China temporarily bans helium exports as US-Iran tensions flare again

Published Updated

China has announced a temporary export ban on helium, effective immediately, as resumption of military conflict in the Middle East threatens to trigger new shortages of the gas critical for chip manufacturing, Reuters reports.

Earlier in the year, the war led to helium shortages, disrupting companies globally, including in China, where the AI industry increasingly relies on domestic chips for training and running AI models.

Helium is essential for heat management in semiconductor production.

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