Technology

Chip material prices double as Middle East conflict compounds China's existing gallium export ban — wide range of materials for chipmaking skyrocket as supply constricts

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Mar 14, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

Prices for key chipmaking metals have doubled due to disruptions from the Middle East conflict exacerbating existing supply constraints caused by China's gallium export ban. High-temperature metals like tungsten, tantalum, and molybdenum have seen significant price increases, with gallium prices soaring. The conflict has impacted aluminum production, affecting gallium supply, and helium production. Manufacturers are responding by stockpiling raw materials, qualifying multiple suppliers, and prioritizing supply security. GaN and GaAs components, essential in various consumer hardware, are affected by these material price hikes and supply chain disruptions.

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Chip material prices double as Middle East conflict compounds China's existing gallium export ban — wide range of materials for chipmaking skyrocket as supply constricts

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Chip material prices double as Middle East conflict compounds China's existing gallium export ban — wide range of materials for chipmaking skyrocket as supply constricts

TL;DR

Similar Articles

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Amazon employees admit to using AI unnecessarily to pump up internal usage scores — workers complain of intense pressure to use AI tools

Compromised Mistral AI and TanStack packages may have exposed GitHub, cloud and CI/CD credentials in 'mini Shai Hulud' malware infection — supply-chain campaign spreads across npm and AI developer ecosystems like wildfire

Dell SupportAssist update is crashing PCs with constant blue screens and reboot loops — the boot service built for system recovery is the culprit of unending instability