Comment by AlecSchueler
9 hours ago
> The materials that go into a chip are nothing.
They really aren't. Every material that goes into every chip needs to be sourced from various mines around the world, shipped to factories to be assembled, then the end goods need to be shipped again around the world to be sold or directly dumped.
High power, low power, it all has negative environmental impact.
That doesn't contradict the point, though. The negative impact on the environment is not reduced by making a less powered chip.
Which materials are they and how would you suggest doing it with fewer materials?
ultra pure water production itself is responsible for untold amounts of hydroflouric acid and ammonia , and most etching processes have an F-Gas involved, and most plants that do this work have tremendously high energy (power) costs due to stability needs/hvac.
it's not 'just sand'.
How would you suggest doing it with fewer materials?
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In theory, graphene based semiconductors would eliminate a lot of need for shipping and mining.
Maybe. They have the potential for faster semiconductors, but only after adequate modifications. Graphene isn't a semiconductor, and it isn't obvious that we'll find a way to fix that without (or even with) rare resources.