Overview
- South Korea’s Samsung and SK hynix say they hold months of helium inventory, yet industry officials warn supply and costs could worsen if disruptions last longer, with spot prices already up 40% to 100%.
- Ras Laffan in Qatar remains offline after strikes, and Qatari officials warn of years-long damage, while analyst Phil Kornbluth expects gas and helium output to take weeks to restart and months for logistics to normalize.
- Taiwan’s economic ministry says helium is secured through mid‑May and plans to raise the mandatory LNG reserve next year, framing the situation as manageable in the near term.
- Helium is a hard‑to‑replace gas used to cool and purge extreme‑ultraviolet (EUV) tools that print the most advanced chips, and shortages can halt those machines at TSMC and other leading fabs.
- Companies are stretching buffers through recycling and alternative sourcing, yet recycling covers only about a fifth of use, new suppliers need months to qualify, and related strains include pricier bromine and tungsten as well as possible delays to AI hardware and data‑center plans.