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Entering the R&D office area of Jiangsu Huachuang Microsystem Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as “Huachuang Microsystem”), a long whiteboard stands quietly. It has just witnessed the countdown to the sprint of the C4000A processor, and now it is filled with the key points of yesterday’s review and today’s task list of the digital beamforming chip (hereinafter referred to as “DBF chip”).
The morning light filtered through the window, casting a glow on the red background with yellow characters above the whiteboard – “DBF Chip Return Testing Kick-off Ceremony”. The banner is still bright and colorful. It bears witness to that exciting moment over a month ago: the DBF chip independently developed by Huachuang Microelectronics was successfully lit up, marking a “crucial leap” from design code to physical chips.
This year, the construction of commercial aerospace has been fully accelerated. One by one, communication satellites are like “mobile base stations” in the vast starry sky, building data roads for remote mountainous areas, vast oceans and other regions that have long been in “signal deserts”. As one of the core components of Starnet Communication, the DBF chip has been shouldering the mission of “China’s digital chip for Starnet Communication credit” since its inception, fully ensuring the efficient and smooth “dialogue” between Starnet space and ground.
With the DBF chip’s design finalization and productization, and its potential to shine in near-Earth space, Huachuang Microelectronics will also continue to inject strong impetus into “Chinese chips” with its solid digital chip capabilities and proactive innovative spirit, and march towards the broader universe.
“Xinguang” : “Smart Ear Array” connects heaven and earth
At 9 a.m. on October 13th, Liu Jing, the project leader of the DBF chip research and development at Huachuang Microelectronics, quickly walked towards the whiteboard in the center of the office, and the regular morning meeting began on time.
“Let’s all share the progress of yesterday’s test!” ” Liu Jing got straight to the point. More than ten team members reported in turn, with a steady tone and accurate data. Half an hour later, Liu Jing had sorted out the problem context and quickly arranged the key points of the test for the day.
Subsequently, everyone quickly returned to their respective test benches. In the room, only the faint hum of the instrument’s operation and the fragmented sounds of keyboard tapping remained.
Concise and to the point, calm and focused, are the consistent styles of these engineers. But when it came to the DBF chip return testing, everyone immediately started talking freely.
In March this year, the layout files of the DBF chip were officially delivered, marking the crucial transformation from blueprint to physical product. At the end of August, hundreds of chip samples were escorted back to the company by dedicated personnel and vehicles. Although the chip arrived long after the end of the workday, the project team members and company leaders were all welcoming its arrival.
These chips, encapsulated in multi-layer protective boxes, are only ten square centimeters in size and sparkle with a silver glow under the light. At this moment, they are about to undergo their first “passing test” – the power-on test. Success or failure lies in this one move: If it can be successfully “lit up”, it means a solid step has been taken from concept to product. If it fails and becomes a “stone”, it will not only be the loss of tens of millions of yuan in production costs, but also mean that the entire team will have to embark on a new round of research and development journey with no end in mind.
When Liu Jing carefully removed the first chip and installed it on the test board, more than twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on the screen. The air seemed to freeze, and time passed in silence. Everyone held their breath and waited intently for the result.
After nearly two hours of waiting, lines of eye-catching “PASS” suddenly appeared on the screen. “Success lights up!” ” Liu Jing suddenly clenched her fists, her voice carrying an uncontrollable tremor. The pent-up tension and anticipation burst forth instantly, and cheers and applause resounded throughout the laboratory.
So, what kind of “black technology” does this DBF chip, which has been the result of the team’s years of hard work, actually contain?
Liu Jing used a vivid metaphor: In a noisy environment, traditional communication chips can only rely on “one ear” to distinguish specific sounds, with limited effect and vulnerability to interference. The DBF chip not only features an “intelligent ear array” scattered all around but also is equipped with a “super brain” capable of instant analysis. In practical applications, the DBF chip can support more than 64 high-speed signal links to work in parallel. Through real-time high-speed computing, it can suppress or even shield interference noise and precisely lock onto the target signal source. Its comprehensive performance indicators are among the top in the industry.
Look, what is being simulated now is the communication scenario of satellites in a complex electromagnetic environment. An engineer clicked the mouse, and a large number of disordered interfering signals emerged on the screen, nearly drowning out the weak signals representing valid information. However, once the DBF chip algorithm is activated, it seems as if an invisible hand has lifted the “fog” of the signal – that crucial signal is rapidly enhanced and purified, ultimately presenting a clear and stable data waveform on the screen.
At present, the project team is making every effort to advance the completeness testing of the chip and the development of system applications. After all the verification processes are completed, the DBF chips will be launched into space to form a network, shining with the light of technology from Nanjing in the vast sky.
“Xinlu” : Extreme Exploration in the microscopic digital world
At 10 a.m. on that day, the R&D office of Huachuang microprocessor chips was bustling with activity. This seemingly ordinary office space is actually full of hidden mysteries everywhere.
Two engineers were sitting around a simulation verification platform, whispering about the data flowing on the screen. This set of equipment, which is less than one square meter in area and worth several million yuan, can simulate the operating state of chips in a real environment, allowing designers to identify and fix design flaws in advance.
Here, electrostatic protection has reached an almost exacting level. The engineers wore anti-static suits and anti-static shoes. The static electricity discharger on their bodies kept running. Even each work chair was equipped with a grounding anti-static chain. The internal circuits of the chip have been refined to the nanometer level. Excessive static electricity can cause permanent damage to the circuits. The static voltage generated in our daily activities can reach thousands of volts. Comprehensive static protection is the lifeline of the chip research and development office. Zhu Jinghao, the company’s technical director, introduced.
In his view, chip research and development is an extreme exploration in the microscopic world. “We need to ingeniously arrange billions of transistors on a tiny silicon wafer.” ” Zhu Jinghao drew one square after another on the paper with a pen. “This is like building a super-large ‘digital city’ in a small space. We have to ensure smooth traffic, avoid insufficient power supply and prevent signal crosstalk.”
Furthermore, the processor chip industry adheres to the principle of “the fast fish eating the slow fish”. Take tape-out as an example. It is necessary to book the “schedule” several months in advance. Once the scheduled tape-out “train” is missed, not only will the research and development progress be forced to be delayed, but it may also cause the product to miss the best market window period.
This “core path” is a contest against physical limits, a race against time, and a direct confrontation with countless unknown challenges.
In May this year, the fourth-generation C-series high-performance RISC-V processor “C4000A-16”, which was developed by Huachuang Microelectronics over a period of two years, passed the 100% maturity stage review and then underwent two months of pressure verification, with everything operating normally. Just as the team was about to initiate the check-out process, a hidden “ghost” level Bug emerged during the prototype verification pressure test, which could cause the chip to malfunction under specific working conditions.
At this point, there is only a little over a month left until the end of June. A research team of over ten people was quickly formed and launched three “rapid march” operations: The first route precisely located the root cause of the Bug and evaluated the code modification plan with the least cost; The second approach involves conducting a comprehensive investigation to scan for all potential associated risks. The third approach seeks circumvention solutions at the system software level.
When the task of tackling challenges was at its heaviest, everyone’s minds were filled with code and waveforms. Whenever a flash of inspiration struck, they would record and verify it at any time. Zhu Jinghao pointed at the notebook he carried with him and said.
Ultimately, the team fought for over forty days and resolved this deep-seated hidden danger at the lowest cost. The project progress was only delayed by a few days compared to the original plan, and it managed to catch this “train” without any major incidents.
“Core Fire” : A technological leap spanning fifteen years
At 3 p.m. on the same day, the reporter followed Zhou Haibin, the technical director of Huachuang Microelectronics, into the company’s newly completed 1,000-level purification workshop. The world here is a completely different scene: In a constant temperature and humidity environment, the air circulates multiple times through high-efficiency filters, and the interior is almost spotless.
Through the observation window of the high and low temperature test chamber, the reporter could clearly see that the chip was undergoing strict tests ranging from extremely cold to scorching heat. Only through such extreme environmental adaptability experiments can it be ensured that the chip maintains stable performance in any environment. The person in charge on the spot said.
Moving to the precision probe testing area, under the precise guidance of the microscope, probes thinner than a human hair are gently touching and testing the micron-level solder joints of the chip. On the nearby display screen, the real-time leaping data curves clearly outline the “health map” of the chip, and every tiny fluctuation is under the sharp monitoring of the engineers.
Gazing at the brand-new equipment operating efficiently in the workshop and the R&D personnel hurrying along, Zhou Haibin, a senior figure of the company, couldn’t help but feel a myriad of emotions.
In May 2019, Huachuang Microelectronics was officially established. Starting a business is no easy task. When the company was just getting started, the core team consisted of only 46 people. However, from the very first day, they took it as their mission to “strengthen and expand the high-end chip industry”.
During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Huachuang Microelectronics has developed into a rising star in the industry with hundreds of employees and a rapid annual growth in output value. It holds over 200 independent intellectual property rights and has successfully overcome dozens of key technologies. In December last year, it was promoted to a national key “Little Giant” enterprise specializing in niche technologies.
This is a technological inheritance spanning over a decade, and it is also a history of striving to pass on the “core flame”.
On December 27, 2010, the first-generation processor “Huarui 1”, developed by the older generation team, was released at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This high-end quad-core DSP (Digital Signal Processor) chip successfully solved the “chip-free pain” of domestic large-scale electronic equipment. Through continuous technological accumulation and innovative breakthroughs, six years later, the team successfully launched the second-generation octa-core heterogeneous DSP processor “Huarui 2”.
When Huachuang Microelectronics was established, we were at a crucial stage in the industrial promotion of “Huarui 2”, and soon the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan was approaching. Zhou Haibin recalled, “From the research institute to the market, we had to confront more diverse customer demands and stricter cost control. But it was precisely this market-oriented refinement that enabled our technology and product iterations to enter a fast lane.” “
On August 3, 2022, the third-generation C-series octa-core high-performance processor “3080” was successfully developed, becoming the DSP chip with the highest floating-point computing power in China at that time. Nowadays, the fourth-generation C-series RISC-V processor “C4000A-16” is on the chip manufacturing assembly line and is about to celebrate its “birth ceremony”. This chip can be widely applied in high-performance computing, general computing, intelligent processing and other application scenarios on the edge side, marking another solid step forward for Huachuang Microelectronics in the field of high-performance RISC-V processors.
We have recently completed our Series A financing. The strategic investors we introduced not only brought in funds but also market resources and industrial synergy. Zhou Haibin disclosed. The conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan is approaching, and the company is striving to move towards the development blueprint of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Huachuang Microelectronics will, with the responsibility and commitment of the “national team”, focus on the core business of processors, take independent innovation as the engine, continuously evolve the RISC-V high-end processor series, and is determined to become a leading enterprise in the industry, contributing to the foundation of China’s computing power!
For the people of Huachuang Microelectronics, while they are working hard in a small space, what they look out for in their hearts is already a vast expanse of “core” space.
