Podiform chromitites in ophiolites widely distributed in global orogenic belts of different locations and ages, and are one of the two main sources for industrial chromium. Despite the long research history, critical scientific problems regarding the origin of chromitites are still unresolved, which are the research fronts and hotspots in Earth science. The global distribution and demand of chromite deposits are analyzed and reviewed in detail. The research history and progress are reviewed on the basis of big data analysis. The geological occurrence and background of podiform chromitites are compared with those of stratiform chromitites. Critical scientific problems, including the nature of parental magmas, material sources, metallogenic mechanisms and metallogenic geodynamic background, are discussed. The formation model and high- temperature and high- pressure experimental studies regarding the origin of podiform chromitites are summarized. The discovery of a series of new minerals and its geological significance are reviewed. We proposed that podiform chromitites and the hosting ophiolites are a new and important window for investigating the deep crustal recycling and geodynamics in deep Earth.