Arsenic
A toxic metalloid that is nevertheless vital as high-purity metal for gallium-arsenide chips and as a silicon dopant.
GaAs and InGaAs devices in RF and optical components; arsenic is a common n-type dopant in silicon logic.
Where it's produced
Share of 2025 world arsenic trioxide production (metric tons). Source: USGS MCS 2026.
Who calls it critical
Membership on each government list. “Strategic” marks a higher tier where the list has one; “group” means included as part of a group such as rare earths or PGMs.
Arsenic: key questions
- Where is arsenic mined or produced?
- According to USGS 2025 data, the largest producers are Peru (49%), China (39%) and Morocco (8.2%) of world arsenic trioxide production. China accounts for about 39%.
- Is arsenic a critical mineral?
- Arsenic appears on 3 of the 10 official lists we track (United States, European Union, Australia).
- Is arsenic in short supply?
- Our supply status: Watch. null
- Why does arsenic matter for AI infrastructure?
- GaAs and InGaAs devices in RF and optical components; arsenic is a common n-type dopant in silicon logic.
Related minerals
ExplorerGallium
TightA by-product of aluminum refining that becomes gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) — the materials of power electronics, RF chips and lasers.
Indium
TightA soft by-product metal used in touchscreens (ITO) and in indium phosphide — the compound semiconductor behind many high-speed optical lasers.
Germanium
TightA semiconductor metal recovered from zinc and coal ash, essential for fiber-optic cores, infrared optics and high-speed SiGe chips.