Chapter 144: Micron Plans

"Leave the technical groundwork to me. Gerald, you just focus on building the complete system."

Ethan smiled, casually picked up one of the books, and sat down on the nearby sofa to start reading.

Everyone move aside, time to use my cheat.

"Chapter One: The Origins of Computing."

"In the beginning, there was Turing, the man who asked, 'Can machines think?' Humanity has been trying to answer that question ever since."

…..

"So NOR flash memory writes data by charging the floating gate through hot-electron injection..."

[Insights gained from studying. Semiconductor Experience +1]

"The data on a CD isn't stored magnetically or electrically, but as physical pits engraved into the reflective layer..."

"A CD drive uses a laser diode to emit a low-power infrared laser to read the data stored on the disc..."

[Insights gained from studying. Semiconductor Experience +1]

[Insights gained from studying. Semiconductor Experience +1]

[Ding!]

[Successfully Mastered]: Semiconductors

[Skill Acquired]:

[The World of Gates]: Semiconductor Learning Efficiency ↑

[Ding!]

[Synergy Activated Between [The World of Gates] and [The Mastery of 101]]

[Skill Fusion]:

[Infinite Gate]: Hardware Learning Ability ↑↑, Semiconductor Learning Efficiency ↑↑

"Phew..."

Ethan let out a long breath before tossing the book aside and stretching his stiff muscles.

The amount of experience required to learn this skill was by far the greatest he had encountered so far. But the benefits it provided were absolutely worth it.

Looking around, he finally realized that night had already fallen. Sam and Gerald, however, were still waiting nearby.

"Any progress?"

Hearing Ethan move, Sam put down the NovaPocket in his hands and looked over curiously.

For most people, a single day might not amount to much. But this was Ethan, so Sam was certain he must have made some progress.

"Hmm..."

Ethan pondered for a moment.

"I think..."

"I'm invincible now."

Hardware, the biggest obstacle standing in GAMENOVA's way. It seemed he now finally possessed the ability to lead everyone over it.

During the 1980s, the biggest bottlenecks in semiconductor technology had yet to reach the manufacturing process itself.

The debate between RISC and CISC processor architectures, the competition between NOR and NAND flash memory… As design was still the single most important factor determining the lower bound of hardware performance.

"What?"

Gerald looked at the two of them in confusion, wondering if this was some kind of slang used by young people that he simply didn't understand.

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"I mean that literally."

"I understand it all now."

"I understand everything."

Ethan stood up with a broad smile.

"Now all we need is a relatively experienced semiconductor company to turn my designs into reality."

Of course, acquiring major semiconductor companies like Micron, Toshiba, or Samsung outright was not a realistic option.

Fortunately, GAMENOVA was based in Silicon Valley, one of the world's richest ecosystems for technology companies and talent, where countless startups pursued ambitious dreams. Among them were numerous integrated circuit design teams, all working to push the boundaries of innovation.

But many of these teams faced the same obstacles: limited funding, expensive patents, and a lack of resources needed to bring their ideas to life.

More importantly, patents for key modern memory technologies such as floating-gate transistors and quantum tunneling were still scattered among various owners and could be acquired relatively cheaply.

This was practically free money.

"Sam, I've got two tasks for you."

Ethan thought for a moment.

In 1986, Japanese flash memory and DRAM products were flooding the American market. Cheap products from companies like Toshiba had driven America's domestic memory manufacturer, Micron, into one of the lowest points in its history.

The brutal price war had completely collapsed DRAM prices, and Micron was currently suffering severe financial losses.

"Quietly accumulate shares on the secondary market. Acquire as much of Micron's stock as possible."

"It needs to stay discreet, but we also can't afford to waste time."

Ethan knew perfectly well that Micron's slump was only temporary. Eventually, the company would launch its own 1 MB memory chips and high-speed SRAM products, reclaiming its position in the market.

Right now, represented the briefest and weakest period in Micron's history, from its 1984 IPO until decades into the future, also judging by its market capitalization alone, the entire company could be acquired for just a few hundred million dollars.

On top of that, Micron was no ordinary company, it had a huge strategic importance which went beyond its market value. It was one of America's most important semiconductor firms, so any major acquisition would inevitably attract attention from the industry and government.

Even so, there was no way he was letting this opportunity slip away.

"Micron?"

"You want their wafer fabrication plants?"

Sam was startled, as this was no ordinary acquisition attempt. Micron was America's last major domestic memory chip manufacturer, and making a move for it would be a major strategic decision.

After Intel exited the DRAM market, Micron had become one of the few companies still capable of standing against Japan's dominance in memory manufacturing.

This was a war.

"I want the entire Micron."

Ethan carefully weighed every opportunity. Micron's established wafer fabrication facilities, experienced manufacturing teams, and well-developed supply chain all represented valuable assets; they were exactly what he had always dreamed of obtaining.

If Sam could acquire enough shares and Ethan contributed his technology in exchange for equity, taking control of the company was no longer just a possibility, it became a realistic goal.

"As for the second task..."

"Help me investigate whether there are any suitable IC design laboratories or small semiconductor companies nearby."

When Ethan returned to the development department on the second floor, he found Kojima still sitting beneath the office lights, speaking quickly in Japanese on the telephone.

"No, Satoshi. That's not the feeling I'm looking for. I want something darker, something with a Baroque atmosphere. If we can't recreate a full orchestra, then at least give me the sound of a pipe organ."

"I understand..."

"But this is really important! Satoshi, the music is absolutely not something we can compromise on!"

...

Hearing what they were arguing about, Ethan raised an eyebrow. He already had a good idea of what was going on as he made his way toward Kojima.

"What's wrong?"

"Ethan, sorry… I was just discussing the soundtrack for Castlevania with Satoshi."

Kojima gave an awkward smile, worried that he might have been acting too aggressively.

Although Ethan had already told him he was free to use the company's development resources however he saw fit, directly asking Game Freak to compose the soundtrack still felt like a big ask.

"Haha, I figured as much."

Ethan nodded knowingly.

At present, nearly all of GAMENOVA's game music came from the Japanese branch, Game Freak. But they weren't capable of everything.

Junichi Masuda was, for all practical purposes, the dedicated composer for Pokémon, as his musical style was highly distinctive and deeply personal.

Meanwhile, the composer they had recruited later, Yuzo Koshiro, specialized in rock and heavy metal, an entirely different musical extreme.

Neither style was remotely close to what Kojima wanted. Castlevania was a classic Gothic European story, so it required something far grander… something rooted in classical music.

"Here, let me talk to him."

After thinking for a moment, Ethan took the receiver.

"Satoshi, those two aren't the right fit for this job. I have someone in mind, see if you can recruit her."

"A suitable candidate?"

"That's right."

"I happened to hear her work before. Her style is exactly what we were looking for, it's a perfect match. She is a recent graduate of the Department of Music at Aichi University of the Arts…"

"Michiru Yamane."

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