In a discovery that could have significant consequences for the global semiconductor and clean energy supply chain, Chinese researchers have identified a major new source of high-purity quartz in Tibet, one that can be refined to a silica content exceeding 99.995 per cent. The find comes at a critical time: as China races to scale up solar panel and chip manufacturing to meet both domestic demand and global export targets, it has remained heavily dependent on imported high-grade quartz, much of it sourced from the United States. The new study, published in April 2026 in the European Journal of Mineralogy , evaluates leucogranite formations in the Dinggye area of Tibet as a viable domestic raw material and the results suggest the country may have been sitting on a strategic mineral reserve without knowing it.
High-purity quartz explained: The rare mineral behind semiconductors and solar energy
