The disruption to the shipping of specialty materials, such as helium, through the Strait of Hormuz is leading to a critical risk to the global technology supply chain and presents an immediate threat to semiconductor supply and AI infrastructure, says business and market information company GlobalData.

The disruption is affecting shipping and logistics routes that underpin access to noble gases and other specialty industrial inputs needed for advanced chip manufacturing and AI computing.

Limited substitutes, minimal stockpiling and concentrated supply heighten the risk of a severe shock, GlobalData notes.

“Semiconductor fabrication, memory production and high-performance computing rely on stable flows of noble gases. If impaired, the effects can be faster and more difficult to manage than an oil price spike,” says GlobalData companies and economic research director Ramnivas Mundada.

Qatar produces about 30% of global helium, according to the US Geological Survey, thereby anchoring worldwide availability. With the Strait of Hormuz functionally impaired, nearly one-third of global supply is effectively offline, raising concerns over lead times, allocation and price volatility.

Semiconductor fabricators are highly exposed because process stability and tool uptime depend on helium. With few substitutes, disruptions quickly impact procurement, production scheduling and end-market supply.

Helium, which is an inert noble gas essential for thermal management, leak detection and several semiconductor manufacturing steps, has become a critical vulnerability owing to scarcity, complex purification, and limited ability to ramp up alternative supply quickly, he says.

Further, the helium risk is amplified by memory-market structure. Electronics companies Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix produce about two-thirds of global memory, which makes the electronics ecosystem dependent on a few high-capacity fabricators.

As memory underpins consumer devices, enterprise computing and AI servers, any supply tightening quickly affects pricing, procurement and inventory cycles.

Memory production also requires steady supplies of specialty gases, ultrahigh-purity materials and tight thermal control, and even a temporary helium shortage can force producers to prioritise product lines, slow capacity ramps, and extend maintenance and qualification, GlobalData states.

Further, the key knock-on effects could include higher DRAM and NAND pricing, especially server-grade; volatile original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) procurement for smartphones, personal computers and storage; delayed node transitions and product qualification, hurting roadmaps; and longer AI server build lead times, given memory’s role in graphic-processing unit platforms.

However, the implications extend beyond semiconductors because US hyperscalers and AI platform firms, including Amazon, Microsoft and Nvidia, have positioned the United Arab Emirates as a strategic AI computing hub, aligned with sovereign AI, national digital transformation and large-scale computing ambitions.

“Helium-driven chip delays, especially in memory, could extend lead times, delaying clusters and AI rollouts. Even secured procurement can slip amid infrastructure delays,” says Mundada.

Helium and other specialty inputs lack the buffers of diversified global supply, strategic reserves and flexible rerouting or substitution that oil has.

Additionally, the risks are amplified by highly concentrated production in a few regions, namely specialised processing with little redundant purification capacity; logistics or handling constraints requiring dedicated containers and safety protocols; limited substitutes for semiconductor and cryogenic uses; and long qualification cycles for new sources in regulated fabricators.

GlobalData expects an immediate impact from disruptions to helium supply, in the form of price increases, tighter allocations and intensified competition for secure deliveries.

However, over the medium term, the disruption is likely to accelerate corporate moves toward resilience, including supplier diversification and reduced dependence on a single region; longer-term offtake agreements with non-Gulf producers; investment in helium recovery and recycling in fabricators and facilities; deeper supply-chain transparency beyond Tier 1 vendors; and greater scrutiny of sovereign AI execution risk, with contingency planning.

Many of these mitigation efforts require capital expenditure and time, it points out.

In terms of immediate responses, GlobalData recommends that semiconductor manufacturers, hyperscalers and downstream OEMs prioritise resilience actions, including mapping direct and indirect exposure to Gulf-sourced helium and specialty gases, and stress-testing fab and supplier continuity plans under constrained gas allocation scenarios.

It also recommends that companies secure secondary logistics routes and contingency suppliers where available; evaluate helium recovery systems and process optimisation to reduce consumption intensity; and coordinate with gas vendors to ensure cylinder availability, delivery scheduling, and priority allocation.

“Technology leaders should treat helium and other specialty inputs as strategic resources, not routine consumables. Companies that quantify their exposure early and act decisively will be better positioned to protect production continuity, manage costs and keep AI infrastructure timelines on track,” says Mundada.