China cracks GaN chip defect mystery, boosting tech war edge

Researchers in China say they have pinpointed the main cause of defects in a semiconductor material considered key to boosting the performance of advanced chips

used in electronic warfare

and other critical sectors that are at the centre of China’s tech rivalry with the United States.

China produces 98 per cent of the world’s gallium, and Beijing recently banned exports of the material to the US, making it more difficult – and costly – for the Pentagon to acquire GaN-based chips.

The stakes are high: if China can develop low-cost, high-performance GaN manufacturing techniques, it could expand the existing price gap in semiconductor products between the two nations.