Alibaba establishes “Pingtouge” company – What can the instrumentation industry learn from this?

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　　Recently, Alibaba announced the establishment of Pingtouge Semiconductor Research Company, which undoubtedly once again boosted the popularity of the \"Pingtouge\" spirit. As an important part of the manufacturing industry, the instrumentation sector also cannot do without such a spirit. http://www.jiweimeter.com/uploads/image/20180929/1538205008.jpg Affected by the Sino-US trade war, the issue of a lack of core technologies in semiconductor chips in our country has become apparent; as a result, many companies are focusing on developing chips through independent research and development. On September 19, 2018, Zhang Jianfeng, Alibaba’s CTO and head of the DAMO Academy, said at the 2018 Yunqi Conference that Alibaba would establish an independent semiconductor company named \"Pingtouge\". The initial focus of Pingtouge Semiconductor Research Company’s R&D efforts was on artificial intelligence chips and embedded chip design. 　　It is understood that the name of this chip company came from Jack Ma’s idea. As an internet celebrity in the animal kingdom, \"Pingtou Ge\" has always appeared in people’s minds as an extremely powerful creature. It is evident from this that Alibaba’s establishment of Pingtouge Semiconductor Research Company is also an indication of its strong commitment to developing core technical chips. 　　This mysterious “Pingtou Ge” is actually a nickname given to the wild animal found in the African savannas, the honey badger. “The honey badger is known as \"the most fearless animal in the world\"; its exceptional combat skills (even venomous snakes, tigers, and leopards are no match for it) and love for fighting (it’s either fighting or on its way to fight) have made it an internet celebrity. 　　Undoubtedly, the honey badger possesses strong fighting abilities and a fearless spirit that does not shy away from difficulties. Even in the face of venomous snakes and fierce beasts, nothing can stop their courage to fight forward, and this spirit of not fearing difficulties or hardships is also worth learning from in the instrumentation industry. 　　Although the instrumentation industry has developed over the years and achieved a certain scale internationally, it still lacks many core technologies. At present, foreign instruments and meters have a higher technical level than those made in China; as a result, many metrology institutes and research institutions tend to prefer foreign instruments and meters when making purchases. For many tender projects listed on the **Tendering Website, there are those that require instruments with particularly high precision; in such cases, only imported instruments are accepted, and domestic ones are not. 　　Key core technologies cannot be obtained by begging, buying, or asking for; the recent ZTE incident further illustrates this point. If the instrumentation industry merely relies on others’ core technologies, it will not be able to achieve true growth and development. Only by holding core technologies in one’s own hands can the goal of building a strong manufacturing nation in China be truly achieved. 　　It should be noted, however, that although the honey badger is brave, it is not reckless. On the one hand, the honey badger’s fur is smooth and tough, making it difficult for other animals to cause harm to its body. On the other hand, it possesses a strong detoxification ability; when stung by venomous bees or bitten by venomous snakes, it will fall asleep for a few hours and then recover. 　　In addition to the determination to face hardships, the instrumentation industry also requires the development of internal capabilities. Faced with the current challenges in the development of core technologies in our country, **several measures have been introduced to carry out reforms in areas such as the approval process and organization of major scientific and technological projects, the evaluation systems for research performance, and the development of infrastructure both hardware and software, in order to create a favorable environment for researchers and enterprises to engage in innovative research and development. 　　For instrument and meter manufacturers, it is also necessary to keep an eye on the overall trends, focus on the technological frontiers of this industry, take on the responsibilities associated with it, and actively collaborate with research institutions and universities. Efforts should be made in key areas where challenges exist; by pooling elite resources, these companies can strive to produce more valuable original achievements, thereby seizing a competitive advantage in the development of the instrument and meter industry. 　　Only by mastering internal skills along with a spirit that fears neither hardship nor difficulties can core technologies be truly developed, thereby driving the continuous progress of the instrumentation industry. For instrumentation companies as well, only by possessing core technologies can they remain invincible in market competition, just like \"Pingtou Ge\".