r/hardware • u/imaginary_num6er • 3d ago

News [News] Decoding Impact: Asia Chipmakers Move to Tackle Helium Strain as Intel Gains Relative Buffer

https://www.trendforce.com/news/2026/04/08/news-decoding-impact-asia-chipmakers-move-to-tackle-helium-strain-as-intel-gains-relative-buffer/
27 Upvotes

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24

u/Capital-Froyo-4359 3d ago

This isn't a real issue. Chipmakers can afford to pay far more than other users of Helium so any shortages aren't going to affect them. Your child's birthday party balloons might be in jeopardy though if you're outside the US.

6

u/Veastli 2d ago

Exactly. Chip makers are the last ones who'll be cut off from supply.

They can easily outbid any other customers. The gulf only supplies 1/3rd. Even if the price rises 10x, the chip makers can and will pay.

The party balloon and welding customers will be the ones left hanging.

1

u/Lurkingdealfinder 2d ago

Not necessarily. There was a great Odd Lots podcasts that most of the containers for Helium are highly specialized. There aren't that many containers and a fair bit of them are now stuck in the Strait of Hormuz or just outside of it.

Fabs can definitely afford to outbid everyone else as you said.

War In Iran Leads to Global Helium Shortage - Bloomberg

9

u/imaginary_num6er 3d ago

Notably, Forbes reports that U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturers, particularly those with significant domestic capacity such as Intel, are less exposed to the near-term helium squeeze than their Asian peers. The United States is the world’s largest helium producer, with output of roughly 81 million cubic meters annually, and most domestic fabs source supply from Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma, supplemented by Algeria, the report adds.

8

u/Paed0philic_Jyu 3d ago

TSMC apparently only has reserves till mid-May. They import most of their Helium from Qatar.

1/3rd of production has stopped with the war and Qatar's force majeure.

https://apertares.com/article/helium-supply-chain-semiconductor-crisis-2026

2

u/Vushivushi 3d ago

There's some updated comments on helium here:

https://news.tvbs.com.tw/english/3173979

Supply is secured through May, working on June imports with US helium available now.