"Boss, this is the record of the entire meeting. We've secured quotas for five lithography machines this time, and Intel's ten machines will arrive at the company simultaneously!" A few days later, at TSMC's headquarters, a representative who attended the meeting met with TSMC's chairman, Morris Chang, to report on the meeting.
Unexpectedly, Morris Chang was indifferent to how many lithography machines he had obtained. Instead, he read the content related to Trumpf several times and then asked, "Did you not speak up for Trumpf during the meeting?"
"Ah... no, I didn't... it's none of our business!" the representative replied instinctively.
"You fool!" Morris Chang slammed the table in anger, "This foreigner is right. If this continues, all of us will be working for China in the future!"
"..." The representative was so scared he dared not breathe, but at the same time, he muttered to himself, "Aren't we Chinese ourselves?"
"You are only separated by a sea from that side, and you don't know how terrifying the potential of this China Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance is? They have already extended their reach to us. I only found out a few days ago that 80% of our materials come from companies related to the China Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance. They are now holding our lifeline!" Morris Chang sighed.
"Boss, you don't need to worry too much about this. As you said, they are only supplying materials. Without lithography machines, they can only supply materials for their entire lives!" the representative comforted him.
"Hmph, Jiangnan Optoelectronics already has a hundred lithography machines in its hands!" Morris Chang said in a deep voice.
"But those are all old-fashioned lithography machines. The entire industry has entered a new era. Whoever holds the latest immersion lithography machines will control the future of chip manufacturing!"
"Boss, it was also clearly stated in the meeting that ASML will strictly abide by the relevant agreements, and the latest lithography machines will never be sold to Jiangnan Optoelectronics. You can rest assured about these matters!" the representative continued.
"Alas!" Morris Chang sighed again and waved the representative away. But a few minutes later, his secretary came to find him, saying that Old Huang was here.
"This guy is here again!" Morris Chang rubbed his temples. Even without this old friend speaking, he knew exactly that he must be here to ask for new lithography machine production.
Originally, Morris Chang would absolutely refuse such a request, as their own production was not enough, let alone guaranteeing how much they could provide to others. However, now that they had secured quotas for fifteen machines at once, there was a lot of surplus. Helping this old friend didn't seem impossible. So, Morris Chang warmly welcomed Old Huang and patted his chest, promising to help his old brother. He even guaranteed to provide him with at least 100,000 chips by the end of next year, leaving Old Huang grateful and impressed.
It was just that Morris Chang did not expect that when he was about to pack up and go home, another person arrived unexpectedly.
"Mr. Jobs, why are you here!" Morris Chang asked in surprise upon seeing the person who suddenly appeared before him.
"Mr. Chang, I have something to ask of you this time!" Jobs said. What surprised Morris Chang even more was that Jobs spoke in fluent Chinese, and not standard Mandarin, but some local dialect.
However, the difference between the dialect and Mandarin was not significant, and Morris Chang could understand it. But Morris Chang had never heard that Jobs had learned Chinese!
"Mr. Jobs, when did you learn Mandarin! I never knew about it when I was in the US!" Morris Chang and Jobs had been good friends since his days at Texas Instruments.
This was because at that time, a large portion of Apple's components were purchased directly from Texas Instruments. Morris Chang was the third-in-command at Texas Instruments back then, and his interactions with Jobs were very close. They could be considered old friends.
Therefore, he truly never knew when his old friend had learned Chinese.
"I learned it unconsciously at the beginning of this year!" Jobs' face was a little pale, and it was faintly visible that his feet were covered in sweat. However, he sat very upright, and there was a subtle aura about him that was completely different from the Jobs he knew before.
"It's bad, it looks like Jobs is really at the end of his life!" Morris Chang muttered to himself. There were rumors in the company that Jobs' pancreatic cancer was already in its final stages, and doctors had issued six critical illness notices. He might not survive for the next two years.
Therefore, Morris Chang had never thought that Jobs would neglect his remaining time for treatment and directly come to his company headquarters to meet him.
But even in such a situation, the other party still appeared, which meant that he must have something very important to discuss with him.
"I need 3 million chips, manufactured using the latest 50nm process technology, by the end of next year!" Jobs did not keep Morris Chang in suspense for too long and directly stated his request.
"Three million!" Morris Chang's expression changed instantly upon hearing this request. He said with a wry smile, "Mr. Jobs, your request is a bit too much. We only have 10 lithography machines in total. The maximum annual output of one lithography machine is 2 million units, and that's without considering the probability of defects. It would be a miracle if half of them are usable."
"My total output for the year is at most 10 million units, and these will almost all be taken by Intel. Where can I get 3 million units for you!" Morris Chang explained.
"You obtained 15 machines!" Jobs directly exposed Morris Chang's lie. "Five of them belong to you, and your actual annual output is 5 million units. What's wrong with leaving 3 million for me!"
"But we also have many old customers whose businesses need to be maintained. I can't give all 3 million units to you. How about this, I'll tell you the honest truth: 1 million units, that's my limit. And that's only because we've been old friends for many years!" Morris Chang said.
"Three million, not one less!" Jobs said with a cold face, looking at Morris Chang for a long time, and finally said, "Mr. Chang, have you forgotten who threw you a lifeline in '88?"
"Alright, you've even learned the phrase 'lifeline'!" Morris Chang said with a dry, unfunny joke, but his expression also became solemn or even grim.
The "lifeline" in Jobs' mouth referred to the time when TSMC was just established and only had two second-hand lithography machines, unable to take on any business. In that crisis, Morris Chang approached Apple and secured a $3 million order from Apple, which allowed TSMC to have the funds to keep operating.
At the same time, having companies like Apple order chips from TSMC indicated that Apple had great confidence in the quality of chips produced by TSMC. This was of immense help to TSMC at the time, convincing many hesitant parties to ultimately trust TSMC, and also laid the groundwork for TSMC's subsequent rapid development.
It could be said that Jobs himself was a great benefactor to TSMC and Morris Chang. When Jobs brought up the "lifeline" from '88, Morris Chang was indeed completely cornered. However, Morris Chang greatly disliked the feeling of being held hostage by past favors, but since it was Jobs, he had no choice but to say, "In that case, then 2 million units. But let me make it clear, this is truly our absolute limit, not a single piece more. And we still have to pray for a satisfactory yield!"
"No, 3 million is my minimum requirement!" Unexpectedly, Jobs was still not satisfied. However, he also knew that favors alone wouldn't get him the remaining million. So he smiled brightly and said, "Mr. Chang, please help me, because this is the last request of a dying person!"
"..." Morris Chang was completely stunned. China has always had the saying that the deceased should be respected. Now, Jobs directly said that he was dying and that it was his last request. How could Morris Chang refuse?
Jobs then put a document in front of Morris Chang, saying, "This is the diagnosis from my personal doctor. My body is currently extremely weak, and the cancer has metastasized. I must undergo surgery next month, otherwise, I will not live for more than two months. However, the success rate of the surgery is only 30%, and I might die directly on the operating table!"
"And even if the surgery is successful, I will only live for another 6 months. This is my last request in life. Mr. Chang, aren't you willing to fulfill it?" Jobs sighed.
"..." Morris Chang was left speechless by the pressure. Finally, he nodded helplessly, "Fine, three million it is. But I cannot guarantee it to you. I can only see if I can divert some production capacity from Intel's equipment. If we're lucky, we might get an additional 1 million units of output!"
"Thank you!" Jobs said sincerely, then coughed a few times.
"But Mr. Jobs, there is something I am truly very curious about. From what I know, you are not the kind of person who would use your past favors or even your death as a bargaining chip. Why are you doing this? It's completely different from the you I know!" Morris Chang asked, baffled.
"Where the Dao resides, it is solely in the heart. A hundred boats contend, a hundred rivers return to the sea!" Jobs said seriously, "I have found my Dao. If one does not hear the Dao in the morning, one cannot die in the evening."