What it is
Gallium is a soft silvery metal used in gallium-arsenide and gallium-nitride semiconductors — the chips behind LEDs, 5G base stations, radar, and EV power electronics.
Why it matters
It is a byproduct of aluminium refining. China refines roughly 94% of global supply and imposed export controls in 2023.
Circular challenges
Whether gallium re-enters the economy at end-of-life is mostly settled at the design stage. These are the recurring blockers.
Tiny per device
A few grams of gallium powers thousands of devices, but recovery from end-of-life chips is uneconomic at current prices.
Byproduct supply
Output is set by aluminium refining capacity, not gallium demand — there is no quick way to scale primary supply.
Concentrated processing
Even when bauxite is mined elsewhere, gallium extraction happens in a handful of Chinese refineries.
Sources: European Commission, Critical Raw Materials Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1252); USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024; EU Joint Research Centre Raw Materials Information System; IEA Critical Minerals Outlook 2024.