Overview
- China announced a temporary, immediate ban on helium exports on July 10 to prioritise domestic semiconductor makers.
- Moscow put its own export controls on helium on April 14 that require government approval for shipments outside the Eurasian Economic Union and will run through the end of 2027.
- Global supply was already strained after damage to Qatar production and shipping bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz reduced available volumes.
- Helium is irreplaceable for key chip processes such as wafer cooling, plasma etching, chemical vapour deposition and leak detection so shortages can slow fab output and delay AI hardware rollouts.
- Analysts say China produces only a small share of helium but acts as an intermediary for some imports and re‑exports, so the ban raises uncertainty about which fabs and medical suppliers will face the most acute shortages and where prices will rise next.