As one of the largest helium production clusters in the world, the shutdown of this facility has directly caused a shortage of about 30% of the global helium supply, with the Korean chip industry, which is highly dependent on Qatar's helium imports, bearing the brunt.

The facility was completely shut down on March 2nd due to drone attacks, and Qatar Energy announced on March 4th that it would exempt the existing helium supply contract from related supply obligations due to force majeure factors.

There is currently no clear timetable for the restart of the facility. Helium industry consultant Phil Cohen Bruce warned at an industry online seminar on March 4th that if the shutdown lasts for more than two weeks, industrial gas distributors will be forced to adjust their low-temperature equipment layout and re verify supplier qualifications. Even if Qatar resumes production in the future, this supply chain restructuring process may continue for several months.

South Korea is the most directly impacted economy in this crisis. According to data from the Korea International Trade Association, 64.7% of South Korea's helium imports will come from Qatar in 2025. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, helium is an indispensable cooling medium in the production of silicon wafers, and there is currently no mature and feasible alternative.

Faced with the sudden increase in supply chain risks, the South Korean Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources has launched a special investigation covering 14 semiconductor materials and equipment highly dependent on Middle Eastern sources. Among them, the risk of bromine element used for chip circuit molding is also prominent. 90% of South Korea's bromine imports come from Israel, which is also within the scope of conflict.

At the enterprise level, South Korean storage chip giant SK Hynix stated that it has completed the diversified layout of helium supply ahead of schedule and currently has sufficient inventory; TSMC stated that at this stage, it is expected that the incident will not have a significant impact on the company's operations and is continuously monitoring the development of the situation.

According to the data of Boston Consulting Group and Semiconductor Industry Association, South Korea and Taiwan, China each account for 18% of the global semiconductor production capacity, and the impact of supply chain fluctuations is far greater than that of a single market.

This crisis is highly similar to the global helium and neon shortages caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. The power outage incident in the past had prompted South Korea to accelerate the diversification of key industrial gas supply and local production, but now geopolitical conflicts have once again sounded the alarm for the security of the global semiconductor industry chain.