TAIWAN : Volkswagen said it is monitoring the situation on metals markets after China imposed export restrictions on two minor metals used in semiconductors and electric vehicles, while some chipmakers on Thursday played down the potential damage to supplies.
The export curbs are likely to further strain U.S.-China relations as the countries vie for dominance in semiconductor and defence technologies. Germanium is used in high-speed computer chips, plastics, and in military applications such as night-vision devices, as well as satellite imagery sensors. Gallium is used in radar and radio communication devices, satellites and LEDs.
Taiwan's WIN Semiconductors, which uses gallium for optoelectronic devices, told Reuters only a"small number" of substrates are purchased from China, with most of its supplies coming from Germany and Japan.