Helium Is Running Low — and That's a Bigger Problem Than You Think

Most people think of helium as the gas that makes balloons float. But helium is also one of the most important resources on Earth. It is used to make smartphones, laptops, MRI machines, missiles, and computer chips. Since a war broke out between the United States and Iran, the global supply of helium has dropped sharply, and prices have tripled.

The trouble began in February, when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway in the Middle East. That move trapped about one-third of the world's helium supply, because ships carrying the gas could not pass through. Then, Iranian missiles struck Ras Laffan, a huge natural gas facility in Qatar and one of the world's top sources of helium. The attack sent shockwaves through the entire helium supply chain.

At the University of Chicago, scientist Joe Sachleben uses helium to power large research machines called nuclear magnetic resonance machines. These machines help develop treatments for diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Helium keeps the machines' magnets cooled to 452 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and there is no other substance that can do the job. 'Nothing else boils that low,' Sachleben said.

After the Qatar attack, Sachleben's helium supplier cut his lab's supply in half through a process called rationing. He had to decide which machines to keep running and which ones to shut down. A second supplier helped for a while, but recently warned him it was almost out of helium. His life-saving research is now in jeopardy.

The shortage is hurting more than just research labs. About one-fifth of all helium used in the world goes to making semiconductors, the tiny chips found in nearly every piece of modern technology. Near Minneapolis, a company called Polar Semiconductors makes chips for cars, the military, and large data centers. Its president, Surya Iyer, said that nearly half of the factory's machines use helium in some way.

Iyer said hundreds of steps in the chip-making process depend on helium to keep things clean and stable. Without it, his entire factory would have to shut down. The shortage comes at the worst possible time, because Polar was planning to double chip production to meet growing demand from AI data centers and electric vehicles. 'Without helium, none of these things happen,' Iyer said.

The United States produces a lot of helium, mostly from one facility in Wyoming, and exports have jumped 70% since the war began. But experts warn the U.S. cannot fill the global gap forever. In Minnesota, a startup called the Topaz Project is drilling for new helium sources, but company president Cliff Cain says it will take years before any new supply reaches the market. 'It's not gonna help us next month,' Cain admitted.

Cain has briefed Pentagon officials about the danger of having too few helium sources in the world. He warned that the U.S. cannot build the weapons it needs — missiles, electronics, fiber optics — without helium. Rich Brooke, a former executive at a major helium company, confirmed that spot prices have already tripled and could go even higher. The world's helium storage caverns, located underground in the U.S. and Germany, are being emptied fast.

Qatar has said it will take at least three years to fully repair the damaged Ras Laffan facility. Satellite images taken shortly after the Iranian strikes showed signs of damage and evidence that equipment had been hosed down. The Qatari government has refused to share details about how bad the damage really is. That silence makes it nearly impossible to know when the shortage might ease.

Seven months into the war, nearly two dozen ships have been attacked trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. No helium shipments are leaving Qatar. From hospital labs to chip factories to the military, the world is being forced to confront how much it depends on this invisible, irreplaceable gas.