Hurricane Herene has caused untold destruction across multiple states in the US, with a large impact on the ever-important semiconductor industry.

In what has been officially designated as the deadliest storm to hit the mainland US since Hurricane Katrina, the total quantum of its destruction is only just starting. In a small town in North Carolina that was recently hit by Hurricane Helene, is now on the radar because it could disrupt the multi-trillion-dollar global semiconductor industry because of the town’s virtual monopoly over the mining of High-Purity Quartz (HPQ).

The town of Spruce Pine in North Carolina is home to just 2200 residents (as of 2022) but plays a crucial role in the global semiconductor industry through its mining that yields some of the world’s purest quartz, which is then used to manufacture silicon wafers.

Spruce Pine is home to two major quartz supplies: Sibelco, and the Quartz Corp. which are responsible for somewhere between 70% and 100% of the semiconductor industry’s global requirement of HPQ… and that requirement is only skyrocketing with next-gen products launching left, right, and center… and the unstoppable AI boom.

In some excellent reporting from “OSINTtechnical” on X, he breaks it down: “Breaking from @hntrbrkmedia – An essential node of the global semiconductor industry, nestled in the mountains of North Carolina, has been hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Images reveal a flooded entrance to a mine that produces high-purity quartz to manufacture most semiconductors“.

“A massive humanitarian and economic disaster slammed the lower Appalachians this weekend, as dozens of inches of rain fell in some places, causing massive flooding in the region. Thousands remain missing, while countless others remain cut off. Although it is one of Earth’s most common minerals, quartz in its purest form – such as the white quartz in North Carolina – is much rarer. And pure quartz is a critical component of the silicon wafers necessary for everything from your phone and computer to large language models and solar panels“.

He continued: “The small town of Spruce Pine is home to a set of facilities that supply between an estimated 70% and 90% of the mined and processed HPQ used in the electronics industry. Experts have said that if the operations of the two major quartz miners in the region – Sibelco and The Quartz Corp. – are interrupted, the consequences could be catastrophic“.