Helium Chokepoint: Hormuz Disruption Exposes a Hidden Constraint on AI Chips
The source argues that helium—an essential, non-substitutable input for advanced semiconductor fabrication—has become a critical vulnerability after disruptions linked to Qatar’s Ras Laffan outage and the Strait of Hormuz closure. Concentrated dependence in Taiwan and South Korea could tighten AI accelerator, HBM memory, and smartphone chipset supply, while creating new leverage opportunities for alternative suppliers.