⚠️CHART OF THE WEEK: The Iran War is squeezing global tech supply chains

Helium shortage hits tech and healthcare, not just balloons

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Global Markets Investor
March 28, 2026

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Tightened helium supply from Qatar is starting to affect semiconductor production, with companies scrambling to secure alternatives, according to Reuters.

Helium is a byproduct of natural ​gas processing and is critical in chipmaking for cooling, leak detection, and precision manufacturing, making the shortage highly disruptive.

Qatar produced ~63 million cubic meters of helium in 2025, roughly ~33% of global supply, and its Ras Laffan LNG facility, which produces helium, was recently damaged by an Iranian strike, threatening a major portion of the world’s supply.

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As a result, producers and distributors are limiting shipments, with AirGas declaring force majeure and providing some customers only ~50% of normal monthly deliveries.

Healthcare customers are being prioritized, leaving chipmakers vulnerable to delays in sourcing helium.

If shortages persist, production cuts could ripple through electronics, automobiles, and smartphones.

Chipmakers like TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix could be forced to slow or pause production, compounding an already strained supply chain for AI and high-end electronics.

The tech sector is already racing to secure alternative helium sources, including from the US, to keep production on track.

Helium disruptions are now threatening the global tech supply chain.

If you would like to explore the topic further, here is an interesting podcast.

Watch Now There's a Helium Shortage and It Affects More Than Balloons | Odd Lots - Bloomberg

Ripple effects from the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to widen. There's yet another brewing shortage, this time in helium. While most people associate helium with balloons and funny voices, the element is used in a surprisingly wide variety of industrial settings, including semiconductor production, where its role in advanced lithography has been growing rapidly. But helium mining and exploration in North America has been practically non-existent for a variety of reasons. And while the US used to have a strategic helium reserve, the government started selling that down in the late 1990s. On this episode, we speak with Nicholas Snyder, the founder and CEO of North American Helium, which does helium mining in Canada. We discuss the properties of helium that make it so useful, as well as the difficulties of expanding global production and distribution.

www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-03-27/a-helium-shortage-that-affects-more-than-balloons-video

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