At the Zhonghuan Industrial Park in Hohhot's Jinshan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the 100,000-metric-ton granular silicon project by Inner Mongolia Xinheng Silicon Energy Technology Co stands as a striking symbol of innovation and sustainability.

According to Fu Xuguang, general manager of the company, the company's granular silicon has achieved a record-low lifecycle carbon footprint of just 18.05 kilograms carbon dioxide equivalence per kilogram – certified by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME). This marks the world's lowest carbon footprint for a single granular silicon production facility (excluding industrial silicon).

The milestone was made possible through optimized production processes, upgraded intelligent manufacturing, energy transport planning, and a closed-loop production system. It not only sets a new industry benchmark for low-carbon manufacturing but also highlights Hohhot's rising leadership in photovoltaic material technology.

As a key national base for new materials, Hohhot has been accelerating its development of strategic emerging industries such as photovoltaics and silicon-based materials. The first phase of a 10-gigawatt high-efficiency solar module smart factory by Huansheng New Energy (Inner Mongolia) Co recently began mass production in the Jinshan development zone. Once fully operational, the factory is expected to achieve an annual output value of 8 billion yuan ($1.1 billion). Huansheng focuses on the R&D, production, and sales of high-efficiency photovoltaic modules.

Moving forward, Hohhot aims to position itself as a China's premier base for high-end semiconductor materials. The city plans to further expand its production capacity, attract leading polysilicon processing enterprises, and develop a dual-track industrial system covering both polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon.