geopolitics

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_A study of the influence of such factors as geography, economics, and demography on the politics and especially the foreign policy of a state_

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China Restricts Export of Chipmaking Metals in Clash With US (www.bloomberg.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Beijing will limit gallium and germanium exports from Aug. 1. Both metals are indispensable for producing some chips

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Gallium and germanium

oh, this is gonna be good. I thought that food would be the first big bump into international trade, but it turns out it will start with semiconductors.

The golden age of trade is over. With global warming and the lack of resources looming we are entering a slow slide toward chaos. I can't find a better name. The less resources you will need the better you boat will float. (Europe has almost no mineral resources)

WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?

The metals are used in high-speed computer chips and in the defence and renewable energy sectors. Germanium is key to fibre optic cables and also used in high-speed computer chips and plastics as well as infrared radiation. The metal and its oxides are used in military applications like night-vision devices as well as satellite imagery sensors. It is also important for low-carbon technologies such as solar cells.

Semiconductor wafers made with gallium arsenide rather than silicon can operate at higher frequencies and are heat resistant, according to U.S. company Wafer World.

They also produce less noise than silicon devices, especially at high operating frequencies, making them useful in radars and radio communication devices, satellites and LEDs, Wafer World says.