piratefiction Chapter 92 Star Technology
Chapter 92 Star Technology
Han Lu went to Shenzhen to attend the Star Technology Technology Summit.
The summit was a high-level event held at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center, with over 3,000 attendees from technology companies and research institutions across the country. Star Technology's booth occupied the largest area, showcasing their latest brain-computer interface products and AI algorithm platform.
Han Lu isn't a tech person, but she has one strength: networking. She met many people at the summit, including science and technology officials from several local governments and partners from several investment firms. These are connections that 402 might find useful in the future.
On the first day of the summit, the CEO of StarCraft Technology delivered a keynote speech entitled "The Future of Human-Machine Symbiosis." He outlined a vision of a brain-computer interface connecting the human brain and computers, claiming that StarCraft Technology's nano-neural patches would allow humans to directly control devices with their thoughts. The speech was accompanied by a cool video demonstration, showing an experimental subject wearing the patch controlling a drone with just their thoughts, which drew thunderous applause from the audience.
Han Lu was completely confused, but the technical audience below the stage reacted enthusiastically. Brain-computer interfaces are Xingchen Technology's core business and the foundation of their trillion-dollar market value. Han Lu noticed several details in the presentation that caught her attention: the technical parameters of the nano-neural patch were only briefly mentioned, but the demonstrated effects far exceeded the current level of technology.
In the afternoon's breakout session, Han Lu participated in a roundtable forum on the Internet of Things (IoT). The forum discussed trends in Industrial IoT and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), with representatives from several large companies taking turns speaking, but no one mentioned smart cities.
Han Lu noted this down: Xingchen Technology's focus is on the industrial sector, not the urban sector. This means that 402 and Xingchen Technology do not conflict in their businesses and there is room for cooperation. However, Xingchen Technology is too large; cooperating with a giant means either being empowered or being swallowed up—the middle ground is very narrow.
During the tea break, a middle-aged man walked up to Han Lu.
The man was in his forties, wearing a Star Technology uniform with a name tag that read "Zhao Wenbo, Strategic Development Department." His eyes were gentle, but Han Lu noticed a scrutinizing quality in his gaze, as if he were assessing something.
"You're from 402 Technology?" Zhao Wenbo glanced at Han Lu's name tag. "The one that's working on Hangzhou's smart city project?"
"Yes," Han Lu maintained her professional smile. "Does Mr. Zhao know anything about 402?"
"I know a little about it," Zhao Wenbo said, holding his coffee. "Your 9-millisecond end-to-end latency has caused quite a stir in the industry. I'm very curious, how did a startup team of less than 30 people achieve such a top-tier level?"
Han Lu didn't reveal any technical details, only some publicly available information: distributed architecture, edge scheduling, and modular design. Zhao Wenbo listened and nodded thoughtfully.
"Interesting," Zhao Wenbo said. "Our company, Xingchen Technology, is also paying attention to the Internet of Things (IoT). However, our focus is not on smart cities, but on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). These two areas require more advanced technologies and have higher barriers to entry."
"402 also has ideas for industrial IoT," Han Lu tentatively said. "If Mr. Zhao is interested, we can discuss cooperation."
"Good idea." Zhao Wenbo pulled a finely crafted business card from his pocket and handed it over. "Our headquarters are in Shenzhen. If it's convenient, we can arrange a visit. Our CEO is also very interested in 402."
Han Lu put the business card away and chatted with Zhao Wenbo for a few more minutes. She noticed that Zhao Wenbo was very interested in the technical details of 402, but he wasn't in a hurry to ask questions. Instead, he talked a lot about industry trends and market structure. He was a seasoned businessman who knew how to gather information through casual conversation.
After returning to Hangzhou, Han Lu reported Zhao Wenbo's information to Zuo Cheng.
"Star Technology's strategic development department proactively approached us to discuss cooperation?" Zuo Cheng was somewhat surprised. "They're a trillion-dollar giant, why would they be interested in 402?"
"I think there are two possibilities," Han Lu said. "First, they genuinely want to find partners in the IoT field, and 402 has successful case studies, making them a reasonable partner. Second, they are interested in our technology and want to understand our technological roadmap through cooperation."
Zuo Cheng quickly calculated in his mind. Xingchen Technology was one of the top three technology giants on Blue Star, with its core business being brain-computer interfaces and AI. Xingchen Technology's NX-07 nano-neural patch might also be related to the system's origin. If they proactively contacted 402, their purpose might not be simply business cooperation.
However, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Xingchen Technology's resources are what 402 needs at this stage, and both parties can benefit if the cooperation terms are reasonable. The key is to manage the boundaries and pace of the cooperation well, and not to be led by the nose by large companies.
"Don't contact them yet," Zuo Cheng said. "Wait until after the press conference. If they really have an interest in cooperation, they won't disappear just because we're a few days late. But I need you to keep an eye on Xingchen Technology's developments, especially their latest progress in brain-computer interfaces and AI."
"clear."
Zuo Cheng memorized Zhao Wenbo's name. Xingchen Technology's reach had extended to 402's doorstep; the intentions behind this remained to be seen.
Back in his office, Zuo Cheng opened the system panel and glanced at the status of the tech tree. Three branches, three fusion leaves, 130 points. He suddenly thought of a question: the tech tree system itself originated from the nano-neural patch, and the manufacturer of the nano-neural patch was Star Technology. What is the relationship between the system, the patch, and Star Technology?
He doesn't have an answer to this question yet, but he knows that the answer will eventually emerge. Right now, he needs to focus all his energy on his upcoming industry debut.
He closed the system panel and turned his attention back to the press conference preparations. He could observe Zhao Wenbo and Xingchen Technology's situation gradually, but the press conference was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he couldn't afford any mistakes.
He silently gave himself a pep talk: win this battle first, then unravel the mysteries of the distance. Star Technology won't disappear, but once the window of opportunity for the press conference is over, the hype will dissipate.
Outside the window, the sky over Hangzhou was overcast, and it looked like a heavy rain was about to fall. Zuo Cheng picked up his pen and continued revising his speech. A much larger storm was brewing on the distant horizon, but Zuo Cheng was completely unaware of it.