Ukraine and global microchip production

We may have found the 21st century equivalent of the ball bearing factory.

Gizmodo:

The military incursion has forced Ukraine’s two leading neon suppliers to suspend operations, a major disruption with global economic consequences. Neon is critically important to semiconductor chip manufacturing, and nearly half of the world’s semiconductor-grade neon originates from these two suppliers, Ingas and Cryoin, Reuters notes.

Tom's Hardware:

"If stockpiles are depleted by April and chipmakers don't have orders locked up in other regions of the world, it likely means further constraints for the broader supply chain and inability to manufacture the end-product for many key customers," said Angelo Zino, an analyst at CFRA, in a conversation with Reuters. As remaining makers of high-purity neon gas are ramping up their production to meet demand, prices of the gas are increasing. Cryoin says that prices of high-purity neon had climbed by up to 500% from December.

On one hand, how did such a key resource end up sourced from a single region?

On the other, the days of Internet-connected coffee makers, cars with in-dash apps, etc., might be coming to a screeching halt. Possible we might be seeing emergency re-designs across the economy, to use as few chips as possible so product can simply be available?

Because it doesn't have a computer, that doesn't mean it can't be ingenious:

originally posted by: gb540
Possible we might be seeing emergency re-designs across the economy, to use as few chips as possible so product can simply be available?

That would require recertifying product with the various international standards groups to meet safety edicts. That typically takes months and if everyone starts reapplying you'd get a back log for that service.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
That would require recertifying product with the various international standards groups to meet safety edicts. That typically takes months and if everyone starts reapplying you'd get a back log for that service.

True.

I would not want to be a manager, with an over-engineered product, which I can't sell because I can't get a chip for a fluff feature nobody uses. And changes would require what you mentioned.

Pray and wait it out?

Russia and Ukraine, but mainly Russia are the two top countries that export neon and palladium, both of which are needed in microchips.
But I also understand the shortage of microchips started at the beginning of the 'pandemic' due to Chinese shortages/manufacture/delivery.
Not surprising that La Garde (EU head honcho) earlier this year (before Ukraine) was saying the EU has to develop it's own microchip manufacturing at the same time pointing at China directly for the shortages.
Hmmm...... how can anyone manufacture microchips if they can't get their hands on these two elements? USA is a very small producer of palladium. South Africa is the second largest. I wish I could find again the world map of neon and palladium production world wide I saw a couple of weeks ago.
Rainbows
Jane

All signs continue to point towards deeper alliances between China and Russia with the consolidation and availability of these and other important resources. I would not be surprised that as more info comes to light in regards to the DS bio labs, that China may use that as a way to save face and move further against the west. We've given them a firm little grip on our nations short and curlies.

At least in the US we have plenty of gaslighting to meet our energy needs and the best propaganda mind stream media can buy.

The "shortages" and price changes started in 2014 .
The new steel plants that China is putting in no longer have the capabilities to extract those gases .

originally posted by: angelchemuel
Russia and Ukraine, but mainly Russia are the two top countries that export neon and palladium, both of which are needed in microchips.
But I also understand the shortage of microchips started at the beginning of the 'pandemic' due to Chinese shortages/manufacture/delivery...
Not surprising that La Garde (EU head honcho) earlier this year (before Ukraine) was saying the EU has to develop it's own microchip manufacturing at the same time pointing at China directly for the shortages.
Hmmm...... how can anyone manufacture microchips if they can't get their hands on these two elements? USA is a very small producer of palladium. South Africa is the second largest. I wish I could find again the world map of neon and palladium production world wide I saw a couple of weeks ago.
Rainbows
Jane

originally posted by: Gothmog
The "shortages" and price changes started in 2014 ...
The new steel plants that China is putting in no longer have the capabilities to extract those gases .

I hope everyone has memorized how to get to the stores and their relatives houses without computers telling them how to get there. Oh...too late, I know people who use their phones to get to their friends house these days, evidently the young don't pay attention anymore. a few of My younger relatives who have been here use GPS to get to my house. They cannot remember how they got here.

I would have loved the excuse that my phone went dead when I did not come home at night when I was a kid....I know some of my grandkids do not know where I live and they have been here for Christmas and easter dinner lots of times.

It seems oil is no longer the number one reason for war, but nobody is supposed to figure out what may REALLY be behind all of this. We'll have to wait a decade or two for history to fill us in.

Over 20,000 deposits of 194 known minerals can be found in Ukraine. Of these deposits discovered, 7,800 deposits of over 90 hold important industrial minerals. Ukraine has one of the leading reserves and extraction of manganese, iron, and non-metallic raw material. The deposits can be found in different regions across the country.

www.worldatlas.com... atural-resources-of-ukraine.html

originally posted by: gb540
We may have found the 21st century equivalent of the ball bearing factory.

.......



... how did such a key resource end up sourced from a single region?

....

Probably just a low cost of labor in that region. Neon is separated in the process of making liquid air, so could be done anywhere.

a reply to: rickymouse





I know I can

Rainbows
Jane

originally posted by: gb540
Because it doesn't have a computer, that doesn't mean it can't be ingenious:

I like those old toasters, they were kind of pricey, but they were so quick and they did not dry out the toast like new toasters do. The heating elements browned the outside and the inside of the toast was still soft. Most people nowadays have never experienced that good toast unless they got it at a good restaurant because commercial toasters do have the more powerful heating elements and the thermostat technology.

I thought about buying a commercial toaster, because you can buy a two slice toaster which takes up less room on the counter and it toasts twice as fast....so the same amount of toast comes out of a two slice toaster in the same time as a four slice model. But four slice toasters are usually two twenty volt in the commercial. Replacement elements can also be purchased, but the elements cost more than a new toaster. About three hundred bucks used to buy a commercial two slice one, I do not know if the price has gone up more now.