The US allocates $5.4M to boost domestic gallium supply, plans to cut import reliance

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced about USD 5.4 million in funding for five projects to support a domestic supply of gallium, a key material used in defence and semiconductors.

The US is currently fully dependent on imports for gallium and has not produced it domestically since 1987. 

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China controls about 98 per cent of global production and has introduced export restrictions in recent years, including a ban on exports to the US in December 2024. These limits were later eased for about one year, starting in November 2025.

The funding comes under the Technology for Recovery and Advanced Critical-mineral Extraction Gallium (TRACE-Ga) programme, which focuses on developing new methods to recover gallium from US industrial materials. ENERGYWERX manages the project and will test ways to extract gallium at set cost and quality levels.

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Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary of Energy, said, “These five projects support President Trump’s commitment to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chains.” 

Five companies have been selected. PHNX Materials Inc in San Leandro, California, will work on extracting gallium from industrial waste.

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Atlantic Alumina Company in Louisiana will use ion exchange and electrochemical methods to recover gallium at high temperatures. Found Energy Co. will apply a process to recover gallium from Bayer liquor. Lastly, Kunin Technologies aims to produce gallium about 12 tonnes per year, while Indium Corporation in New York will focus on recycling scrap.

The DOE said the projects aim to restart domestic gallium production and reduce reliance on imports. Officials also said the work could help build a more secure supply chain and support new technologies in the future.