US Department of Energy designates helium a critical material for chipmaking
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
The state is starting to protect small but irreplaceable links in the chipmaking chain.
The US Department of Energy gave helium the status of a critical material, the 20th on its list. The status opens the way to additional federal financing for helium producers and strengthens government monitoring. Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson called helium a component that could become a "single point of failure" for semiconductors. According to Fortune, supply is disrupted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which sharply cut exports from Qatar, and Russia introduced temporary export restrictions in April. In 2025 the US produced 81 million cubic meters of helium, 43% of global supply, and exported 38 million cubic meters.
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