Key Material for Chip Cooling! Helium “Locked” by the Strait of Hormuz; 64.7% of South Korea’s Imports Come from Qatar

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz triggered by the Iran war is directly pushing a raw material supply crisis to the core of the global semiconductor industry chain.

According to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal, three helium production facilities in Qatar have ceased operations, causing about one-third of the global helium supply to disappear from the market. Helium is an indispensable key raw material for wafer cooling in semiconductor manufacturing, and last year, 64.7% of South Korea's total helium imports came from Qatar.

The materialization of supply chain risks, coupled with the fact that international oil prices once surged to $111 per barrel, has led the market to serious concerns about the cost pressure and raw material security capacity of the semiconductor industry.

Analysts pointed out that if the blockade continues, the procurement costs and time pressures that relevant companies face in the mid-term will rise significantly.

Confirmed Helium Shortage and Non-Negligible Potential Risk for Bromine

The impact of helium supply has evolved from a warning stage to an actual reduction. According to a Wall Street Journal report on the 6th, three helium production facilities in Qatar have ceased operations. The American Chemical Society's journal C&EN also pointed out that after the outbreak of war, "one-third of the global helium supply has disappeared from the market," and warned that "if the conflict lasts more than two weeks, the chaotic situation facing helium users may take months to resolve."

Helium is used for wafer cooling in semiconductor manufacturing and is essential in the process. According to the Korea International Trade Association, in 2025, 64.7% of South Korea's helium imports will come from Qatar. With the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar's maritime transportation channel for helium is simultaneously hindered, further increasing the risk of supply chain disruption.

Compared with helium, the supply shock of bromine has not yet entered the "confirmed" stage, but its highly concentrated import sources have also made the industry vigilant. Bromine is used in semiconductor etching processes, and high-purity hydrogen bromide (HBr) is widely used in the polysilicon etching process for DRAM and NAND flash memory manufacturing.

97.5% of South Korea's bromine imports come from Israel, making it one of the 14 semiconductor supply chain items on which Korea's dependence on the Middle East is high. Currently, bromine is still defined as a potential risk factor and, compared to helium, remains in a relatively safe zone. But if the situation further escalates, its vulnerability will be quickly exposed.

Corporate Response: Inventory and Supply Diversification to Buy Buffer Time

Facing supply shocks, South Korean semiconductor companies are relying on early stockpiling and supplier diversification strategies to seek short-term relief. It is reported that SK Hynix not only holds a certain inventory of helium but has also secured new supply channels, largely shielding itself from short-term shocks.

However, mid-term risks are still hard to eliminate. If Qatar's gas production shutdown and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continue, the cost and time burden on companies for procuring key raw materials will keep accumulating. Even if supply is not completely cut off, switching to verified alternative suppliers also takes time.

According to the comprehensive analysis of public brokerage research reports from the 6th to the 9th by the AI investment information platform Epic AI, the Iran conflict is directly impacting the global energy market through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the sharp rise in oil prices, and is causing increased short-term volatility and cost concerns for the semiconductor industry.

Analysts warn that if the conflict becomes prolonged, risks such as delayed data center investment, rising financing costs, and global factory shutdowns remain. As a country highly dependent on energy imports via the Strait of Hormuz, the additional pressures faced by South Korea cannot be underestimated.