NFBE Chapter 172 High-Standard Research Institute
Chapter 172 High-Standard Research Institute
"Professor Xu, someone is looking for you."
The door to the server room was pushed open.
Inside the large server room, rows upon rows of massive server racks, reaching to the ceiling, emitted a tremendous roar.
The visitor's view was completely filled with towering machines, and he couldn't see Professor Xu at all.
The background noise in the computer room was too loud, and the person who came was worried that his voice would be drowned out, so he raised his voice and repeated loudly, "Professor Xu!"
While calling out, they cautiously walked inside, each step tentative, afraid of tripping over the haphazardly laid-out power lines on the ground. Even damaging just one of these power lines would be a big problem.
The person finally found the person at a corner.
A disheveled, middle-aged man, shirtless, straddled a ladder about three meters high, his face and body covered in sweat.
Before me stood a towering computer case, its doors wide open, radiating heat that distorted the surrounding air.
The middle-aged man was busy working inside the computer case with his tools, seemingly performing maintenance.
The visitor added, "Professor Xu, someone from the school is looking for you."
However, Professor Xu's head showed no sign of turning; it remained buried inside the computer case, his hands moving incessantly, as if everything around him was irrelevant.
After a long while, a faint response came: "I heard you."
The visitor knew Professor Xu's temperament—he wouldn't stop until he finished his work.
Upon receiving that brief response, the visitor felt as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly turned around, and hurriedly left the server room. The heat inside the server room was almost scorching him.
In fact, the data center shouldn't be this hot under normal circumstances; it's just that the amount of algorithms has increased dramatically recently, forcing the data center to operate beyond its capacity.
The drawbacks of this overload operation are also obvious. Within just two days, two large chassis had already succumbed to the strain and failed one after another.
I finally managed to fix the first one yesterday, and the second one broke down today.
It's important to know that the internal structure of these large chassis is extremely complex, and professionals skilled in maintenance are extremely rare.
In addition, since they are undertaking national-level projects, the computer room has strict access restrictions, making it difficult for outsiders to enter at will.
If the machine breaks down, you either have to send it for repair or wait for ten days to half a month.
For projects that are racing against time, this is undoubtedly a huge waste of time and seriously delays the project schedule.
So I have to fix it myself.
Professor Xu was worried about his apprentices repairing the equipment, fearing that they might accidentally turn a minor malfunction into a major problem, so he had to do it himself.
After waiting for nearly an hour and a half, Professor Xu, who was dressed neatly again, finally arrived.
A dedicated reception room for visitors.
Upon seeing him, the school administrators breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stood up, extended their right hand warmly, and said respectfully, "Professor Xu, hello. We've been waiting for you."
Professor Xu nodded slightly and extended his hand to shake hands gently with the school administrator.
His palms were covered in calluses, the result of long-term contact with various tools.
The administrative staff looked at the slightly tired middle-aged man in front of them with deep respect.
Professor Xu, whose full name is Xu Zhengguo, is a mathematics major. With his solid mathematical foundation, he has resolutely devoted himself to the field of artificial intelligence algorithms in recent years. In a short period of time, he has achieved a series of outstanding achievements and is now the core person in charge of a national-level artificial intelligence project, which is this base.
The administrative staff gathered their thoughts, knowing that Professor Xu's time was precious and could not be wasted, so they got straight to the point:
"Professor Xu, I'm here to bring you some great news. The university recently received a substantial grant from a successful alumnus, and your project has a high priority and is eligible to apply for this funding first."
Professor Xu was slightly taken aback, and a complex and unreadable expression flashed in his deep eyes.
This is indeed good news for other project teams.
But when it came to the project I was in charge of, things became somewhat awkward.
He doesn't actually lack funds; what he lacks is manpower and equipment.
The project team members often do the work of several people, working day and night, but still find it difficult to complete the mountain of research tasks.
Fortunately, he is already working on a solution to the manpower problem. He has recruited some people from the school, and things have improved somewhat.
Especially his apprentice, the boy was extremely intelligent and had a high aptitude for data, as if he was born for scientific research. He helped him a lot during this period.
However, the equipment problem remains severe.
What they lack is high-end computing equipment. The manufacturing process of such equipment is extremely complex, and the domestic technology is not yet mature, so they can only rely on imports from abroad.
The supply abroad is extremely tight, with order cycles ranging from one year to several years. There is a price but no market, and even if you have money, you can't buy it.
As for the existing resources in China, they have long been divided up by several other early-established artificial intelligence bases.
Their project was established relatively late, and by the time they wanted to apply, the opportunity had already passed, leaving them only to sigh in vain.
It's not realistic to temporarily borrow them from other bases.
The various bases are actually in competition with each other. Whoever makes faster progress will get more support from other countries. How can such hardware resources be given to other bases?
Currently, their entire project team can only rely on these existing large chassis to barely keep going. Even if they buy so many units, their computing power is still limited.
This has resulted in slow project progress, lagging behind not only overseas but also among the slower pilot bases in China.
"If progress continues to stagnate like this, the project will be shut down before it even yields any results," Professor Xu muttered to himself, filled with resentment.
The administrative staff were taken aback when they saw that Professor Xu did not show the happy expression they had expected.
Most of the other professors were extremely happy to hear this news, some even jumping for joy. How could Professor Xu...?
The administrative staff hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Um, Professor Xu, you can apply for priority."
Professor Xu sighed softly and slowly said, "Thank you to the school, but for now, my project also has national sponsorship, so the funding is still sufficient. Let's save this money for other projects that are more urgently needed."
A look of surprise flashed across the faces of the administrative staff. They never expected that Professor Xu would not need funding. This...
However, he also knew in his heart that this was a state secret project, and a lot of information was subject to strict confidentiality requirements, so he couldn't just ask the reason directly.
Their conversation today will be recorded in its entirety, and the slightest carelessness could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Helpless, he could only give up trying to persuade her, and instead asked tentatively, with some hopelessness, "Professor Xu, do you perhaps need any equipment?"
"In addition to a large amount of research funding, the university also obtained the right to use an artificial intelligence research institute, which is equipped with a lot of high-standard equipment. This is the second important reason why I came to visit today."
Research institute?
Or is it a research institute that specializes in artificial intelligence?
Maybe there's some equipment I need inside!
Professor Xu's previously dejected expression instantly brightened, and his spirits lifted.
He was confident in his and his team's abilities, believing that his team was no worse than other teams, and even better in some aspects.
Even without advanced equipment, their research progress did not fall too far behind.
If they can solve the problem of high-end computing equipment, they will not only be able to catch up with other domestic bases, but may even be able to compete with top foreign teams on the international scientific research stage.
But he quickly calmed down from his excitement, shook his head with a wry smile, and said with a hint of doubt, "With domestic resources so scarce, how can a high-level research institute just appear out of thin air?"
The administrative staff hurriedly explained, "It really is, Professor Xu, how could I dare to lie to you! If you don't believe me, come with me and you'll see."
In fact, the administrative staff had already been granted permission to visit the research institute before they came to meet Professor Xu.
He was shocked by the scene inside the research institute as soon as he entered.
how to say?
It gives people a super high-end feeling!
Moreover, the number of devices is large, and they look extremely professional.
However, he was not an expert in this field and did not know the specific uses of those complex devices, so he could not figure out what they were for. He could only rely on his intuition to roughly judge that these devices should be of great help to scientific research.
Professor Xu hesitated for a moment.
If that research institute really does have high-end computing equipment, my project might be able to turn around.
But if it doesn't happen, it's just wishful thinking and a waste of time.
But the opportunity was indeed rare, and Professor Xu finally made up his mind to give it a try. He submitted an application for official travel for himself and his apprentice, intending to go and see for himself.
My apprentice always grumbles about wanting to go out and take care of something important, but I hadn't approved his departure because the project was so demanding.
This is a good opportunity to take him out.
Whether the project can turn around depends on this.
---------------------------------
A few days later, once the approval process for the official trip was completed, Professor Xu and his group successfully arrived at the research institute for a visit.
The research institute is not located in the city center, but in an industrial area on the western outskirts of the city.
The area was full of large factories, so it wasn't unusual for the research institute to be located there. In fact, from the outside, the research institute looked almost identical to the surrounding large factories.
The high concrete exterior walls, along with a wire mesh, give it a simple and unpretentious appearance, making it seem extremely ordinary.
The only difference is that it is far more secretive than those factories.
If viewed from a distance, it is impossible to discern the appearance of the internal buildings, as the outer walls almost completely isolate the outside world.
After passing through a security checkpoint, Professor Xu and his group were finally able to see the research institute in person.
The research institute has a unique appearance. Not only is its shape unique, but the building's facade also presents a colorful black under the sunlight, exuding an extremely high-end texture.
Professor Xu narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the building in front of him.
Although it looks like a lot of effort has been put into its appearance, it's a bit too flashy.
It's just a research institute; what's the use of a beautiful exterior? The key is the equipment inside.
Thinking of this, he frowned and turned to his apprentice beside him, whispering, "This research institute looks flashy, but it doesn't seem to be very big. We must make sure it's not just all show and no substance."
An administrative staff member stood by and explained with a smile, "Professor Xu, don't be fooled by its appearance; there's more to it than meets the eye."
As they went deeper, the scene before him gradually made Professor Xu abandon his contempt.
To enter the research lab, one must pass through a sealed air chamber equipped with a professional security check and intelligent identification system.
Upon seeing this, Professor Xu was shocked. He had only ever seen such advanced technology in the highest-level biological research institutes.
Not only can it prevent unauthorized entry by outsiders, but more importantly, it can prevent the leakage of residual substances in the laboratory.
For biological research institutes that study viruses, even the smallest leak can be catastrophic.
As far as he knew, such defensive measures were extremely expensive. Given the level of care taken in security, the internal research facilities must also be impressive.
As Professor Xu delved deeper, his shock intensified.
As the administrators said, there's a hidden world beneath the research institute.
The interior space is very large, extending downwards floor by floor, with all kinds of facilities, including accommodation areas, functional areas, work areas, and experimental areas... It is ready for immediate occupancy and use.
But what amazed Professor Xu the most were the dazzling array of precious equipment.
Liquid-cooled server clusters, hundreds of supercomputing cards, neuromorphic chips, topology...
Although the equipment he dreamed of most was not available here, there was more advanced equipment with higher computing power.
Having worked on the front lines of scientific research for a long time, he knows all too well what these devices mean.
If these top-notch scientific research equipment can be applied to one's own projects, the research progress will surely be boosted by leaps and bounds!
When Professor Xu touched these devices, his hands were trembling slightly; he could hardly believe they were real.
His initial doubts had completely vanished, leaving only a profound sense of awe and joy.
This research institute is absolutely top-notch right now. Whether it's in terms of confidentiality or research level, he swears there's no better place in the country.
Professor Xu looked at the administrative staff with excitement, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Can this research institute really be of our use? Who exactly is sponsoring it?"
The administrative staff replied with a smile, "That's right, Professor Xu. The right to use these is sponsored by Ms. Bai Li, the one who donated a billion yuan to our school for scientific research. As long as you agree, we can start working on them immediately."
Professor Xu recalled for a moment. He had no recollection of the name "Bai Li," but he was deeply impressed by such a generous act of kindness and felt that he had to thank her in person.
However, before he could even ask how to contact Ms. Bai Li, his apprentice, unable to contain his excitement, blurted out, "Teacher, excuse me, were you just talking about Bai Li?"