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Taiwan's chipmakers walked into the 2026 helium supply shock more exposed to Qatar than any other major buyer, sourcing nearly 88% of their rare-gas imports from the Gulf state in 2025, up from 46% four years earlier. With war disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, that concentration leaves fabs vulnerable and the outlook uncertain.

Roundup: Helium takes Redondo Beach, Synaptics acquired by Onsemi, ambient power wireless coming of age June 26, 2026 | WEEKLY NEWS BRIEF | by Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman Synaptics acquired by Onsemi Onsemi and Synaptics Incorporated — two Nasdaq-listed companies — have announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Ons

Global helium supply is under renewed strain. Nippon Sanso, Japan's largest industrial gas supplier, announced it will raise prices across its helium product line by an average of more than 30% starting July 2026, citing persistent tightness in global supply driven in part by rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

Industrial gas manufacturer Nippon Sanso Holdings announced it will raise prices for all helium products in the Japanese market starting in July 2026, with an average price increase of more than 30%. Affected products include helium used in key applications such as semiconductor front-end process wafer cooling and medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. The move is mainly driven by geo

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Oil has been in the news since the start of the Iran war, but it's not the only natural resource facing disruptions. Qatar provides about a third of the global helium supply, and on Feb. 28, Iranian drone strikes hit QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan Industrial facility, one of only two in the world capable of producing semiconductor-grade helium.Although it appears the U.S. and Iran may be close to a peac