The issue concerns purchases of tungsten, tantalum and gold from the sanctioned country
Samples of rare metals like tantalum and tungsten are displayed at a chemical company in Germany. © Getty Images/picture alliance
Apple has officially stopped purchases of tungsten, tantalum and gold from Russia “at the request of the US government”, while its rival Samsung continues imports from the sanctioned country, Kommersant reported on Thursday, citing data from the two companies.
The metals are key to the production of various electronic devices, and before 2022 the US tech giant relied on supplies from 11 Russian companies, as well as other foreign manufacturers.
However, last year, according to data quoted by Kommersant, Apple stopped buying the metals from all but one of its Russian suppliers, with some amounts of tungsten still being provided by Moliren Ltd, a factory based in the Moscow region.
At the same time, Apple’s rival Samsung continues to buy the three metals from Russia, Kommersant writes, citing data from the South Korean tech giant.
After the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine over a year ago, and the ensuing economic sanctions, many foreign companies including Apple and Samsung reduced or suspended trade with the country. Kommersant reported last September that purchases of Russian raw materials used in semiconductor and microchip manufacturing by foreign technology companies fell by more than 70%.
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Industry experts told the publication that Apple would keep buying Russian-sourced raw materials via third-party suppliers since it is difficult to find a competitively priced alternative.
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