China's latest export controls on rare earths are expected to have a direct impact on the global semiconductor supply chain, complicating the production of AI and memory chips from major US and South Korean suppliers, according to analysts. On Thursday, China's Ministry of Commerce imposed a raft of new export controls on rare earth materials critical for the chip manufacturing process. It imposed restrictions on the export of technologies related to rare earth production, such as mining, smelting and sep ...

V i e w p o i n t | 03 Oct 2025 03:00:00 ET │ 25 pages US Semiconductors Analyzing the Semi Cycle and the Impact of AI – Accelerating Growth, Higher Pricing, and Higher Valuation CITI'S TAKE In this note we outline five key metrics we use to determine where we are in the semiconductor cycle – revenue, inventory, margins, demand and valuation – and the impact AI has had on the semiconductor sector. Our analysis of thirty-five years of semiconductor data indicates there is plenty of room to go from a margin, ...

Core Viewpoint - The semiconductor industry is experiencing a significant transformation to meet the increasing demand for advanced technologies, with a projected production of 1 trillion chips in 2024, equating to 100 chips per person on Earth [1]. Group 1: Industry Trends - The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the demand for high-performance devices are driving innovations in semiconductor technology, particularly in 3D NAND and other advanced memory technologies [1]. - The manufacturing process is evolving with the introduction of metallization techniques, which involve depositing thin metal layers to create circuits, essential for advanced chip production [2]. Group 2: Material Advancements - Tungsten has been the primary material for interconnects for the past 25 years, but its performance is reaching its limits due to the increasing complexity of chip structures, particularly in 3D NAND and DRAM [2]. - Molybdenum is emerging as a superior alternative to tungsten, offering advantages such as lower resistivity, reduced manufacturing steps, and better scalability as device sizes shrink and layer counts increase [3][4]. Group 3: Challenges and Solutions - Despite its advantages, molybdenum has not yet been widely adopted in metallization processes due to the lack of developed atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods that meet its requirements [7]. - The development of solid precursors for ALD and engineering low-resistance interfaces are critical for the successful implementation of molybdenum in semiconductor manufacturing [10].

This video was recorded on April 02, 2025 Mary Long: Welcome to Liberation Day. You're Listening to Motley Fool Money. I'm Mary Long. Join on this Wednesday morning, the Liberation Day of all Liberation Days by Mr. David Meier. David, great to see. Happy to have. How you doing? David Meier: I'm doing well. It's great to see you, too. Mary Long: Today is April 2, the day after April Fool's Day. As I've mentioned a few times already in this show, it's also Liberation Day. What the heck does that even mean? It ...