Qatar attack, prices surge over 50%: One-third of the world's helium supply cut off, semiconductor industry faces a "suffocation" risk, and prices for smartphones, computers, and MRI scans may also increase.

Ask AI · Why the Qatar attack has triggered a global helium supply crisis?

By Chen Haoxing

Global energy markets are currently “like they’re running out of breath”—helium, the second element on the periodic table and a rare gas people are familiar with, is facing a worldwide shortage.

On March 18, the world’s largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) production base—Qatar Ras Laffan Industrial City—was attacked. Helium is typically extracted from LNG, so its supply has been affected as well.

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey show that in 2025, Qatar’s annual helium production will reach 64 million cubic meters, accounting for more than one-third of the global total. This helium must be shipped to the rest of the world via the Strait of Hormuz. Since February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked, and one-third of the world’s helium faces a supply cutoff.

Industry insiders say that as of March 29, spot prices for some helium have already surpassed 118 yuan per cubic meter, with a jump of more than 50%.

If helium supply is disrupted, which industries will be affected? Will it spill over into ordinary people’s daily lives?

Helium supports the operation of multiple emerging industries

On the industry side, helium supports the operation of multiple key emerging industries and is widely used in semiconductors, aerospace, electronics manufacturing, and medical imaging, among others.

First is the semiconductor industry. According to statistics, the demand for helium in global semiconductor manufacturing accounts for more than 30% of total helium demand. Helium is an essential carrier gas, protective gas, and purge gas for core process steps such as chip lithography, etching, ion implantation, and vapor deposition.

South Korea is the country most impacted by this helium shortage. The two global powerhouses in the global memory chip market, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, have urgently initiated inventory review mechanisms. Their procurement teams check the supply situation and price fluctuations of key materials every day to prevent production interruptions.

An analysis by the MSN website in the United States states that after helium supply chains are disrupted, Nvidia may face pressure. Some analyses suggest that if long-term disruptions occur in Middle East supply, the technology industry and investors related to artificial intelligence could be seriously affected.

In the aerospace and defense sector, helium also plays an irreplaceable critical role.

In an article published by Li Zhongping, a researcher at the Oil and Gas Resources Research Center of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was pointed out that helium has extremely low density—about 7 times lighter than air—which can provide strong buoyancy, allowing related equipment to take off and even enter space.

Helium is widely used in spacecraft gas supply systems to ensure stable operation. In rockets and defense industries, helium is also used in key areas such as propulsion systems and is an indispensable important medium.

Zuo Chungan, Executive Vice Chairman of the China Industrial Gases Association, said in an interview with China News Service’s Guoshi Direct (Guoshi Zhitongche) that among inert gases such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, helium is irreplaceable in many application scenarios, and therefore has important strategic and industrial value. A helium shortage will lead to short-term increases in domestic gas prices and chemical product prices, and will further raise the pressure of ensuring supply.

What impact does a helium shortage have on ordinary people?

For ordinary people, helium is often used to fill balloons, or used after inhalation to change sound frequency. In daily life, there are only a few scenarios where people can directly come into contact with it.

However, because helium is closely tied to the costs of storing chips and other materials, a helium shortage can also bring direct impacts to people’s lives. For example, everyday electronic products like mobile phones and computers may face higher costs and price increases due to a helium shortage. Even idle old mobile phones and old computers at home may become more valuable as a result, and medical checkup costs may also rise.

In the medical field, taking MRI as an example, this technology requires a very strong magnetic field to obtain clear images. The key equipment that generates this strong magnetic field is a superconducting magnet. Superconducting magnets can only work properly in extremely low-temperature environments, so they typically need to be cooled using liquid helium.

In addition, mixing helium with oxygen can be used to treat asthma and asphyxiation, and it also helps prevent “decompression sickness” that divers may experience during ascent. Helium can also be used to dilute flammable anesthetics. In cancer treatment, helium is also applied in technological approaches such as the argon-helium knife.

Procurement personnel for medical devices told China News Service’s Guoshi Direct that an MRI machine typically consumes about 1,000 to 1,500 liters of liquid helium per year, with costs ranging from 200k to 450k yuan.

“If the price of helium rises sharply, the operating costs of the equipment will increase significantly. Not only will it add to the operational pressure of medical institutions, but it may also further pass through to checkup fees,” he said.

How much will a helium shortage affect the domestic market?

Zuo Chungan said that currently, China has sufficient liquid natural gas (LNG) inventories, domestic production is steadily increasing, and supply of natural gas through overseas pipelines is stable—strengthening the solid fundamentals supporting the market. China also has multiple buffering mechanisms that can offset external market shocks in a certain range and for certain periods.

He also noted that, leveraging the Belt and Road Initiative, China is actively building diversified onshore energy import channels. It has already built an energy import network covering China’s two major directions: the Northeast and the Northwest, further enhancing the resilience of the supply system.