The world is overly reliant on one US-located mine for critical chipmaking material, but China is working to break the stranglehold — China investing over $14 million in synthetic quartz manufacturing to diversify away from US dependency

China has invested over $14 million in synthetic quartz manufacturing through Nantong Crystal Co., Ltd. to reduce reliance on U.S. sources for crucial chipmaking materials. The U.S. currently supplies high-purity quartz for semiconductor manufacturing, but China's investment aims to diversify supply chains. The investment is part of China's push for semiconductor independence and strategic move to secure key materials for chip production. While China is making progress in producing synthetic quartz, it remains largely dependent on imports and may take time to achieve complete independence from U.S. sources.