"The limit on Russian noble gas exports would serve as an
opportunity to "rearrange those chains that have now been broken and
build new ones."
By Tyler Durden: In the latest salvo in an expanding world trade war, sanctions-battered Russia has announced it will limit the export of noble gases, a key ingredient in the manufacture of semiconductor chips.
Through Dec. 31, any export of those gases will require special permission from the Russian government. According to Russia's trade ministry, Russia accounts for nearly a third of the world's supply of three such gases—neon, krypton and xenon.
"We believe that we will have an opportunity to be heard in this global chain, and this will give us some competitive advantage if it is necessary to build mutually beneficial negotiations with our colleagues," Russian deputy trade minister Vasily Shpak told Reuters on Thursday.
The Ukraine war has already taken a toll on the supply of noble gases. Via two companies—Ingas and Cryoin—Ukraine itself supplies half the world's neon. Both companies shut down in March. Neon is used in lasers during lithography, a part of the chipmaking process where patterns are carved into silicon.