From X-bit Labs:

The Japan earthquake and tsunami could result in significant shortages of certain electronic components, potentially causing pricing for these devices to increase dramatically, according to IHS iSuppli.

From BuisnessWeek:

From EE-Times

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Intel Corp.'s solar cell spinoff, SpectraWatt Inc., is apparently shutting down its operations, according to reports.

The solar cell startup is shutting down its factory in Hopewell Junction, N.Y. and is laying off 110 employees, according to online reports. The firm opened the factory in May. Those articles can be read here and here.

From EE-Times

A long-awaited report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) on rare earth scarcity concludes that in the short term the "clean energy economy" is at risk of supply-chain disruptions.

From azonano.com

Using unique equipment developed by the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The Florida State University, an international team of researchers has used the spin of atomic nuclei in silicon to store information for longer than a minute and a half.