High purity quartz is the irreplaceable foundation of advanced technology manufacturing
Every modern technology depends on high purity quartz (HPQ). From chipmaking crucibles to photovoltaic wafer pulling and fibre optic sheaths, HPQ is the foundational raw material enabling advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure worldwide.
Few high purity quartz deposits possess the purity, chemical stability, and consistency required for these applications. HPQ’s defining characteristic, its near-total absence of impurities, makes it both indispensable and extraordinarily rare. Only a handful of known deposits globally meet the criteria for semiconductor or crucible-grade material. With the exception of the two assets First Quartz is currently developing, no new, publicly disclosed, high purity quartz projects of equivalent quality are being advanced.
Exceptionally few deposits meet the specifications for the most advanced technology applications
High purity quartz demand is accelerating with the growth of next-generation technologies
Semiconductors
Next-generation chips demand ever-stricter purity standards, increasing reliance on crucible-grade high purity quartz. Global wafer fab expansion, driven by AI adoption, EV growth, and sustained semiconductor equipment manufacturing, is fueling long-term demand for premium high purity quartz feedstock.
Solar photovoltaics
Aggressive decarbonization targets, increased energy demand from data centers, and falling manufacturing costs are creating a powerful backdrop for solar growth. Advanced photovoltaic (PV) technologies are trending toward higher-spec materials, requiring ultra-pure high purity quartz to support greater efficiency and durability.
Electrification
The shift to electric vehicles and grid-scale power systems depends on secure, low-impurity quartz supply. As global electrification accelerates, demand for HPQ in these upstream materials continues to expand.
Digital infrastructure
Data centers, fibre optic networks, and advanced glass systems all rely on high purity quartz as a critical material foundation for high-performance communication and computing technologies.
Geology dictates suitability, chemistry determines application
The value of HPQ lies not only in its extreme rarity but also in its exceptional purity and physical properties.
Even trace impurities can alter the behaviour of molten silicon, distort semiconductor crystals, or reduce the transparency of fibre optics. Only the world’s purest quartz meets the standards required for these advanced applications.
HPQ’s remarkable performance stems from its unique physical and chemical characteristics, its ability to withstand extreme temperatures, resist corrosion, and maintain exceptional transparency and electrical insulation. These traits make it indispensable to the production of semiconductors, solar modules, and precision glass components.
In industry terms, high purity quartz refers to natural quartz, raw or processed, that meets extraordinarily strict chemical and physical criteria. These include exceptionally low elemental impurity levels, controlled particle distribution, and consistent performance under the extreme heat, pressure, and optical precision demands of advanced manufacturing.
The geological and chemical structure of raw HPQ ore is the single most important factor in determining quality.
These inherent characteristics dictate the extent of improvement possible through refinement. While purification technology can improve material consistency, the intrinsic purity of the quartz is determined by geology, not processing.
Quartz must already be naturally low in impurities for refinement to be economical. For this reason, only a handful of deposits worldwide meet the specifications required for advanced technologies.
Concentrated supply, elevated risk
The rarity of HPQ has created a highly concentrated global supply chain. Nearly 75% of the world’s HPQ — and the vast majority used in semiconductor equipment — is mined from a single complex in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. This near-singular dependence on one source leaves the backbone of modern technology exposed to a critical supply pinch point.
Past disruptions, including a plant fire and weather-related shutdowns such as Hurricane Helene in 2024, have underscored how quickly global chip and solar production can be affected. Outside of Spruce Pine, global capacity is fragmented with smaller, less premium-grade deposits with variable output.
Without diversification, a trillion-dollar technology ecosystem remains reliant on a single region. First Quartz’s assets in British Columbia offer the next viable pathway toward strengthening North America’s HPQ supply chain and ensuring long-term security for advanced industries.
New HPQ supply is no longer just a market opportunity — it’s a necessity.