If they can't have our chips, we can't have their REM to build them with...if only we had our own REM capacity... China hits back at Biden's chip restrictions by banning shipments of key materials to the US China's Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday it would halt exports to the US of items relating to minerals and metals that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. The so-called "dual-use" materials include gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials. The announcement also included stricter export controls for items related to graphite, a highly conductive "wonder material." These materials are used to build semiconductors, batteries, advanced electronics, and solar panels. China and the US have been locked in a technological race to the top over AI and military tech. Blocking the movement of materials essential to these industries is the latest tactic to be deployed. The US is heavily dependent on China for gallium and antimony imports. While the US produces some germanium, China produces 98% of the world's supply, according to the US Geological Survey. The government agency published research in November that said losing access to germanium and gallium imports could add up to "billions of dollars in losses" across the US economy, with the fallout concentrated most in the semiconductor industry.
Rare earths aren't that "rare". It's just a matter of finding other sources. The tech and intellectual capital required to make the world's most advanced chips is even rarer and can't simply be outsourced. Oh well. Better luck next time CCP (not really).
Keeping the most advanced ai chips out of Chinese hands (in large volumes) is the right choice. National security is not something to sacrifice to get cheaper stuff
China has a long way to go if their bot posting in too hot is an indication of their progress. "I read the article and found it interesting" is some weak ass AI posts.
Sounds like major spin to me. I assume he thinks Its the end of the world as wr know it. Edit. I missed your first post.
Soooo where are these hidden sources of gallium et al? what little I know is that it’s obtained as a byproduct of other process (aluminum refining, some very small amounts in coal) and really isn’t present elementally in nature. I know exploration for rare earths really isn’t a thing because of their very nature. Back-of-napkin searching seems to suggest production is linked largely to how much its parent element is produced. Ergo, if aluminum (bauxite) mining isn’t available, you’re not gonna get a whole lot of the stuff. Given that this ore isn’t super common in the continental US, I think “rare” is appropriate and concern is warranted.
Yes, but it's not exclusive to China either. In this case, Canada. And others. Like all things China, we can't do it by ourselves, but will need partners to complete the full decoupling. Still, the decoupling must happen. At least as long as the CCP runs China.
I did some quick digging. There doesn’t seem to be either a proven or unproven bauxite deposit that potentially would have the gallium we need.
Me too. Assuming production levels would have to increase dramatically. But, again, there are other sources. Not saying it's an easy transition, but it's doable, and better than being dependent to turds like the CCP (which is exactly why they subsidized and ramped up this stuff in the first place). " WHO ELSE PRODUCES THESE METALS? Small amounts of primary gallium - around 10 metric tons in 2021 - are produced by Japan, Russia and South Korea, according to USGS, while additional amounts also come from recycled material. Germany and Kazakhstan also produced it in the past. After prices rallied in 2020 and 2021, Germany announced that it would restart primary gallium production. Canada's Teck Resources is the biggest germanium producer in North America, extracting the material from its Trail smelter in British Columbia. U.S.-based Indium Corporation also produces germanium, while Belgium's Umicore makes both germanium and gallium." Where are germanium and gallium produced, what are they used for?
