A material you've probably never heard of is getting a lift from one of the most-hyped frontiers in computing.
According to a market forecast from IndexBox, the market for boron nitride wafers is projected to climb through 2035, with the gains driven by demand tied to quantum computing and so-called 2D materials.
Boron nitride is a synthetic compound prized in electronics for its durability and its ability to handle heat and insulate components. In its ultra-thin "2D" form — sheets only a few atoms thick — it is increasingly used as a foundational layer in advanced chip research, the kind of work that underpins experimental quantum devices.
The IndexBox forecast frames quantum computing and 2D-material demand as the twin forces pointing the wafer market upward over the next decade. In plain terms: as companies and labs pour money into building quantum machines and next-generation electronics, they need more of the specialized substrates those devices are built on.
The source item is a market outlook rather than a report of products shipping or revenue already booked, so the higher trajectory is a projection of where demand is heading, not a record of sales to date.
Why it matters: quantum computing's promise tends to grab the headlines, but its progress quietly depends on a supply chain of obscure materials — and a rising forecast for boron nitride wafers is one early, concrete signal that the field's ambitions are translating into real industrial demand.