Tiny backwater town in North Carolina that's set to fuel world's AI revolution - with enough quartz to power entire 530bn semi-conductor global industry

The expansion of a quartz mine is providing a breath of life to a small, desolate North Carolina town that is now set to become a powerhouse for the world's AI revolution. Sibelco's mines have been extracting quartz in Spruce Pine since the 1970s but its 500 million investment between now and 2027 will fuel the global demand for semiconductors. The expansion comes as Nvidia has become the leading global manufacturer of semiconductor chips, holding roughly 80 percent of the global market share as of last year. The global quartz market value reached 8.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach nearly 18.7 billion by 2031, with China topping other countries as the largest customer. The Sibelco mine is located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina and is the top producer of the world's high-purity quartz Sibelco's mining sites are located in the small town of Spruce Pine, about two hours northwest of Charlotte, and increasing its high-purity quartz output will make the US the leading supplier of the mineral.