mesbooks Chapter 239 Bel-Sim Prototype
Chapter 239 Bel-Sim Prototype
This conference may have a significant impact on the global MEMS industrial simulation EDA market.
Just as the nation was thrilled by the fact that the Magwel president and his wife's private jet had arrived in Suzhou, leading them to speculate that they would reach a cooperation agreement with Weilan, the two people who had made them so excited finally met in person.
July 10th, 6:30 PM.
The meeting place for the two company leaders wasn't at Weilan's headquarters. It wasn't at a large hotel like the Chen Group's, which anyone could book. It wasn't any VIP room in Lujiazui. It was in an old residential area next to Qifeng Courtyard in Sunqiao, south of Zhangjiang in Pudong, in a suite on the sixth floor of building number three, east-facing unit.
It's a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, 3 square meters. He bought it last June. Since then, only three people have entered the apartment: his sister Su Rou, his mother (who passed away last December), and his nanny, Aunt Zhang. But in the industry, this isn't surprising. It's perfectly normal.
To outsiders, Synaptics and Kentech are deadlocked. They seem like they'd never sit at the same table. But those in the industry know that both companies hold cross-licensing agreements. And within those agreements, there's a saying between them: "Fighting without breaking apart." They've maintained their alliance for five years without a direct confrontation.
When the Béla Tartas landed in Pudong at 9 a.m. this morning, they were unaware that of the three numbers Harvey Lindbergh dialed last night, the first number to connect was with Antonio Valentine, CEO of Cadence. Thirty-six minutes after that call, a small, closed-door meeting was held to finalize the cross-licensing agreement between Synaptics and Cadence. Tonight at midnight, in a meeting room on the sixth floor of Synaptics' headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Tonight, we're making an exception.
The moment Bellata and her husband stepped through the door, a look of surprise flashed across their eyes simultaneously.
They assumed tonight's event would be some kind of banquet. They thought it would be at some five-star hotel in Lujiazui. They never expected it to be Su Chen's own three-bedroom apartment.
"Excuse me," Bellata said softly. He spoke Chinese. He was sixty-two years old, had traveled to mainland China six times, and could speak a little Chinese.
"I won't bother you," Su Chen said.
He invited them to the living room. The old lemonwood dining table in the living room was already set with dishes. Thirteen dishes. Mainly local Shanghainese cuisine. "Tirenxiang Braised Duck, Huihong Pufferfish, Hangzhou-style Braised Pork, Sizzling Black Carp, Eight-Treasure Spicy Sauce, Fish-flavored Small Pork Ribs, Pan-fried Yellow Croaker, Hangzhou Braised Duck, Braised River Shrimp, Assorted Herbs, Eight-Treasure Rice." Adding a Suzhou Squirrel Fish, a cold dish of Shanghai Spicy Tofu, and a soup of mushroom and chicken soup.
Three people, thirteen paths. Including Su Chen himself, four people.
The technical director who was supposed to be with the Bellata couple wasn't with them tonight. He was leaning against something in the hotel. On the other side of the hotel, Zou Xin, the on-site engineer from Vilan, was with him. Zou Xin was representing Vilan's legal team at the six-hour negotiation with Magwel's legal team tomorrow morning at 10 AM.
There are only four people at this table tonight.
The lady in Bellata, fifty-eight years old, was named Maria Haver. She was a local from Leuven. Tonight, she looked up at Su Chen only after glancing at the thirteen-course meal.
"Ms. Su," she said, "this isn't a home-style dish."
Su Chen shook his head.
"Yes. Tonight is an exception."
"What does President Su usually eat?"
"Two dishes and a soup," Su Chen said.
Maria looked at him.
She saw a valuation report for Vilan from Goldman Sachs on June 2nd of this year. The report stated that Su Chen's personal equity exceeded 2 billion RMB.
"Two dishes and a soup," Su Chen added, "The monthly food expenses are less than 3000."
Maria lowered her head.
She has met many business owners around the world. Among those she has met, she understands what it means to have assets exceeding 20 billion RMB but spend less than 3000 RMB per month on food.
She looked up.
"Ms. Su," she said, "we didn't come to the wrong door."
Su Chen shook his head.
"no."
"This meal at your house," Maria said, "covers your meals for several months."
Su Chen remained silent.
Maria raised her glass.
"Mr. Su," she said, "my husband and I thank you."
She raised her cup.
Bellata raises his glass.
Su Chen raised his cup.
Chen He raised his glass behind him.
The four glasses clinked together. Not a single word was spoken.
The wine was 1986 Wumangsen, and the dishes were prepared by an 80-year-old chef from a local Shanghainese restaurant. The chef wasn't coming tonight; instead, he sent his apprentice, who was in charge of cooking, to the restaurant. The chef accepted this table because Su Chen personally made that phone call at 3:20 PM yesterday.
After finishing their meal, the four of them moved to the sofa in the living room. Aunt Zhang gently cleared away the tableware.
Maria was looking at the television. It was a rerun of the episode of "Financial Observation" featuring He Zhaoming, which aired after the "GG" program at 6 PM that night. He Zhaoming's line, "Did Qiming take the wrong path at first?" was repeated three times.
She was looking at the screen. But her eyes weren't just looking at the screen. She was thinking about something behind her eyes. She turned her head.
"Mr. Su," she said, "there's something you need to say about the dishes served tonight. Go ahead."
Su Chen looked at her.
He thought he would need another fifty-six minutes to reach this game. He doesn't need to now.
He nodded.
“Ms. Maria,” he said, “Mr. Bellata, I’d like to invite you both to my home tonight. Not for item 172. Not for the 1999 permit.”
He paused.
"Tonight's dishes are a tribute to the two of you who have been together for the past 26 years since 1999."
Maria lowered her head.
Bellata lowered her head.
Thirty-two seconds.
Thirty-two seconds later, Bellata raised her head.
"Mr. Su," he said, "let's talk."
Su Chen nodded.
He could have gone with his own methods first. He could have used the very method he had developed behind Qiming, the one that could piece together the syntax of the Sentaurus node library. But he didn't.
He asked a question.
"Mr. Bellata," he said, "In the letter of intent that Magwel signed at 3 p.m. this afternoon, it seems you obtained the exclusive right to use the 150 nanometers license within mainland China, exclusively transferring it to Vilan. However, the formal legal text of the joint use framework behind that license will be released before the 15th of this month. How much of that document do you want?"
Bellata glanced at his wife.
"I heard, Mr. Su," Bellata said, "that at your table yesterday morning at ten o'clock, you offered five hundred million US dollars to Mr. Harvey Lindbergh. Is that true or not?"
"Yes," Su Chen said.
"Later it turned out to be $12 billion. Yes or no."
"Yes."
"Harvin isn't answering. Yes or no."
"Yes."
Bellata raised her eyes.
"So tonight you're going to offer Magwel," he said, "starting at $500 million. Raise it to $15 billion. Plus, permanent free access to the MEMS simulation library behind the third-order thermo-elastic coupling thesis of Vilan, available globally outside of mainland China."
Chen He paused.
Chen He is twenty-six years old this year. He was furious once on June 26th after Harvina took out all of WIPI. He is not furious now. He is behind it all tonight.
But he spoke up now.
"Mr. Bellata," he said, "aren't you being a little too greedy?"
Bellata looked at him.
"Yesterday morning, we at Vilan were willing to pay Synaptics $500 million and grant them free access to the MEMS simulation library behind their third-order thermo-elastic coupling paper, both outside mainland China and globally, because Synaptics' 172 MEMS algorithm patents form the core patents of a complete Sentaurus node library. Where is your 1999 license?"
He paused.
「你们手里那份许可只能读150纳米。150纳米以后那些节点库,你们1999年以后根本没获得过增量授权。这2十五年里,Sentaurus从150纳米走到了65纳米、走到了28纳米、走到了7纳米、走到了5纳米。你们1999年那一份,本质上还是1999年150纳米那一边。」
He paused.
「不仅如此。你们2001年推的Bel-Sim原型上市以后,中间冷了4年。你们2007年起被铿腾打上了三轮专利诉讼,该诉讼打到2024年。你们公司从2007年以后一直是一个空壳。你们背后那份1999年许可,你们今天上午九点从鲁汶赶这一趟,是因为你们以为这是你们能变的唯一重点。你们今晚抬到15亿美金,加上热弹耦合三阶论文背后MEMS仿真库全球之外免费使用权,是狮子大开口。」
Chen He paused.
The burden he carried tonight... is over.
Bellata glanced at his wife.
The slight embarrassment in their eyes faded away.
"How about this," Bellata said, "13 billion US dollars. Free access to the Vilan thermo-elastic coupling third-order MEMS simulation library throughout Europe."
The focus shifted subtly from a global to a European scope.
Su Chen shook his head.
He didn't say whether or not he would pick up the number. He changed the subject.
"May I ask a question?" he said. He continued, "After Magwel obtained that 150-nanometer license in 1999 and launched the Bel-Sim prototype in 2001, why haven't you released a next-generation product in the following twenty-two years?"
Bellata glanced at his wife.
The hint of helplessness in their eyes both shifted simultaneously.
Bellata sighed.
"This is something we haven't been able to get out of for thirty years," he said.