芯片，太难了

Core Insights - The digital industry's environmental impact is increasingly scrutinized, particularly regarding the materiality of digital products and services, which is often overlooked in favor of a focus on mining activities for specific minerals like cobalt and lithium [1][2][3] - The semiconductor industry, crucial for manufacturing microchips, requires a diverse range of materials with ultra-high purity, highlighting the complex supply chains and the interdependence between mining and chemical industries [1][3][10] Group 1: Environmental Impact and Materiality - The digital sector's materiality is defined as the extraction and production chain necessary for creating final digital products, with a significant focus on the mining of specific raw materials [2][3] - Recent trends in artificial intelligence and edge computing have intensified concerns about the environmental footprint of large tech companies, as indicated in their environmental reports [2][3] - The United Nations data shows that key elements for information and communication technology (ICT) represent only 0.77% of the total value of all mined elements in 2018, excluding coal [2][3] Group 2: Semiconductor Industry and Supply Chain - The semiconductor industry is increasingly recognized for its material flow and environmental impact, yet its materiality has been largely ignored due to the complexity and opacity of its supply chains [3][10] - Microchips, essential for all ICT products and services, are deeply rooted in the materiality of the semiconductor industry, which requires a wide variety of elements and extremely high purity levels [3][10] - The semiconductor industry now requires over 85% of non-radioactive elements from the periodic table, a significant increase from previous decades, emphasizing the industry's growing complexity and material demands [7][10] Group 3: Purity Requirements and Industrial Processes - The purity requirements in semiconductor manufacturing are exceptionally stringent, often exceeding levels found in other industries, with some materials needing purity levels as high as 11N (99.999999999%) [8][17] - The production of ultra-pure materials involves multiple industrial processes, which are energy-intensive and can have significant environmental impacts [8][17] - The semiconductor industry's high purity demands necessitate a detailed understanding of the upstream supply chain, revealing potential bottlenecks and dependencies on other industrial sectors, such as steel production for gases like neon [34][35] Group 4: Case Studies on Key Elements - Case studies on silicon, aluminum, gold, and neon illustrate the varying purity requirements and the environmental implications of their production processes [23][24][28][30] - Silicon, a core element in the digital industry, requires extensive purification processes, with only a small fraction of mined quartz being used in electronics [24][26] - Aluminum used in semiconductor manufacturing must achieve a purity of 5N (99.999%) through energy-intensive processes, highlighting the industry's reliance on high-purity materials [28] - Gold, while scarce, has purity requirements that align closely with those in the semiconductor industry, necessitating careful extraction and refining processes [30] - Neon, often overlooked, is critical for semiconductor manufacturing and its production is heavily dependent on the steel industry, raising concerns about environmental impacts [32][34] Group 5: Future Considerations - The semiconductor industry's ongoing technological advancements will likely increase the complexity of material requirements and purity levels, necessitating further research into environmental impacts [37] - There is a need for a comprehensive assessment of purity requirements in environmental evaluations related to semiconductor manufacturing, considering the broader implications for supply chain management and resilience [37]