Samsung Display, a subsidiary of South Korea’s Samsung Corporation, stopped purchasing gold, tungsten, and tantalum from Russian suppliers in 2024, according to a report by the newspaper Kommersant citing company reports.
The three metals are essential in Samsung Display’s manufacturing due to their unique electrical and thermal properties. They are used in components like thin-film transistors, wiring, and capacitors that are critical for the performance and reliability of modern screens.
While Samsung Display's supply chain documents for 2022 and 2023 do not specify sources for these metals, records from 2021 show the company procured them from 11 Russian firms. Among these is the Solikamsk Magnesium Plant, which claimed that it did not supply metals directly to Samsung, suggesting intermediaries may have been involved.
Oleg Izumrudov, director of a Russian data storage systems consortium, speculated that Samsung may still be acquiring Russian raw materials via third countries. He noted that longer supply chains could raise the South Korean company’s production costs by 2-5%.
However, a Kommersant source within the electronics manufacturing sector claimed that Samsung has completely cut ties with Russian metal suppliers and switched to Asian vendors. Samsung and Samsung Display did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
Samsung Display is part of Samsung Semiconductor and manufactures displays for smartphones, laptops, and TVs — including components used in Apple devices. Apple was notably the first foreign electronics manufacturer to officially stop sourcing Russian gold, tungsten, and tantalum in 2022.