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facilities are processing huge amounts of natural gas. Hence Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility is a critical facility, due to its scale of operation. Qatar and Russia are also important players because both have been focused on expanding production of helium. With Qatar’s Ras Laffan taking the hit and shut down, this is already having an impact on helium pricing and supply. Even if facilities restart now (even partially), there will be a backlog, and its implications will be felt across the value chain. For the semiconductor industry Under normal circumstances, helium is a gas that leaks very easily, leaking
Semiconductors are used in the production of microchips, or integrated circuits, a sector facing growing demand for ever more sophisticated chips.
on the separation objective. From insights gained through interviews with key technology developers such as Generon and UGS, IDTechEx’s report provides comprehensive market analysis of these technologies, with product benchmarks and case studies. The outlook If these challenges persist, IDTechEx suggests that there may be increased adoption of conservation efforts or helium recycling in semiconductor manufacturing. A major success story in this regard has been in the use of helium for MRI scanners, where modern MRI systems have seen technology improvements introducing closed loop systems to recirculate the helium to avoid helium refills. Apart from the current supply crisis, there have been four pronounced helium shortages over the last 20 or so years, impacting market availability and the price of helium. Hence, industries critically reliant on helium usually have contingency measures in place, such as diverse supply sources to safeguard against short-term disruptions. However, persistent market volatility may drive industries to increasingly diversify their helium supply chains so they are not reliant primarily on one country but take a more balanced approach including Qatar, Russia, and the US. In its report, Helium Market 2025-2035: Applications, Alternatives, and Reclamation , IDTechEx provides key market insights into the production and supply of helium, the major applications, outlook, and trends in how industries are adapting to cope with chronic supply challenges with helium conservation methods (such as reclamation technologies) or adopting substitutes where possible.
from helium storage containers at a rate of ~1% per day according to industry experts, so it is difficult to store or maintain substantial inventory. (It is used for leak testing for that reason.) This means semiconductor fabs (fabrication plants) are reliant on a stable supply. Supply disruptions can slow production, and significant delays can result in facility shutdowns in extreme cases. Fabs like TSMC usually have a few months of inventory and use helium recycling systems, but whether fabs can see through current supply disruptions will depend on how long the disruptions last. If they continue for several months, this will have massive implications for the semiconductor industry, particularly with the growing demand for ever more sophisticated chips for AI and HPC that require sub- 5nm nodes. Additionally, it is important to look at regions where semiconductor manufacturing giants are located. Countries that have diversified their sourcing of helium have a stronger position. For example, Taiwan reportedly sources ~two thirds of its helium from Qatar and the US, and the balance from other sources. On the other hand, South Korea reportedly sourced ~65% of its helium from Qatar in 2025, which leaves local semiconductor manufacturers there vulnerable to supply chain challenges. Thus, players such as Samsung and SK Hynix have reportedly secured long-term supply agreements with players such as Linde and Air Products that source a large share of their helium from the US. Other ways of sourcing helium While helium as a by-product of natural gas is the primary method of helium production, in countries such as the US and Canada, there are geological hotspots where helium concentrations in reserves can be present at concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 10%. This opens opportunities for smaller players to enter the field. IDTechEx reports that low-capex separation systems, such as membrane and PSA technologies, can be used to upgrade and purify the helium acquired from these sources, with players adopting PSA, membrane, or a hybrid PSA + membrane system depending
Reference: [1] https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-report/helium-for- semiconductors/1025
For more information visit: www.IDTechEx.com
32 Electricity + Control JUNE 2026
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