WASHINGTON: The White House has advised the chip industry to diversify its supply chain in case Russia retaliates against threatened US export curbs by blocking access to key materials, people familiar with the matter said.

The potential for retaliation has garnered more attention in recent days after Techcet, a market research group, published a report on Feb 1 highlighting the reliance of many semiconductor manufacturers on Russian and Ukrainian-sourced materials like neon, palladium and others.

According to Techcet estimates, over 90 per cent of US semiconductor-grade neon supplies come from Ukraine, while 35pc of palladium is sourced from Russia.

Peter Harrell, who sits on the White House’s National Security Council, has been in touch with members of the chip industry in recent days, learning about their exposure to Russian and Ukrainian chip-making material and urging them to find alternative sources.

The White House declined to comment on the specifics of the conversations, but a senior official reiterated that the administration was prepared if Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Part of that is working with companies to make sure that if Russia takes actions that interfere with supply chains, companies are prepared for disruptions,” one of the insiders said.

“We understand that other sources of key products are available and stand ready to work with our companies to help them identify and diversify their supplies.”

Joe Pasetti, vice president of global public policy at the chip and electronics manufacturing suppliers group SEMI, sent an email to members this week gauging exposure to the vital chip-making supplies.

“As discussed on today’s call, please see the attached document ... regarding Russian/Ukrainian production of a number of semiconductor materials,” he wrote, referencing a summary by Techcet on C4F6, Palladium, Helium, Neon and Scandium from the troubled region. “Please let me know if potential supply disruptions to any of them are a concern for your company.”

Neon, critical for the lasers used to make chips, is a by-product of Russian steel manufacturing, according to Techcet.

It is then purified in Ukraine. Palladium is used in sensors and memory, among other applications.

Some chipmakers have been reviewing their supply chains to scan for potential fallout from conflict in Ukraine. One person at a chip-making plant acknowledged that it has been looking into its supply of neon and other gases, some of which originate in Ukraine.

“Even if there was a conflict in Ukraine it wouldn’t cut off supply. It would drive prices up,” the person said. “The market would constrict. Those gases would become pretty scarce. But it wouldn’t stop semiconductor manufacturing,” he added.

According to one power chip design startup executive, unrest in Ukraine has caused rare gas prices to increase and could cause supply issues. Fluorine is another gas that has a large supply from that part of the world and could be affected, the executive added.

William Moss, a spokesperson for Intel Corp, said the chipmaker was not anticipating any impact to neon supply.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2022