The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is causing severe shortages of key materials, including helium, aluminum, and liquefied natural gas (LNG), due to halted shipments and production facility attacks. These shortages are creating significant supply chain challenges for the semiconductor manufacturing and AI data center industries, which rely on these materials for production and energy.
With sea mines deployed and no clear reopening timeline, the prolonged closure threatens the global economy. The disruption extends beyond oil, impacting global shipping logistics and causing price surges for critical commodities.
The main topics covered are the blockade's impact on specific material supplies (helium, aluminum, LNG, copper), the consequent risks to high-tech industries (semiconductors and AI), and the broader implications for global trade and the economy.
The ongoing Strait of Hormuz blockage will impact the semiconductor and AI industries with Aluminum, Helium and LNG shortages — and with no timeline for re-opening, supply chains face significant challenges
If you can't make the chips and you can't run the turbines, you can't run an industry.
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With the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded as part of the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, a number of shortages beyond gasoline are brewing: Helium, aluminum, and liquid natural gas (LNG) are all in increasingly short supply. This bottleneck could hit a wide range of industries, including chip manufacturing and data centers, as they are key components of day-to-day operation.
And with Iran now confirmed to have released sea mines into the Strait, its closure looks set to continue for a few more weeks, posing a grave threat to many global industries and the global economy in turn.
More than just oil
The first and most immediate impact of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz was that oil prices went parabolic. With around 25% of the global shipbound-oil trade passing through the Strait, cutting it off from the global economy sent everyone scurrying for other sources, raising prices.
Article continues belowBut the Strait isn't just a transit route for oil tankers; some 11% of global seaborne trade by volume passes through it each year. Ships that transit the waterway are responsible for 20% of the global LNG market - the same gas that powers much of the world's energy infrastructure.
The Middle East is one of the world's largest exporters of refined aluminum, importing the unwrought material before processing and shipping it out. The Middle East is responsible for around 9% of global aluminum smelting capacity, states Reuters. And some regional suppliers have announced incoming shortages. Others have simply shut down refineries while the conflict is ongoing, but they will be hard to start back up again.
Copper is also impacted, partly because it flowed through the Strait and partly because Iran was a major producer. Copper was already in short supply because of explosive demand following the AI data center buildout announcements made in 2025.
The helium supply has been impacted by the war as well. Drone strikes knocked out QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan complex over a week ago, and it still hasn't come back online. Sherwood reports that Qatar alone is responsible for around 30% of global helium production, as a byproduct of its LNG production. With that supply no longer getting out, producers are shutting down their wells, which in turn cuts out helium supply lines.
And to top it all off, even shipping containers are in short supply. As ships get stuck waiting at the Strait for a chance to transit, they're not reaching their destinations and unloading their containers. The just-in-time nature of the global shipping industry means those containers now aren't available to ship something else back the other way, causing further disruption.
Why these materials matter
For some of the supply shortages caused by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, the reason for concern is obvious. Oil is needed for petro-chemicals, so a shortage drives up prices at the fuel pump, but also of just about everything else. One third of China's total LNG use comes from the Strait, according to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Although some materials are a little harder to quantify, their impact is no less dramatic. And they could have an outsized impact on the chip and AI data center industries.
LNG is used to produce energy via gas turbines, and is of major import for powering industries in Asia, including China and Taiwan. But it's also been used heavily to run new AI data centers such as those run by xAI and OpenAI. CNBC reports that European LNG prices have already risen by over 60%. As prices for gas rise, energy prices will, in turn, and that will make running these AI data centers more expensive.
Helium is incredibly important for chip production. As a chemically inert gas, Helium is used as a blanket and purge gas when producing silicon wafers. Its high thermal conductivity makes it a useful coolant when liquified, too. It's important for manufacturing the chips, as well. If the shortage lasts more than two weeks, then it could pose significant challenges.
South Korean firms like Samsung and SK hynix are said to be closely monitoring the situation, as any long-term disruption could impact the supply of memory. That's about the last thing the already-constrained industry needs. TSMC in Taiwan could also be impacted, although some Taiwanese companies claim to hold years worth of Helium in reserve.
Closed for the forseeable
With no clear way to open the strait, no timeline for when efforts to do so might even start, and no suggestion that any of the parties involved want to even begin the process, the Strait looks set to be closed for the foreseeable future. That means global trade disruption will worsen, and associated supply chain problems will mount.
If you have been holding out to upgrade something when prices for memory or anything else besides might return to normal, you might be waiting a very long time.
Jon Martindale is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. For the past 20 years, he's been writing about PC components, emerging technologies, and the latest software advances. His deep and broad journalistic experience gives him unique insights into the most exciting technology trends of today and tomorrow.
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