A Looming Rare Earth Shortage Threatens Critical Tech
Summary
The article explains the critical roles of erbium and yttrium in fiber optics and turbine coatings, and how China's export controls could affect data-center hardware and AI infrastructure. It also discusses government stockpiling efforts and the broader security implications for technology supply chains, especially for cloud and hyperscale AI deployments. The piece calls for supply-chain resilience and policy response.