Spruce Pine, North Carolina, has most of the world's high-quality quartz, a mineral essential for the semiconductors used in smartphones, laptops, and AI chips.

Global semiconductor makers are monitoring supplies of high-purity quartz, a material critical to the industry, after Hurricane Helene halted production at two North Carolina mines that produce most of the world’s supply.

Some of the biggest chip makers across the globe say they do not expect any disruption from the temporary closures of the quartz mines critical for semiconductor manufacturing due to Hurricane Helene.