Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 241 Asian Markets

The signing ceremonies in Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore were held on the same day.

Han Lu flew to three cities and signed three agreements. The three agreements combined exceeded eight billion US dollars. But when she landed in Hangzhou, she only said one sentence: It's not over yet.

Japan's breakthrough came faster than expected. Following Toyota and Honda's signing of an autonomous driving cooperation agreement, Nissan, Mazda, and Subaru simultaneously followed suit within two weeks. They didn't come to negotiate; they simply sent over standard-format cooperation agreements with almost no changes to the terms. When Han Lu reviewed them, she discovered that all three companies used the same template. Toyota signed first, and the other three simply used Toyota's template.

This means that a consensus has formed within the Japanese automotive industry: not using the 402 quantum scheduling system is setting limitations for oneself.

On the day the five automakers signed the agreement, Han Lu did some calculations. Japan is the world's third-largest auto market, with annual sales exceeding five million vehicles. After all five automakers connect to 402's quantum cloud scheduling system, more than 60% of new cars on Japanese roads will be equipped with 402's technology. This penetration rate cannot be achieved by simply throwing money at GG; it's achieved through overwhelming technological superiority.

But what truly surprised Han Lu was not the car company.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has issued a formal invitation to 402 to participate in the development of Japan's next-generation communications standards. They're not there to sell products; they're there to write the rules.

When Han Lu placed the invitation on Zuo Cheng's table, Zuo Cheng only said one word: "Okay."

He was thinking about something else entirely. When a country actively invites a foreign company to draft its own communications standards, it means that the country's technology decision-makers have decided that they have no other choice but to follow this path. Once the standard is enshrined, Japan's communications equipment procurement, technology upgrades, and maintenance systems will be inextricably linked to the 402 solution for decades to come.

SoftBank's Masayoshi Son hosted a private dinner in Tokyo, inviting Han Lu and Zuo Cheng's representatives. During the dinner, after drinking two cups of sake, he made a few remarks that have since been leaked.

"I've been in the investment industry for forty years and have never invested in a single Chinese company. It wasn't that I didn't have the opportunity, but rather that I didn't see one I could bring myself to invest in. Now I only regret one thing: when 402 was valued at one billion, I didn't insist that Zuo Cheng sign the agreement."

When this news reached Hangzhou, Chen Hao chuckled for a long time in his office. Liu Wei chimed in, "If Brother Cheng had really agreed back then, Old Sun would be making a fortune by now."

Fang Ze rarely interjected, "So Brother Cheng didn't agree."

South Korea's progress has followed a different path.

Samsung's quantum chip joint laboratory has achieved a series of breakthroughs. A next-generation quantum chip based on the 402 error correction algorithm has been successfully tape-out, with a quantum volume exceeding 5,000. Those in the industry understand what this number signifies. Quantum volume is a core indicator of the overall capability of a quantum computer, and 5,000 surpasses the latest publicly disclosed levels by Google and IBM.

Samsung's semiconductor division compiled the test data from this chip into a technical report titled: "Performance Evaluation of a High-Fidelity Quantum Processor Based on 402 Error Correction Codes." The report concluded with a single sentence: Under the 402 error correction framework, the coherence time of the qubits was extended fourfold, and the gate operation fidelity was improved to 99.7%.

The South Korean Ministry of Information and Communication subsequently released an official document adopting the 402 Dome standard as the backhaul solution for South Korea's next-generation communications. Zuo Cheng noticed a detail: for the first time, the document's preface used "international standard" instead of "Chinese standard" to refer to the 402 technical solution.

The appearance of these four words in a country's official documents carries more weight than any commercial contract. It signifies that the technical status of 402 has transformed from a "Chinese company's solution" to an "internationally accepted solution." Once this transformation is complete, all subsequent decisions by other countries will refer to this precedent. Han Lu highlighted these four words in red in an internal briefing, adding a note: After South Korea, it's only a matter of time before other Asian countries follow suit.

The coverage in Southeast Asia is what Han Lu is most satisfied with, and it is also the one that has been executed most smoothly.

The reason is simple. Southeast Asian countries generally have weak communication infrastructure, with many remote areas lacking even 4G signal. The cost of Tianqiong satellite broadband coverage is far lower than laying terrestrial fiber optic cables; for these countries, 402 is not the best option, but the only realistic one.

Singapore's Smart City Phase II project, covering the entire country, has been signed, with a contract value approaching US$500 million. This sets a new record for the largest single overseas contract by 402. At the signing ceremony, the Singaporean Prime Minister specifically mentioned that the smart city model implemented by 402 in Hangzhou was the prototype for Singapore's Phase II solution. It wasn't a direct copy, but rather a localized adaptation based on the underlying architecture. Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines have all connected to Tianqiong satellite broadband, covering a population of over 300 million. The six Southeast Asian countries jointly signed a memorandum of understanding: all transnational digital infrastructure projects will prioritize the adoption of 402 technical standards.

As Han Lu stacked the six contracts on the table, she said to Zuo Cheng, "The foundation of the Asian market is now stable."

Zuo Cheng took out a red marker and drew a large circle on a map of Asia. From Tokyo to Jakarta, from Seoul to New Delhi. The circle covers four billion people, and over 90% of the digital infrastructure uses 402's technology.

He wrote down several data points next to the red circle: five Japanese automakers, Samsung's quantum chip joint laboratory, sky coverage in six Southeast Asian countries, and South Korea's official standard adoption documents. Each data point alone is not particularly impressive, but together they form a network.

"The competition in Asia is essentially over," he said. "What remains is not offense, but consolidation."

Han Lu looked at the red circle but didn't reply. She picked up a marker and marked it on both the European and American maps.

"There are at least two tough battles left."

Zuo Cheng looked at the two seats she had chosen and nodded slightly.

"Europe is a standard war, North America is a battle of attrition. The tactics are different."

"I know." Han Lu put down her marker. "There's a signal in Europe now. Germany sent over an assessment report, which I haven't read yet."

Zuo Cheng picked up the document on the table and flipped through it. It was an internal audit report from the German Federal Network Agency, stamped with a confidential seal on the cover. Han Lu said it was commissioned by the German Ministry of Finance, not obtained through 402's channels.

This detail is more important than the content of the document itself. If an assessment report favorable to 402 was not initiated by 402, but rather requested by the other government itself, it indicates that Sky Dome's technological advantage has become too great to be ignored.

"Let's see how it goes."