Sangdong mine eyes role in securing tungsten for chip industry
The Sangdong mine in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, is emerging as a strategic asset in efforts to build a non-Chinese tungsten supply chain for the semiconductor industry. Operated by Almonty Korea Tungsten Corp. (AKTC), the mine is one of the world’s largest tungsten deposits and has advanced through development to become fully production-ready. The Sangdong mine is expected to supply…
The Sangdong mine, located in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, is gaining recognition as a crucial element in constructing an alternative tungsten supply chain for the semiconductor industry, unconnected to China. Operated by Almonty Korea Tungsten Corp. (AKTC), the mine is regarded as one of the world's largest tungsten deposits and has progressed to become fully operational.
AKTC anticipates that the Sangdong mine will provide tungsten concentrate and contribute to the creation of higher-value materials like high-purity tungsten oxide. This mine could enhance Korea's domestic critical-mineral security while offering a substitute source for global semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sectors, which are still largely reliant on China.
The significance of the mine development has surged due to growing concerns over the availability of tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), a specialized gas utilized in semiconductor metallization processes such as tungsten deposition in 3D NAND, DRAM, and high-bandwidth memory production.
The requirement for WF6 is escalating due to the surge in demand from AI servers and data centers. Additionally, the recent approval of a critical technology for tungsten processing further underscores the mine's growing role in the industry.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Sangdong mine eyes role in securing tungsten for chip industry koreatimes.co.kr
