New York International Airport.
Two old men sat in an inconspicuous corner of the departure lounge. There was a large suitcase and a small suitcase next to them.
If someone from the physics community passed by here, they would definitely be surprised to recognize the identity of these two people. They might even take out their quantum mechanics textbook and ask for an autograph.
Unfortunately, knowledge and opportunities were always in the hands of a small number of people. On the same flight, the probability of encountering someone who could recognize them was less than one in ten thousand.
Even though the first Asian High Energy Physics Research Summit was going to be held at the ILHCRC headquarters in Shanghai in a few days, this probability would not increase by much.
But then again, it was because of this that Witten was able to enjoy a moment of peace in this noisy departure lounge. He could quietly read something without worrying about being interrupted by people who came to discuss problems.
Sitting next to Professor Witten, Frank Wilczek, who was also going to Shanghai for a meeting, glanced at the journal in his hand. His eyes subconsciously narrowed.
[3.7Ghz Integrated Circuit Based on Carbon Nanotube Film]
What the hell?
"When did you start to be interested in integrated circuits?"
Although Wilczek didn't really want to interrupt his interest in reading, he couldn't resist the curiosity in his heart, so he couldn't help but ask the question in his heart.
"Even though I don't quite understand it, it looks quite interesting."
Witten flipped through the journal in his hand with interest. He said, "A new type of chip based on graphene material is expected to redefine the concept of semiconductors and lead the industrial revolution of the electronics industry … Tsk tsk, no wonder the IEEE was so anxious to withdraw this paper."
Even though he was in the physics community, this didn't mean that he didn't know anything about other industries.
In fact, because he traveled around various countries all year round and came into contact with all kinds of people, he knew far more than the average person.
Even though the IEEE was nominally a non-profit professional technical society, mainly composed of engineers in the fields of electrical, electronics, computer engineering, and other fields, this didn't mean that they could completely exclude the influence of the industry or even the political world.
This was especially true for applied disciplines like integrated circuits that served specific industries. When the value of research could only be reflected in industrial practice, the boundary between industry and academia became very subtle.
Not to mention, this was an academic organization registered in the United States.
Without a doubt, this small carbon-based chip had shaken North America … and even the global semiconductor industry. Whether it was Intel or the United States, which had a strong position in the semiconductor industry, they would never allow this to happen.
In fact, if this technology was developed by companies like Intel or AMD, there would be less resistance when it was implemented.
However, the company that came up with this technology was not only a company in the middle of the industrial chain, but it was also from a country outside of the United States …
Not to mention China.
Even if it was their ally, the White House would not be merciful.
Withdrawing the manuscript from IEEE was only the first step. Witten could already imagine what would happen next.
Once this battle began, the coalition of semiconductor manufacturers, including Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD, would use all kinds of means and influence in the industry to put pressure on the industry chain … until they came up with their own technology.
However, this time, the IEEE obviously miscalculated.
Even the people who ordered them to withdraw the thesis didn't expect Professor Lu to be so stubborn. He went back and published his own journal and didn't change a single word.
Now, the entire academic community was dumbfounded by his actions.
However, Witten wasn't surprised at all.
After all, Lu Zhou was a man who was uncompromising in the face of Faltings's rejection.
He might not even have the courage to quarrel with that stubborn old Germanic.
Professor Wilczek, who was sitting next to him, stared at the journal in his hand and suddenly spoke.
"Do you think this is a good thing?"
As if Witten knew what Wilczek was asking, he smiled and spoke.
"In the long run, it's a good thing."
"You think this is a good thing?" Wilczek smirked and said, "We used a century to unify the academic community, but now they're changing it back. In any case, at least we can use the same language to communicate academic questions. Unlike now, we either have to look at a layman's Chinese-English translation or learn another language. "
Even though Future had a bilingual version, for people who were really engaged in related fields, they could only choose the latter, which was to learn another language.
After all, academic works were different from literary works.
The latter had been polished, and the translation might be better than the original.
But for the former, for the scholars who were seeking the truth, the most taboo thing was to eat what was chewed and spit out. Whether it was an expert or a layman, there was no translation that completely reflected the original author's views.
Also, this wasn't just a matter of a few theses. Once the influence of Future really reached the height of Science and Nature, it was hard to say whether this trend of language division would be further expanded.
This was what made Wilczek the most anxious.
In fact, he wasn't the only one who had similar thoughts.
This kind of anxiety had quietly spread in the physics community when the ILHCRC was first established.
Witten glanced at his old friend. He clearly saw what he was really worried about in his heart, but he just smiled casually.
He flipped a page of "Future" in his hand and spoke casually.
"Language has never been an obstacle to academic prosperity. In fact, the most prosperous period of European academia was when Europe was the most divided … But at the same time, it was also the most brilliant time for culture and ideas.
"Also, what's wrong with learning another language? When I was at CERN, I learned French in a month. Even though I'm not as good as when I was young, it shouldn't take me too long to learn another language … I suggest you try to learn some Chinese. Even if you ignore the fact that the first-hand information on the Moon Palace is published in Chinese, the ILHCRC is becoming more and more important in the international physics community. When the Lunar Hadron Collider is completed, we might spend more time in Shanghai than in Switzerland and France combined. "
Wilczek shook his head and said, "I tried to learn … But those symbols are too difficult."
"It's not the language itself that's difficult, it's the resistance and prejudice in your subconscious." Witten said in a relaxed tone, "Many times, it is this unreasonable prejudice that prevents us from exploring the truth. Just like a few centuries ago, we stubbornly believed that the earth was flat, that the sea was the boundary of the world, and that the sun revolved around us.
"Even now, I still recall what my father once told me. Science is a way of thinking and a tool. It is usually used to solve all the problems our civilization has encountered, is facing, and may encounter in the future."
"From the perspective of human civilization, they are obviously a part of human civilization that cannot be ignored. The arrogance that has been rooted in our hearts for a long time has made us ignore their problems for too long, and arrogance will breed many problems and even contradictions. Many of the problems we are facing are a manifestation of this contradiction … "
Witten closed the journal in his hand and glanced at his watch. He then looked at Professor Wilczek, who was lost in thought, and spoke with a smile.
"It's almost time, we should board the plane."
…
Obviously, the ILHCRC wasn't the only one in Shanghai.
While Witten and his group boarded the flight to Shanghai, the two Intel executives, Swan and Mayberry, landed at the Shanghai International Airport.
Mayberry passed through customs and was still jet-lagged. He couldn't help but yawn several times on his way to the waiting area.
Swann, who was walking next to him, frowned and glanced at him.
"Their product launch is going to start in two hours … Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm just a little … jet-lagged." Mayberry rubbed his temples and continued, "Actually, I think it's enough for me to do this alone. Obviously, they are just trying to intimidate us. We don't need to pay attention to them at all, just follow our plan here."
"That's true." Swan looked away from Mayberry's face and said, "But only by understanding your opponent can you defeat your opponent. Since they're arrogant enough to give us this opportunity, it would be a shame to miss it. "
"Regardless of what product they plan to unveil at the conference, we have to figure out how far they are in their carbon-based chip research."
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