According to South Korean lawmaker Kim Young-bae, who recently met with representatives of the semiconductor industry, a prolonged conflict could limit access to certain raw materials used in chip production. Among them is helium, which is used to control temperatures during semiconductor manufacturing processes. “Officials raised a possibility that semiconductor production could be disrupted if some of these key materials cannot be sourced from the Middle East,” Kim said during a briefing with journalists.
Helium is particularly critical for the industry because there are currently no viable technological substitutes, and its production is concentrated in only a few countries – including Qatar. If supplies from the Persian Gulf region were disrupted, it could lead to production challenges and higher costs across the entire semiconductor sector.
The crisis comes at a time when chipmakers are already dealing with strained supply chains. Rising demand for memory chips – driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence and the construction of new data centers – is already causing shortages in other sectors, including smartphones, computers, and automotive manufacturing.
Industry representatives stress, however, that the situation does not necessarily mean immediate disruptions to production. Memory manufacturer SK Hynix stated that it has long diversified its supply chains and maintains sufficient helium reserves, meaning the direct risk to its operations remains limited. Samsung Electronics declined to comment, while other companies – including TSMC and GlobalFoundries – say they are monitoring the situation and preparing contingency plans.
The conflict may also affect plans to build AI data centers in the Middle East, an important market for semiconductor manufacturers. In recent years, the region has been developed by major technology companies as a computing hub for artificial intelligence. However, recent drone strikes that damaged data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have raised questions about the pace of further expansion of technology infrastructure in the region.
For South Korea – which accounts for roughly two-thirds of global DRAM and NAND memory production – stable supplies of materials and the continued development of AI infrastructure worldwide are critical. Industry analysts warn that a prolonged conflict could therefore affect both semiconductor production and future demand for chips used in data centers.