The Bromine Chokepoint
https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-bromine-chokepoint-how-strife-in-the-middle-east-could-halt-production-of-the-worlds-memory-chips/Article
- Bromine from Israel’s Dead Sea used in semiconductor flame retardants
- Middle East conflict could disrupt supply and halt memory chip production
- Article argues three simultaneous policy levers needed to address risk
Discussion
- Skeptics: US produces bromine in Arkansas; it’s $3/kg with 100 trillion tons in seawater
- Pattern noted: monthly ‘we’re running out of X’ chip supply chain panic articles
- Bottleneck may be purification/qualification infrastructure, not raw material scarcity
- Ukraine neon chokepoint of 2022 cited as analogous overblown scare
| Type | Link |
| Added | Apr 20, 2026 |
| Modified | Apr 20, 2026 |