May your networks be fast, your interconnects be seamless, and your projects achieve "success the moment they arrive （馬到成功）！"
For thousands of years, the horse was the world's premier "transportation technology." It was the engine that determined how fast information, trade, and power could move. Today, we are building the digital equivalent of those ancient high-speed routes.
In the history of transportation, the horse reached its peak when we mastered the padded horse collar and the spoked wheel. These weren't just simple accessories; they were the critical hardware interfaces that allowed us to harness raw animal power and translate it into massive hauling capacity and speed. We are facing a similar challenge now. We have the raw power in xPUs and ASICs, but that power is only as useful as the transportation that carries the data. Our work in interconnect technologies is the modern-day equivalent of those ancient breakthroughs.
In traditional culture, the Horse is the ultimate sign of momentum. The idiom 馬到成功 (Mǎ dào chéng gōng) signifies success that happens the moment the horse arrives. In the world of networking technology, arrival, i.e., delivery, is everything. That is why the industry is dedicated to the same goal: speed and reliability.
Wishing everyone a New Year where your heart's desires are fulfilled!
Appendix: Illustration of an ancient horse chariot in the mid-Shang dynasty
Illustration of an ancient horse chariot based on archaeological excavations from the mid-Shang dynasty (殷商), approximately 3,000 years ago. The specific names of the chariot's components later evolved into vivid metaphors within Chinese written culture, extending their meaning far beyond the original hardware.
Appendix: Homecoming of Mustang
The history of the Mustang is actually a story of a "homecoming." While we think of them as an icon of the American West, their return to North America was a multi-stage process led by Spanish explorers.
1. The Reintroduction (1493–1519)
After being extinct in North America for roughly 10,000 years, the horse returned in two main waves. Interestingly, because horses originally evolved in North America before crossing the Bering Land Bridge into Asia and Europe, many biologists argue that the Mustang isn't an "invasive species" but a reintroduced native. When they were let loose in the 1500s, they were simply stepping back into the ecological niche they had vacated thousands of years prior.
- The Caribbean Hub (1493): Christopher Columbus brought the first horses from Spain to the Virgin Islands and the West Indies during his second voyage. These islands served as the initial breeding ground.
- The Mainland Arrival (1519): Hernán Cortés is credited with bringing the first horses to the North American mainland (modern-day Mexico). He arrived with 16 horses, which were so foreign to the local populations that they were initially viewed with divine awe.
2. The Birth of the "Mustang" (1500s–1600s)
The word "Mustang" comes from the Spanish words mesteño or monstenco, meaning "wild," "stray," or "ownerless."
- Expansion: By 1525, breeding centers were established in Mexico. As Spanish missions and ranches moved north into what is now the Southwestern United States (New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona), horses began to escape or were captured during raids.
- The Pueblo Revolt (1680): This was a major milestone for the wild horse. When the Pueblo people rose up against Spanish rule in New Mexico, they captured thousands of horses. Many of these animals were traded to other tribes or escaped, leading to the massive wild herds that eventually covered the Great Plains.
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