Molybdenum in Next-Generation Chips: What Is in Production and What Is Still Research

Molybdenum plays two very different roles in chips. As a pure metal it is entering volume production as a wiring and word-line material, most clearly in 3D NAND memory. As the compound MoS₂ it is a leading research candidate for ultra-thin transistor channels, but it is not in commercial production. Semiconductors are a tiny share of molybdenum demand. Steel and related alloys account for roughly 80% of use, so chip demand does not drive the market.
cSupply is concentrated: five countries produce about 90% of the metal, and China has restricted exports of molybdenum-related items since February 2025.

Molybdenum as a metal: wiring and word lines

Why it works. As wires shrink below the distance electrons travel between scattering events (the mean free path), resistivity rises sharply. Published values at room temperature are about 39.9 nm for copper, 19.1 nm for tungsten and 11.2 nm for molybdenum . Molybdenum’s shorter path...