Chapter 296: Problems at Base No. 1 (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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"It's done!"

With the smell of alcohol on him, Sun Cheng returned to the office in the late afternoon.

Facing Wang Lu, the general manager who rushed to his office with an eager expression, Sun Cheng waved his hand, not paying much attention. He had already obtained the order from the supercomputing center.

To be more precise, Sun Cheng had obtained the hard disk order for the "Asia Star" series of supercomputers.

The two had known each other for some time, and Wang Lu knew that his young boss had a low alcohol tolerance. Seeing the slight signs of intoxication on his face, Wang Lu took the initiative to open the cupboard in Sun Cheng's office and brewed a cup of strong tea from a canister, handing it to him.

Sun Cheng was not knowledgeable about tea, and even the tea prepared in his office for entertaining guests was just ordinary tea from the supermarket. But when Wang Lu brought him a cup of hot tea, the rich fragrance immediately stimulated his senses. Although he was unsure about the effectiveness of green tea for sobering up, the aroma briefly invigorated his spirits.

"Thank you..."

He lifted the cup and took a big sip, using it to rinse away the remnants of alcohol in his mouth.

Soon, he placed the teacup down and pushed it to the side. Sun Cheng noticed Wang Lu's expression, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating. It was clear that Wang Lu was very concerned about the order from the supercomputing center.

Sun Cheng had no choice but to explain in detail, "For now, we have only reached a verbal agreement. They will send someone to discuss the specifics later. It shouldn't be a big problem. However, I've only secured an order from one of the project teams under the supercomputing center. There's not much profit in it, to be honest!"

Indeed, there wasn't much profit. Sun Cheng had only managed to secure an intention order from Zheng Jun's "Asia Star" project team. It consisted of 24 sets of hard disk equipment with varying specifications, and the total price he quoted to Zheng Jun was just over four hundred thousand yuan.

The procurement of equipment for the supercomputing center was originally handled by a specialized department, but Zheng Jun's "Asia Star" project team was an exception.

"Asia Star" was a type of supercomputer developed by the Nandu Supercomputing Center in recent years, aimed at the commercial market. It required a considerable investment of funds and manpower. Apart from developing various commercial applications that were more convenient for the market and businesses, reducing maintenance costs and production expenses for supercomputers were challenges that Zheng Jun's project team needed to consider. That's why they obtained some authorization, but they still had to report to higher-ups.

The cost of purchasing hard disks was much lower compared to GPUs and CPUs, and even lower than motherboards. In the hardware procurement for supercomputers, hard disks ranked fourth.

For example, in 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy, Cray Corporation, and Intel jointly manufactured a supercomputer called Catalyst. It was equipped with 12 solid-state drives of 3.2TB each, 36 128GB DRAM memory modules, and a total of 304 800GB solid-state drives. The total cost of the more than 300 hard disk devices was just over 90,000 USD, equivalent to around 600,000 yuan.

Although Sun Cheng was unsure how the hard disks of "Asia Star" compared to Catalyst, he guessed that the procurement cost would not exceed much.

Because there are 3D printers that can significantly lower costs, it is clear that Zheng Jun, who graduated from Nangong University, does not have the close relationship with Shen Peiyuan, the new president of Nangong University, as I previously speculated. At best, they have a convenient relationship.

To avoid further complications, Sun Cheng decisively lowered the price to a level that left Zheng Jun and his colleagues astonished.

As expected, they will soon come over to sign a contract with Cybertron Technology.

Wang Lu is not entirely aware of the specific situation, but he reassures Sun Cheng, saying, "Being able to secure their order is worth it, even if it means making less money or even losing money. What Cybertron Technology needs most now is to establish its brand, and the supercomputing center is an excellent opportunity!"

"Yes!"

Sun Cheng nods, understanding that effort leads to reward.

After a brief conversation, he feels that the alcohol-induced haze in his mind has cleared significantly. His thoughts become more focused, and Sun Cheng gradually regains his clarity.

After contemplating for a moment, he turns to Wang Lu and says, "Mr. Wang, have you reviewed Lu Nan's proposal in the past few days?"

"Yes, it's quite impressive!" Wang Lu sees that Sun Cheng is preparing for a lengthy discussion. He halts his steps, originally intending to return to his office, and takes a seat on the nearby sofa. "It's feasible, and I think we should give it a try!"

Sun Cheng nods but furrows his brow.

During the morning questioning at the supercomputing center, he realized that even if their product is excellent, without any reputation or market validation, people may not be convinced.

Sun Cheng acknowledges that Lu Nan's solution, once implemented, could not only bring significant profits to Cybertron Technology but also revitalize their cloud storage business, providing an opportunity for Cybertron Technology to emerge as a domestic cloud storage giant.

However, it will take time!

While Lu Nan may be a talented individual with innovative ideas, the pressure on him to independently develop a voice software while still in school is substantial. Sun Cheng is deeply concerned. The timeline he previously proposed seems challenging for Lu Nan to meet.

After contemplating for a while, he finally exhales a breath and says slowly, "I didn't think it through before. My original plan was to wait until the company completed Lu Nan's product design before launching it to the market. However, I didn't carefully consider the time required for development. Now, I may not be able to wait that long. Mr. Wang, please continue with the suspended hard disk promotion as originally planned. Our cloud storage service needs to gain recognition as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lu immediately looks at Sun Cheng and prepares to inquire further. However, upon noticing Sun Cheng's serious expression, he refrains from speaking and swallows his words.

"Maybe it's the pressure from the investors..."

Although Wang Lu is not aware of Sun Cheng's true thoughts, having spent many years in the industry, he immediately thought of the issues faced by start-up companies.

"I understand. I'll go and explain it to the marketing department. But can the production line keep up?"

"No problem. I'll go over and remind them. There won't be any issues on that front!"

The 3D printing equipment at the No. 1 base in Huwangling was made by Decepticon engineers.

If the production capacity truly takes off, it will undoubtedly astonish semiconductor manufacturers in this world.

However, it's not without its problems.

Just the thought of it made Sun Cheng's frown deepen.

Once Cybertron's hard drives are integrated with the cloud drive and start their promotion, the No. 1 base will likely need to procure a large amount of raw materials daily, and the transportation of finished products won't be manageable with just his pickup truck.

Allowing outsiders access will significantly increase the risk of exposing Base One.

"We can't delay any longer..."

He lifted the teacup and drained the cold tea inside.

It's time to address the numerous problems at the No. 1 base.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 297: Disguising