Japanese companies Sumco and Showa Denko, which manufacture components and components for microelectronics, have increased the cost of their products. The increase in prices was 20-30%.

Sumco produces silicon wafers, which are now one-third more expensive, and Showa Denko has increased the price of high-purity inert gas used in chip manufacturing by 20%. The reasons for this were events around Ukraine, inflation and increased chip demand. The source explained that Ukraine and Russia are suppliers of inert gases and rare earth metals, but there are problems with this due to the emerging geopolitical instability.

In addition, last year Sumitomo Bakelite increased the price of polymer blends used to create microprocessor packaging by 20%. After all, the price of containers to transport silicon wafers has also increased by 20%. This is expected to lead to higher prices for many end products, from appliances to cars. Source