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More Shortages Due to the War in Ukraine
Semiconductors, food, fuel, and fertilizer will all be impacted
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West imposed sanctions. Of course Russia retaliated.
The most recent quid pro quo response was to limit the export of three noble gases that are vital for the production of semiconductor chips. With shortages already occurring for these parts, the new limits will only exacerbate the situation.
Noble gases, in case you were curious, are so named because their outer electron layers are completely filled. Therefore, they don’t react with other elements. This stand-offish quality gave them their name, though they are also called inert gases. They are at location 8A on the periodic table. The three noble gases used to make chips are neon, krypton and xenon. The other three are helium, argon and radon.
Russia has about 30% of the world’s supply of the three critical noble gases. Japan, Taiwan, and many other countries imported them from Russia. However, on May 30th, Russia announced special state permission would be needed to qualify for Russian exports through December 31st.
The Russian restrictions come in response to Taiwan, which is the global leader in chip production, curbing its Russian imports in response to the invasion.
