Archive · 3 Oct 2026
US Senators Urge Action on China’s Silicon Carbide Push
Six US senators from both major parties are worried about where an important material comes from.
The material is called silicon carbide.
They say Chinese companies now make a much larger share of the world’s silicon carbide wafers than they did five years ago.
Silicon carbide is used in some military equipment and in technology such as AI data centers and power grids.
The senators worry that the United States could depend too much on China for it.
They sent a letter to the defense and commerce secretaries asking them to help US and allied producers.
They suggested several government tools, but did not demand just one specific solution.
Their letter says action should happen before the supply problem becomes harder to fix.
Six bipartisan US senators urged the Trump administration to strengthen domestic and allied silicon carbide production.
They said Chinese producers’ share of the global silicon carbide wafer market rose from under 5% to nearly 50% in five years.
The senators warned that dependence on Chinese supply chains could threaten defense systems and critical infrastructure.
They cited silicon carbide uses in weapons, AI data centers, the electric grid, 5G, and automobiles.
They asked officials to consider Defense Production Act authorities, critical minerals designations, and Buy America requirements.
- Who
- Six bipartisan US senators—Tom Cotton, John Boozman, Chuck Schumer, Thom Tillis, Ted Budd, and Mark Kelly—addressed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- What
- The senators urged the administration to use federal authorities to support domestic and allied silicon carbide production.
- When
- The letter was dated October 1 and released Friday; the article does not specify the year or the Friday’s date.
- Where
- Washington; the letter concerns US and allied production and global silicon carbide supply.
- Why
- The senators warned that China’s growing market share could leave the United States reliant on Chinese supply chains for defense and critical infrastructure.
- Letter signatories
- Tom Cotton, John Boozman, Chuck Schumer, Thom Tillis, Ted Budd, and Mark Kelly
- Recipients
- Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
- Global wafer market share
- Chinese producers’ share rose from less than 5% to nearly 50% over five years, according to the senators.
- Letter date
- October 1; released Friday, with no year specified in the article.
- Proposed federal tools
- Defense Production Act authorities, critical minerals designations, and Buy America requirements
- Cited applications
- Defense systems, AI data centers, electric grid infrastructure, 5G telecommunications, and automobiles