U.S. Agency Estimates Costs of Gallium/Germanium Bans

In a recent report, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey developed a new model to assess how disruptions of critical mineral supplies may affect the U.S. economy. Using the model, they estimated that "there could be a $3.4 billion decrease in U.S. GDP if China implements a total ban on exports of gallium and germanium, minerals used in some semiconductors and other high-tech manufacturing."