State corporation "Rosatom" signed new contracts for the supply of isotope products to Chinese partners during the international gas industry exhibition CIGIE 2026 in the city of Wuxi. As reported by the press service of "Rosatom," the package agreement covers three items: germanium-72, silicon-78, and helium-3.
At present, the Russian atomic division ranks among the global top 5 suppliers of isotopes and ships about 400 product names to customers. The new agreements reinforce expansion specifically in the stable isotope segment, which is used in the creation of semiconductor structures, quantum computers, and cryogenic equipment. Adviser to the CEO of AO "V/O "Izotop"" Rustam Rakhmatulin clarified that the list of items was formed based on specific requests from Chinese industry.
For Russian non-commodity exports, this means further consolidation in the niche of expensive science-intensive chemistry. Unlike crude oil or gas, the cost per kilogram of highly enriched Ge-72 or He-3 is measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. While Western sanctions are trying to cut Russian microelectronics off from technology, the counterflow of raw materials for chips continues to move eastward.