Rare "MSG" supply and demand mismatch exacerbates germanium prices rising more than 80% in six months

As of June 18, the price of germanium ingots has soared to 25,000 yuan/kg, up more than 83% from the end of 2025. Driving this round of price surge is mainly the strong demand for optical fibers in the field of AI computing infrastructure. In the manufacturing of optical fibers, germanium tetrachloride plays a key role like "MSG". It is the core raw material for doping the fiber core of the preform rod, mainly used to increase the refractive index of the fiber core, allowing the transmission performance of the optical fiber to be more efficient. "The proportion of germanium in the raw materials cost of preform rod is very low, but due to the high purity requirements of downstream germanium materials, and the strong non-replacability of domestic germanium supply, compared with other materials, the supply and demand contradiction of germanium will be more obvious." explained a leading manufacturer of preform rods for optical fibers.