# Tungsten Related Articles

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A Clod of Chinese Soil Chokes Two Japanese Giants

"Chinese Soil Chokes Japanese Giants" The production of a key electronic specialty gas, tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), vital for manufacturing AI chips, was halted by two leading Japanese producers—Kanto Denka and Central Glass. Their shutdown was not due to a technological failure but a sudden, critical shortage of a raw material they had long taken for granted: ultra-high-purity (6N-grade) tungsten powder, which is almost entirely sourced from China. Following a quiet Chinese export announcement in January 2026, tungsten powder shipments to Japan dropped to zero for months. Despite frantic efforts, Japanese companies found no viable alternative; imported powder was three times more expensive and lacked the required purity. Their existing stockpiles were exhausted by mid-2026. WF6 is essential for depositing tungsten into the microscopic contact holes of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chips, which are crucial for advanced processors like those from Nvidia. While Japanese firms had mastered producing ultra-pure WF6 gas, their entire supply chain relied on China's 6N tungsten powder—a dependency now revealed as a fatal vulnerability. China's dominance in this "soil" results from decades of painstaking R&D by companies like Xiamen Tungsten and China Tungsten & Hightech. They overcame immense technical hurdles, such as separating chemically similar molybdenum from tungsten, to achieve mass production of the world's purest tungsten powder. With their primary suppliers gone, Kanto Denka and Central Glass announced a permanent halt to WF6 production starting July 1, 2026. This immediately created a supply crisis for major semiconductor manufacturers like Samsung and SK Hynix, forcing them to urgently seek and certify new Chinese suppliers for WF6 itself. The reversal marks a dramatic shift: China has moved from exporting low-value raw materials to controlling the high-purity foundation of a critical global tech supply chain, upending a long-established industrial hierarchy.

marsbit8h ago

A Clod of Chinese Soil Chokes Two Japanese Giants

marsbit8h ago

Supply Side Decides Fate: The Global Game of Tin, Antimony, Tungsten, Molybdenum and China's Core Position

This article analyzes the global supply dynamics and China's pivotal role in four critical strategic metals: tin, antimony, tungsten, and molybdenum. It argues that control over supply is paramount, often determining market stability, and that these "small metals" can rapidly evolve into strategic resources due to technological breakthroughs, as seen with lithium. The analysis highlights extreme supply concentration for each metal. Tin supply is heavily impacted by production halts in Myanmar's Wa State, a key supplier to China, the world's top refined tin producer. Antimony production is dominated by China, Tajikistan, and Russia. China overwhelmingly leads tungsten production (83% of global supply) but faces constraints from depleting high-grade ores. Molybdenum supply is also highly concentrated, with China holding a dominant position not only in production (42%) and reserves (39%) but also as the largest consumer, creating a self-sufficient industrial loop. A recurring theme is China's unique "resource endowment + production advantage" in these sectors, making them core strategic minerals. The piece underscores that geopolitical factors and supply chain security are key drivers of value reassessment for these metals, with their status as bargaining chips in global relations likely to intensify.

marsbit01/26 11:30

Supply Side Decides Fate: The Global Game of Tin, Antimony, Tungsten, Molybdenum and China's Core Position

marsbit01/26 11:30

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