📊Executive Summary

The ongoing US-China tech tensions are reshaping the semiconductor landscape, with significant implications for procurement. The US has imposed strict export controls on advanced chip technologies, limiting China's access and affecting companies like NVIDIA and Intel, which rely on the Chinese market. In retaliation, China has restricted exports of critical minerals, gallium and germanium, essential for semiconductor manufacturing, causing prices to surge. Countries dependent on these materials, such as Japan and South Korea, are scrambling to secure alternative sources, which may take years to establish. This geopolitical conflict is creating uncertainty in the semiconductor supply chain, necessitating close monitoring by procurement teams....