High-Purity CO₂ Supply Warning: Semiconductor Faces Raw Material Shortage

2026-06-30

In late June 2026, the supply of high-purity carbon dioxide (CO₂) essential for advanced semiconductor manufacturing has flashed a warning signal. Contrary to common perception, this seemingly ordinary gas is not a marginal consumable in chip production but an irreplaceable core material for supercritical cleaning processes. When liquid CO₂ enters its supercritical state, it exhibits both the density of a liquid and the flowability of a gas, enabling it to penetrate nano-scale fine circuit patterns and precisely remove residues and contaminants from wafer surfaces.

According to South Korean media reports, a sharp reduction in CO₂ feedstock production—driven by declining operating rates at global oil refineries and petrochemical plants—has triggered supply chain concerns. The root cause of this crisis lies not within chip fabrication facilities but in upstream petrochemical industry volatility. CO₂ feedstock is primarily generated as a byproduct of oil refining, petrochemical production, and hydrogen manufacturing. Due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East causing unstable crude oil supplies, plant utilization rates in major petrochemical-producing countries such as South Korea have dropped significantly, leading to a corresponding decline in CO₂ output.

Global Impact

High-Purity CO₂ Supply Warning: Semiconductor Faces Raw Material Shortage

Samsung Electronics consumes approximately 1,800 to 2,000 tonnes of high-purity CO₂ per month, while SK Hynix uses about 600 to 700 tonnes. Under industry practice, chipmakers and gas suppliers each maintain two weeks of inventory, together providing a one-month safety buffer. Recently, however, this buffer has fallen below the alert threshold. Although the two giants have not yet halted production lines, they are intensifying procurement efforts as inventory reserves continue to shrink.

A deeper risk is that this is not a challenge confined to a single country or company. The global semiconductor gas market reached US$12.52 billion in 2026, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 74.4% of that share. As a key category of electronic specialty gases, high-purity CO₂ supply fluctuations will propagate rapidly along the industrial chain. From memory chips to logic chips, and from South Korea to Taiwan, mainland China, and newly built fabs in the United States, any production line relying on supercritical cleaning processes faces potential disruption.

Supply Predicament

The supply-demand imbalance has already driven liquid CO₂ prices up by approximately 20% since the beginning of the year, and industry consensus expects the tight situation to persist through the end of 2026. A more intractable issue is that CO₂ production is highly dependent on petrochemical byproducts; in the short term, neither new production capacity can be quickly added, nor can alternative sources match the same purity and volume.

For China, this situation serves as both a warning and an opportunity. Domestic players such as Jinhong Gas, Kaimeite Gas, and PNC Process Systems have already achieved mass production of high-purity CO₂ and have entered the supply chains of leading semiconductor manufacturers. Driven by the dual forces of accelerated localization and supply chain security, the local electronic specialty gas industry stands to gain growth through this window, injecting new momentum into the diversification of global semiconductor material supplies.

Inventory Components - SEMICONE Distributor

In the midst of this supply chain turbulence, SEMICONE stands out as a dedicated stockist of authentic, high-demand electronic components. With an extensive inventory product models, SEMICONE ensures that critical production lines maintain uninterrupted access to essential semiconductors, passives, and interconnect devices.

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Email: info@semicone.com

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