Beijing, November 13, 2025 — Driven by the continuous recovery of the global tablet market and the rapid expansion of emerging application scenarios, demand for key raw materials used in manufacturing tablet chips has seen significant growth. According to the latest data from market research firms, purchases of critical semiconductor materials—including silicon, germanium, gallium, copper, and rare earth elements—increased by over 23% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025. Notably,
high-purity silicon wafers and gallium nitride (GaN) materials, essential for advanced chip manufacturing processes, have experienced particularly rapid growth, drawing close attention across the supply chain.
Demand Surge Drives Raw Material Expansion
The rising adoption of tablets in remote work, online education, digital content creation, and industrial intelligence has sustained strong demand for high-performance devices. Especially in sectors such as education, healthcare, and field inspection in manufacturing, specialized tablets have become vital tools for digital transformation. This trend has directly boosted demand for core chips—such as high-performance processors, 5G communication modules, and AI accelerators—translating into increased demand for upstream raw materials.
"As tablets evolve from consumer gadgets into professional, high-performance devices, they demand greater computing power, energy efficiency, and integration from chips," said Li Ming, senior analyst at the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID). "This pushes chipmakers to adopt more advanced manufacturing processes, such as 5nm and 3nm nodes, which heavily rely on high-purity silicon and specialty materials."
Supply Tensions Prompt Strategic Industry Moves
High-purity monocrystalline silicon remains the foundational material in chip manufacturing, accounting for over 30% of costs. Meanwhile, wide-bandgap semiconductor materials like gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are increasingly used in power management and fast-charging modules of high-end tablets. Demand for these materials has grown at an annual rate exceeding 40% for two consecutive years.
In response, major global material suppliers are expanding production capacity. Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical and Germany’s Wacker Chemie have announced additional investments in 12-inch silicon wafer production lines. U.S.-based Applied Materials is increasing R&D spending on atomic layer deposition (ALD) materials and photoresist precursors. In China, companies such as Zhonghuan Co. and Hualu-HiSilicon are accelerating localization efforts to improve self-sufficiency in high-end silicon wafers.
Rare earth elements like praseodymium and neodymium, used in tablet speakers, motors, and sensors, are also gaining importance. With rising global demand for green energy and smart devices, the strategic significance of rare earth supply chains is growing. Industry experts are calling for stronger recycling systems and improved resource circularity to mitigate potential supply risks.
Innovation and Sustainability Go Hand-in-Hand
Faced with rising material costs and geopolitical uncertainties, major tech companies are moving toward vertical integration. Apple, Samsung, and Huawei are establishing long-term agreements and joint R&D initiatives with material suppliers to secure stable sourcing. Meanwhile, the industry is actively exploring advanced packaging technologies such as chip stacking and Chiplet designs to reduce material intensity per unit of computing power.
"In the future, innovation in chip materials will not only be a technological battleground but also a cornerstone of supply chain resilience and sustainability," said the Asia-Pacific director at SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International). "Green manufacturing, low-carbon materials, and circular economy models will become new industry standards."
Outlook
Projections indicate that global tablet shipments will remain above 180 million units by 2027. Combined with AI integration and the rollout of new form factors like foldable tablets, the chip raw material market is expected to surpass USD 100 billion. The industry widely recognizes that stable supply and technological breakthroughs in raw materials will be crucial to sustaining innovation in smart devices.
Amid technological advancement and resource security concerns, the tablet chip materials sector is entering an unprecedented era of opportunity—presenting both challenges and solutions for the resilience and sustainability of the global semiconductor ecosystem.
Post time: Nov-13-2025
