Bloomberg: The war in Iran has led to a helium shortage, threatening healthcare, chip production, and AI development plans.
The war in Iran has hit global medicine and AI, Bloomberg reports.
According to the agency, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the halt in LNG production in Qatar have put helium supplies, a gas essential for a number of key technologies, at risk.
Helium is critical for MRI scanners, semiconductor manufacturing, and some industrial processes. According to industry data, the shutdown of Qatari facilities has cut off approximately a third of global helium production. Meanwhile, filled containers of helium are stuck in the Middle East, unable to reach the market.
The problem is that helium has virtually no substitute in chip production. If the disruptions persist, semiconductor manufacturers may begin to reallocate resources between product lines, which will impact the memory market and other electronics segments.
In the longer term, the shortage could also affect the plans of AI companies: without sufficient chip supplies, all plans to build data centers will be disrupted, which in turn could lead to the bursting of the AI bubble and the collapse of the American economy, according to the influential American investment firm Baron Investments.
