Nicole Willing

Evolving semiconductor technologies and growing chip consumption across a range of applications are changing demand and supply dynamics in several minor metal markets, delegates heard at the Minor Metals Trade Association's annual conference in Lisbon last week.

Superalloys have been the primary source of rhenium demand over the past two decades, but new medical applications have the potential to disrupt the market.

Canadian compound semiconductor materials producer 5N Plus expects more spot tellurium demand from US solar panel manufacturer First Solar, as it pushes to source more of its supply from outside China in the wake of this month's latest export controls.

Attempts to establish commercial-scale rare earth separation and processing outside China are growing in number and progressing gradually with a view to ramping up output over the next two years.

Gallium nitride (GaN) is already used in power devices for consumer electronics, but manufacturers are now developing the technology for use in the automotive sector, with the compound set to make its way into vehicles in the coming year.

Germanium consumers around the world are looking for alternatives while producers aim to lift output, as demand increases while restrictions on exports from China reduce availability.

The Maharashtra state cabinet in India has approved three foreign investment manufacturing projects — a $1bn semiconductor plant and two battery electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid vehicle factories.

South Korea's Posco International has signed a $40mn investment deal with Australia-based Black Rock Mining to double its supply of graphite from the company's Tanzanian mine to 60,000 t/yr.

Interest in monazite as a feedstock for rare earth (RE) processing is rising as producers look for sources outside China, bringing mineral sands projects into the RE supply chain.

The transition back to using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes in electric vehicle (EV) batteries from nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) poses a challenge to recyclers and could split the market, attendees at the Future Battery Forum in Berlin heard on Tuesday.

The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display market — which requires silicon-germanium and indium gallium zinc oxide — is undergoing rapid changes as mobile device demand rebounds and virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets evolve.

The growing hype around artificial intelligence (AI) has highlighted the pivotal role of specialised silicon-based semiconductors in driving the deployment of new technologies at scale, and signals rising demand for metals used to make the chips themselves and the associated data centre servers.

Demand for consumer electronics and semiconductors has come under pressure from oversupply, but the use of titanium powders in electronic devices and other applications is rising.

Record high gold prices in India are weighing on demand for gold jewellery, which could increase demand for cadmium-containing imitation jewellery, but substitution faces challenges.

Glass production in Europe has fallen from a record high reached in the second half of 2022 as the global industry faces tightening supply owing to high energy costs and supply chain disruptions.

Producers of silicon anode battery materials are moving from pilot-scale operations to building out commercial-scale capacity, as the adoption of alternatives to lithium-ion batteries with graphite anodes advances.

The price premium for polysilicon produced outside China increased during the first quarter, reaching 42pc in March, according to South Korean producer OCI.

UK-based cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) producer Kromek has signed multiple deals in the past month to develop CZT detectors for medical imaging, which is among the applications increasingly competing with solar for tellurium supply.

Australia-based zircon producer PYX Resources expects demand for zircon and titanium products to grow in 2023, providing opportunities to further increase its production capacity and market share.

Canadian compound materials and specialty semiconductor manufacturer 5N Plus expects prices for tellurium and bismuth to stabilise this year.