Comment on Inside Intel's Chip Factory, I Saw the Future. It's Plain Old Glass

Cyberwitch_7493@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• irdc@derp.foo ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  The problem for chipmakers is not the sourcing of materials itself, but the purity of the sourced material. So don’t worry about public beaches disappearing into Intel’s hopper-feeder.

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  • Cyberwitch_7493@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That totally makes sense that they would need pure sand, idfk how to make that work. But if Intel needs rounded sand grains, then they need to find another way to erode sand into that shape cause ocean sand is quite unique from the billions of years it’s had to tumble in the ocean. Otherwise Intel will indeed be using ocean sand.

    Also it occurred to me that making chips on glass could be more recyclable since glass is also recyclable. 🤔 Would be good if that happens!

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    • irdc@derp.foo ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Seeing as they melt the stuff, I’m not sure the grains need to be rounded.

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      • Cyberwitch_7493@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        That… makes a lot of sense, I hadn’t considered that.

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• Vlyn@lemmy.zip ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I really don’t think we have a shortage of sand. And you also have to consider how small computer chips are. Compare how much sand you need for a glass window versus a few CPUs.

  Besides that, they wouldn’t take sand from public beaches…

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  • emmanuel_car@kbin.social ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    We are, in fact, running out of sand. The amount needed for chips compared to other products per unit may be small, but it will exacerbate the issue if not well managed.

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    • Vlyn@lemmy.zip ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      But that’s due to glass, concrete and so on. Building materials.

      Global sand consumption has reached 50 billion tonnes a year, or about 17 kilograms per person per day

      Even if every person in the world gets a glass CPU and GPU, that would only add a few grams of consumption. Once, not per day.

      It’s such a tiny amount that’s it’s entirely irrelevant.

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      • HerbalGamer@lemm.ee ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        or about 17 kilograms per person per day

        I don’t eat nearly that much sand in a day

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  • Cyberwitch_7493@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Sand is a non-renewable resource

    Not all beaches are public, and not all are in America where there are laws that protect beaches.

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  • Touching_Grass@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Funny you say that because we are running out or sand. We can produce it but it’ll just make things more expensive. Gangs have been stealing beaches

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• Edgelord_Of_Tomorrow@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  You’re confusing this with concrete.

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  • Cyberwitch_7493@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I totally am lol.

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• cantstopthesignal@sh.itjust.works ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Oxygen and silicon are the most abundant elements in earths crust. Glass is silicon oxide.

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