huipu Technology Building.

"What about your boss, let's go to Las Vegas and have fun!"

"..."

……

the other side.

Director Xu, who knew that TEP James would definitely handle the interface, also came to the University of Science and Technology, stood on top of the bulletproof version of the red flag at the school gate, held a microphone, and began to give a speech.

"Students, there are many cruel truths in this world."

"The so-called cruelty is that you find that you have scored more than 90 points in the school test again and again, failed every time, and failed in both grades and academics. When you leave school, you find that you are nothing. The monthly salary of a hard-earned job is not even comparable to moving bricks."

"The so-called truth is that all high-end science and technology are not in the hands of schools, but are monopolized by big factories and capital. Capital will not teach you what it depends on to survive, which has nothing to do with capital. "

"If you think what I said today is right, come with me, and I will make you the pillars of the technology field with a monthly salary of over [-]!"

Who is Director Xu?

He is the leader of oriental industry and technology.

After thousands of students were stunned, they rushed out of the school shouting.

Xu Fei turned his head to look at a group of bald men who were stopped outside by the engineers, "You should hang street lights together!"