In recent years, the world has been mired in the "chip famine", and after entering the New Year, the international situation has changed, and the problem of the global chip supply chain has once again become worse.
A rare gas, which may be seriously insufficient, is neon gas.
01
Ukraine supplies more than 70% of the world's neon gas
The status of neon gas is not low, accounting for more than 10% of the world's semiconductor materials, second only to silicon wafers.
However, the current situation is really not optimistic, to know that Ukraine is the world's largest exporter of neon gas, supplying more than 70% of the world's neon gas.
Although Russia does not produce much neon gas, it also has an extremely important separation technology in its hands.
Moreover, Russia also holds another important semiconductor material, palladium, which supplies 40% of the world's palladium and is also an important part of the semiconductor supply chain.
Nowadays, the international situation has changed, whether it is a noble gas or a rare metal, its related production and supply work can only be temporarily terminated.
Invisibly exacerbates the current "chip famine" situation.
A Japanese gas dealer said bluntly: We are in big trouble, and there will be no neon gas to sell in the future.
The passage was subsequently quoted by the British media.
This shows the severity of the moment.
However, the most anxious thing to say at the moment should be the United States, after all, more than 90% of them are stuck in the neck.
02
More than 90% of the neon gas in the United States is imported from Russia and Ukraine
More than 90% of the neon gas in the United States comes from Russia and Ukraine, and the dependence is not high.
Once Russia and Ukraine stop supplying, the impact on the United States can also be imagined.
At present, the US chip giant Micron has also begun to worry about supply chain problems, is paying close attention to changes in the international situation, and is also trying to find new partners.
However, from the current market situation, most of the world's neon gas is priceless.
As early as 2014, neon gas ushered in a wave of price increases, and now one cubic meter has reached 2100 yuan, an increase of 4.5 times compared with the beginning of the year.
Even so, some neon gas companies in Ukraine have stopped supply work.
So this also means that no matter how rich American companies are, they may not be able to buy it.
It is even more difficult to find alternatives.
First of all, neon gas is a rare gas, and the content in the earth is very small.
More importantly, its refining technology is difficult and the process is complex, and in order to enter the semiconductor supply chain, its purity needs to reach 99.99%, close to 100%.
There are only a few companies in the world that can reach this level of technology, and Ukraine occupies the majority.
Therefore, for the United States, whether it is choosing to import directly from Russia and Ukraine, or looking for alternatives, it is not easy.
03
Chinese enterprise products have passed ASMA certification
Since more than 90% of the United States has been stuck in the neck, how much is the mainland affected?
To say that it is not affected at all, it is certainly unrealistic, after all, the current global chip is seriously insufficient, and now there is a supply crisis in neon gas.
The mainland is in a critical period of development of the semiconductor industry, and the demand for these materials is increasing day by day.
On the whole, the mainland will naturally be affected to a certain extent, but the degree of impact is far less than that of the United States, because the relevant Chinese enterprises have passed professional certification.
It is Huate Gas, which has been listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board with its strength, and is the first gas company in China to successfully break the import restrictions, and more than 20 products have been independently manufactured internally.
More importantly, its related photolithography products have been recognized by Asma as early as 2017.
When it comes to Asma, the Netherlands, Presumably everyone is familiar with it, and it is one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers.
The fact that Huate Gases' products can be recognized by this company is enough to prove its strength.
At present, in the process of development, this company has reached cooperation with many enterprises such as SMIC, China Resources Microelectronics, TSMC, intel and so on.
There is still a lot of room for development in the future.
Not only that, but just recently, another enterprise on the mainland has also made new progress.
On February 17 this year, Kemet Gas was also actively seeking to obtain asmaq certification, and the related work was steadily underway.
Once certified, the Chinese company Kemet Gas can also be supplied.
epilogue
Perhaps in the future, with the enhancement of the mainland's scientific and technological strength, there will be more and more excellent enterprises on the market and pass the certification.
At that time, the risk of the mainland being stuck in the neck will also be reduced.
What do you think about that? When do you think this supply chain crisis will pass?