China’s rare earth export controls threaten enterprise IT hardware supply chains

China has announced immediate export controls on seven more rare earth elements critical to enterprise IT hardware manufacturing, firing a fresh salvo in the ongoing tech trade war. This move could significantly impact tech giants including Dell Technologies, HP, Apple, and IBM, along with semiconductor leaders such as Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.

The new controls issued by China’s State Council require export licenses for samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium — along with their alloys, oxides, and compounds. These materials are essential components in data center storage systems, networking equipment, and semiconductors.