SemiAnalysis: AI semiconductor construction bottlenecks may extend to key materials such as tungsten

BlockBeats News, June 30 – Independent semiconductor and AI research firm SemiAnalysis stated that one of the most underestimated ways to participate in the construction of AI semiconductors may not be the chips themselves, but rather the materials. As the industry accelerates the production of more advanced semiconductors, demand growth is not only seen in GPUs and wafer fab equipment, but also in the key materials that support modern chip manufacturing.

Taking tungsten as an example, tungsten is one of the most critical materials in semiconductor manufacturing, valued for its high-temperature stability and resistance to electrical wear. Wafer fabs rely on chemical vapor deposition to fill deep, high-aspect-ratio vertical vias that connect multi-layer chip architectures, while using physical vapor deposition to deposit ultra-thin barrier layers around them. Since tungsten covers both core deposition steps, it is irreplaceable in advanced chip production.

Tungsten supply appears to be increasingly constrained. High-purity tungsten metal powder is the primary raw material for producing tungsten hexafluoride, the gas used in chemical vapor deposition. Among key suppliers, Japan has critical tungsten hexafluoride suppliers such as SK Materials and Shin-Etsu Chemical, but is facing significant price increases and a sharp reduction in tungsten raw material imports, making it nearly impossible to continue producing key tungsten hexafluoride materials. Related price pressures are also reflected in South Korea's tungsten hexafluoride import prices, which have risen by 151% since the beginning of this year. As semiconductor complexity and AI demand increase, bottlenecks may not only appear in chips or equipment, but also in the critical materials at the bottom of the entire supply chain.