Topic

#semiconductors

27 articles

A dramatic underwater view of glowing submarine fiber optic cables stretching across a dark ocean floor, with distant orange explosions illuminating the surface above and warships silhouetted against a burning horizon

From Barrels to Bandwidth: The Iran War Just Closed the Internet's Other Chokepoint

The Strait of Hormuz carries 20% of the world's oil. The cables running through it and the Red Sea carry over 90% of Europe-Asia data capacity. For the first time in telecommunications history, both chokepoints are closed simultaneously. AWS data centers have been hit by drones. Meta's undersea cable is stranded. Qatar's helium exports — essential for chip fabrication — are offline. The $650 billion AI buildout just hit a wall made of physics.

A glowing gallium nitride wafer chip resting on desert sand with industrial refineries in the background

The Gallium Choke Point

It’s not oil, and it’s not steel. The most critical resource for modern warfare is a soft, silvery metal that melts in your hand. As China tightens its grip on 98% of the global supply, the US is turning to an unlikely ally to keep its radars running.