Drone strikes attributed to Iran forced the shutdown of QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan industrial complex on March 2, 2026. The facility produces approximately 30-35% of the world’s helium supply. QatarEnergy declared force majeure on March 4, relieving the state-owned firm of contractual delivery obligations.
The semiconductor industry faces high vulnerability because helium is essential for cooling silicon wafers. Major chipmakers including TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix are currently monitoring inventory levels. South Korea is particularly exposed, having sourced nearly 65% of its helium from Qatar in 2025.
No viable substitutes exist for helium in several critical manufacturing applications. Experts warn that an outage lasting beyond a few weeks will trigger significant production disruptions. The supply gap is expected to cause sharp price surges across the global market.