A graphic processor is built upon semiconductors, commonly referred to as chips. To address what a semiconductor is, we have to start with one of Earth’s most common minerals: Sand, specifically Quartz or Silicon Dioxide (SiO₂). While commonly used in various other uses, like jewelry, glass production, and even watchmaking, the quartz required to produce chips requires an almost unnaturally high purity. The silicon used in semiconductor manufacturing must achieve a 99.9999999% (nine-nines) purity level, far exceeding the standards for almost any other industrial material; one could say that it is the purest material in the world. An extraordinary level of refinement is necessary because even the tiniest impurities could disrupt the precise electrical properties needed for the transistor to function. Despite its ubiquity, the quartz used to make transistors comes from only one source, Spruce Pine of North Carolina in the United States. Only two companies, The Quartz Corp and Covia Corp, operate in this area, tightly controlling the extraction and refinement processes. Purified Spruce Pine quartz is indispensable since it is used to create the silicon metal and crucibles needed for chip-making; any impurity in the molten silicon might cause electronics to malfunction. In short, the sand that was mined in North Carolina provides the pure silicon base upon which all subsequent technology layers are built.