The business integrity of modern enterprises cannot tolerate even the slightest tarnishment. Especially large multinational companies cherish their feathers. This is something that many small and medium-sized enterprises in China generally lack. Although we are constantly making progress, we are also constantly in line with international standards. However, there is still a long way to go before we can reach comprehensive international standards and respect intellectual property rights.
Different operating systems are more rogue than chips. Apple's chips do not integrate baseband, so more transistors can be made in the same area, and the iOS software system is closed, so you feel that the phone is not stuck. , many components are related to the adaptation of Android software and the background mechanism.
The manufacturing of chips is also divided into separate processes. There is one manufacturer for wafer production, one manufacturer for wafer cutting, one manufacturer for chip substrates, and another manufacturer for packaging. Therefore, if you master a link, it is useless, and you still cannot make a chip.
It is not difficult to design drawings, but it is even more difficult to achieve reliable finished products. OEMs mainly rely on mature process technology, and most foreign countries mainly focus on craftsmanship. Our focus is on design, and the process is to ensure product reliability, maintainability, and economy. , etc., now the country has increased the research and development of process technology. Just like those who say that assembly has no technical content, they think that assembly is just a blank and a screw! Without the assembly process, there is no reliability in the assembly. For example, when assembling a mobile phone, the process needs to consider heat dissipation technology, electromagnetic compatibility technology, material application technology, etc.!
Regardless of legal factors, TSMC can use reverse technology to extract the design drawings (GDS2 files) into circuit logic designs (netlists) for research. The current reverse technology does not actually require design drawings. As long as you get the chip particles, you can reversely extract the design layout and netlist logic.
There is another person who doesn’t understand that there are so many patents, they are all very professional things. After you finish writing an article, I don’t even know where it came from. Those judges will understand, but those who study computers may not understand either. What's more, it's a judge who studies law. I stole it, but I don’t admit it. I say this is mine and then add a little more to the craft. Just say: I am different from him, what should you do? I don’t know how the words express these patented processes.
Every electronic product will have a circuit diagram, and many circuit diagrams are public. When you see this picture, other manufacturers can completely copy it, but you don’t know the design principle of this drawing. Why is it designed like this? Even if you have the strength and can understand these, (if you can really fully understand the circuit diagram, you can also design it yourself) you will face a patent problem. What's more, CPUs are very complex, and foundries also have confidentiality agreements, market reputation, etc. Therefore, the foundry will not take the risk of infringement. The consequences will be very serious, so it is better to do its job well with peace of mind.
Leaking secrets makes no sense. Chip technology is updated every year. By the time you study it thoroughly, the next generation of products will be out. The hardware is like buying a computer and you need to install the system and drivers. The most important thing is that you make money by doing OEM work. You will definitely make money without losing money, but leaking secrets will make you bankrupt. How do you choose?
Printing factories do printing for customers, but they do not know how to design and can only simply output. Although they have the ability to recruit designers to do everything from design to production, they need to spend time and energy to contact customers. This It’s another complex realization, so it’s normal to say that there are specializations in the industry and industry segmentation. We just need to have our own advantages in key areas before!
It’s nonsense. Qualcomm is an OEM for Apple and Huawei. This is the most creative statement Toutiao has ever seen from a scientifically illiterate person. In addition, almost all design information is submitted when the chip is handed over to the foundry for tape-out. Otherwise, what else would you input into the MES? There are some technical means to prevent misappropriation, but they mainly rely on legal deterrent measures such as NDA agreements. After all, there are only a few foundries, and no one dares to take this risk. And chip plagiarism is much easier to detect and prove than code plagiarism.
Coca-Cola, Amway, KFC and other products have production plants in major cities in China. Do you think they produce in China because they believe in confidentiality agreements? Coca-Cola's Chinese factory only does canning, and Foxconn only does packaging. Shanghai Volkswagen has been making Volkswagen cars for decades. Do you think it is afraid of localization just because of the confidentiality agreement? Don’t take confidentiality agreements too seriously. If the benefits are great to a certain extent, the agreement will be a wipe-out in any country.
I don’t understand chip technology, but foundry manufacturing is now a common phenomenon. Let me give you an example to see if this is the case. If human beings were created by the Creator, the Creator is very clear about the role of each cell and organ in the human body, and what role they can play when combined together to work together. Then the foundry is like a brilliant doctor. They have a very clear understanding of the structure of the human body. They can even create all human organs and the appendix. However, they have never been able to figure out what the appendix is ??used for. They cut it out as soon as they got appendicitis, and they didn’t feel that it had much impact. . There are many cases similar to the appendix, and the foundry only knows part of the function of a certain organ. There are many functions that are difficult for non-original designers to understand and can only be guessed at. If you are given a high-end machine, you can take it apart and copy it, reverse-engineer it, and your processing technology may even be better than the original one, but it may not be as easy to use as others and cannot fully realize all its functions. This is the technical barrier! In addition, legal intellectual property restrictions are definitely another reason.
The relationship between hardware and software is like the human brain and thinking. No one has the same brain structure, but their IQs are vastly different. Even twin sisters and brothers are the same. The hardware and brain are the same, but the acquired development is completely different, or even very different. Lifestyle, birth philosophy, career success, and physical health are all The acquired software is different. Therefore, the hardware cannot completely determine the software, and the software cannot invert the hardware. But one thing is certain: the good use of a good software program depends on an excellent hardware foundation. If the brain is congenitally underdeveloped, it is difficult to achieve outstanding achievements later in life. This means that both software and hardware are important, based on high-quality innate hardware.
Theoretically it is possible to understand design technology, but at the cost of law (agreement) and usage and credibility. OEM companies rely on customer orders to gain profits and further research and development to stay ahead and survive. Stealing customers' designs has no use and the profits are very limited. They also face the risk of losing credibility, customers and lawsuits, which is not worth the gain.
To put it simply, it’s Qualcomm and Apple. If you dare to steal their secrets, we guarantee that no major international factory will ask you to do OEM work. Even the entire Chinese OEM factory will be abandoned by major international manufacturers. At the same time, all The participating domestic brands should not even think about going abroad. They will sue you until they go bankrupt. People who break the rules do not deserve sympathy. This is international common sense.
Take away the drawings? Do you think it's machine processing? The photolithography plate is designed and processed by the foundry. If you say you want to take it away, take it away. Are you kidding me? The design company's simulation engineer produces the layout of a single chip, and the foundry is responsible for reviewing it and producing the wafer layout. The foundry is also responsible for the alignment marks of each layer! The foundry does not have IP, so there is no point in taking it away, unless it is sold to competitors, which is restricted by confidentiality agreements. At least foreign countries are doing very well in this area, and domestic confidentiality agreements are like fart.
Let me tell you clearly that in the field of computer chips, manufacturing equipment is more difficult than chip drawings. The major upgrade of each generation of chips is achieved by the precision of the equipment. From tens of nm to the current 7nm, it can There are many companies that design chips, but only a few can produce them. Apple needs to find Samsung and TSMC to produce chips. In the advanced field, equipment dominates the world. The theory is easy to learn, and only those who can turn the theory into reality are advanced. .