Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Warned Helium Could Choke AI Chips in June, and China's Export ...

China has imposed a blanket export ban on helium, a critical gas used in semiconductor fabrication for cooling, etching, and EUV lithography. Though China represents only 1.6% of global helium production, the ban signals potential supply tightness at a moment when chip demand is elevated by AI buildout and Middle East tensions threaten alternative supplies from Qatar and Russia.

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