Technology

This unsung material, known as Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF), has become the invisible backbone of the AI revolution, enabling the cutting-edge performance and energy efficiency that powers today’s most advanced neural networks

Exaggeration much? Sure, it might be an important component, but I doubt the industry will collapse overnight if they stop selling it. There are probably substitutes or alternative solutions.

The article reads like AI slop. I wonder if this is some market manipulation thing?

Do they sell to China or does China make this for their own chips?

I checked some info around. The film in question (ABF) is used in chips to electrically isolate multiple layers; it isn't just for AI junk. And apparently this film is created by biochemical processes.

I am not sure but I think this film is formed by fermentation. It would be not too different from that white film you sometimes see over fermented food, produced by kham yeast. (Safe but foul-tasting BTW.) Usually you'd want to avoid that film to form, but you could theoretically tweak fermentation conditions to force it to appear, and perhaps even inoculate the fermentation with specific bacteria and/or yeasts to change its attributes. Then you'd harvest the film, process it, and package it.

If that is correct it actually makes sense Ajinomoto produces it. The production process is not too different from its core business, MSG:

• ferment a carbohydrate-rich substrate (sugar cane, yucca, maize), plus some nitrogen supplements
• innoculate it with a specific bacterium (Corynebacterium glutamicum)
• neutralise the glutamic acid into MSG, crystallise it, ship it

I believe both could be produced by other industries if necessary/desired. And the reason they don't do it is simply economy of scale, and competition with an already established monopoly over both.

So while the world was worrying about the Red Chinese monopolising the rare-earths, a Japanese ramen company and a Japanese toilet manufacturer have quietly established a grip on chipmaking materials?

Sketchy looking site (seems entirely AI generated) but interesting article regardless.