From the transistor to the transmission line.

GaN power transistors raise the efficiency of server power supplies and 800V data-center power architectures; GaAs and InGaAs lasers drive optical transceivers that link GPUs.

Indium phosphide (InP) lasers and photodetectors are the engines of 800G/1.6T optical transceivers in AI networks; indium solders are used in chip thermal interfaces.

Tungsten contacts and vias link transistors to the copper wiring in logic and memory chips; tungsten tooling machines servers and fab equipment.

Germanium-doped glass carries light through the fiber that interconnects AI clusters; SiGe transistors appear in high-speed networking chips.

Every GPU, CPU and memory die starts as an ultra-pure silicon wafer; silicon photonics is moving optics onto the chip itself.

Tantalum capacitors stabilize power on GPU boards and servers; tantalum/tantalum-nitride barrier layers sit under copper wiring in chips.

Copper makes up roughly 82–83% of the mineral mass modeled for AI data centers, mostly in grid transmission and distribution; it also forms chip interconnects, busbars, cold plates and rack cabling.

Tin-based solders attach GPUs, memory and chips to boards; AI servers carry far more solder joints than standard servers.

Fabs use helium for wafer cooling, lithography and inert atmospheres; fiber-optic production uses helium during drawing.

Hafnium oxide gate dielectrics are used in leading-edge logic chips including AI accelerators; also in superalloys for turbines.

Ruthenium thin films are used in hard-disk media and are a leading candidate to replace copper in the tightest chip interconnects; USGS lists computer chips as a primary use.

Yttria coatings protect plasma-etch chambers in chip fabs; yttrium-stabilized zirconia in solid-oxide fuel cells.

Solid-oxide fuel cells are being deployed as on-site power for data centers; scandium-aluminum nitride in RF chips.

Cerium oxide slurries polish silicon wafers flat during chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) in chip fabs.

Flame retardants in cables, plastics and server enclosures; lead-acid backup batteries; antimony dopants and infrared detectors.

Used in high-energy battery cathodes for backup power, in superalloys for gas turbines that power off-grid data centers, and — in tiny amounts — as an interconnect and liner material in advanced chips.

Molybdenum is being adopted for advanced chip interconnects and is used in sputtering targets and high-strength steels.

Ultra-pure fluorine chemicals etch and clean wafers in every fab; fluorinated fluids and refrigerants cool data centers; LiPF6 battery electrolyte.

Silver pastes, contacts and sintering materials in power electronics and chip packaging; silver is the largest input cost in solar cells.

GaAs and InGaAs devices in RF and optical components; arsenic is a common n-type dopant in silicon logic.

SiC power devices in solid-state transformers, high-voltage DC data-center power, inverters and EV chargers.

Palladium electrodes and plating in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and connectors on server boards.

Boron dopes silicon in every chip; borosilicate glass and boron in NdFeB magnets used in cooling fans and drives.

Ytterbium fiber lasers used in precision manufacturing, including electronics.

Titanium nitride barrier layers in chips and titanium alloys in turbines; mainly aerospace and defense.

LFP (lithium iron phosphate) is the dominant chemistry for stationary storage at data centers; high-purity phosphorus is an n-type dopant.

Crucibles for growing crystals used in electronics; electrolyzers for hydrogen backup power.

Gold wire bonding and connector plating in electronics.