Market
China's control over indium phosphide exports threatens AI data centre rollout
ZivFin Analysis2026.06.11
Barely a week after Nvidia-backed chipmaker Coherent warned of a shortage of indium phosphide in an earnings call in early May, its CEO Jim Anderson was on a plane with a U.S. business delegation accompanying President Donald Trump on his trip to China. Anderson's visit was partly to raise the issue of delays in China's export licenses involving the highly strategic material, essential in manufacturing high-speed optical chips for AI data centres, said three sources familiar with the matter. The issue was also discussed during talks in Seoul between top trade negotiators of the two countries ahead of Trump's May 14-15 summit with China's President Xi Jinping, according to two U.S. government officials and a person briefed on the talks.
