Photonics
Critical node· Photonics · Critical anchor

Indium, China

Hunan, China27.60°N 111.70°E
computed criticality19/100
reading
≈70% of global indium supply
2025
Fault line

A zinc by-product concentrated in China. Export controls since April 2025. Without indium, no indium phosphide, and so no high-speed optical photonics.

Actors
Chinese producers (zinc by-product)
Feeds 2
InP substrates, SumitomoPhotonicsCoherent, Sherman, TexasPhotonics
Shocks endured
Indium joins China's export controlsFeb 1, 2025 · epicentre
Sources