While it seems unlikely, the scare story came after Techcet, a market research group, published a report on February 1 highlighting the reliance of many semiconductor manufacturers on Russian and Ukrainian-sourced materials like neon, palladium and others.

Techcet estimated, more than 90 per cent of US semiconductor-grade neon supplies come from Ukraine, while 35 per cent of U.S. palladium is sourced from Russia.

Peter Harrell, who sits on the White House's National Security Council, and his staff have been in touch with members of the chip industry in recent days, learning about their exposure to Russian and Ukrainian chipmaking materials and urging them to find alternative sources, the people said.

A "senior official" told Reuters, "We understand that other sources of key products are available and stand ready to work with our companies to help them identify and diversify their supplies."