On March 13, the storage chip concept rebounded, with one of the leading stocks, TWSC, hitting the daily limit and continuing to set new historical highs. By the close of the midday session, TWSC surged 8.14%, with stocks such as Silergy Corp, Daway Co., Jiangbolong, and Baiwei Storage also rising.
On the news front, a warning from Seagate's Chief Business Officer Ban Seng Teh ignited market sentiment. He stated that if the helium supply disruption lasts for more than a few weeks, it could force chip manufacturers to allocate more capacity to artificial intelligence memory, exacerbating the already severe memory shortage issue.
Behind the tight helium supply is the escalating situation in the Middle East. According to CCTV News, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first statement since taking office on the 12th, saying that Iran will not give up on revenge and will continue to adopt strategic measures, including blocking the Strait of Hormuz, and will open new fronts if necessary, calling on neighboring countries to close U.S. military bases as soon as possible.
Little known is that helium is irreplaceable in the semiconductor manufacturing process. As the element with the lowest known boiling point, helium has properties such as low density, low solubility, low surface tension, and strong thermal conductivity. Due to its chemical stability, good permeability, and low temperature after liquefaction, helium is widely used in medical, electronic manufacturing, and high-end material welding fields.
However, from a global supply perspective, helium supply is highly concentrated and grows slowly. Public data shows that helium constitutes only about 5.2 ppmv in the air, and most is collected as a byproduct of natural gas extraction, with resources relatively limited and non-renewable worldwide.
Moreover, helium resources are unevenly distributed globally, with production concentrated in a few countries like the United States and Qatar, which accounted for 47.5% and 38.0% of global production capacity in 2022, respectively. In recent years, global helium production has remained around 160-170 million cubic meters annually, with limited increments and tight supply.
Affected by the U.S.-Iran conflict, Qatar's Ras Laffan plant, the world's largest liquefied natural gas export facility, has seen no loading ships leave port for five consecutive days, marking the longest interruption since data recording began in 2008.
Huaxin Securities pointed out that helium is a byproduct of natural gas, and Qatar is a core country for global helium supply and a key supplier for China. In the previous round of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, helium was also the most price-elastic commodity among oil and gas resources. Even if the Strait of Hormuz resumes navigation, helium will still face a global shortage of at least 2-3 months.
Galaxy Futures stated that the &#34;lockdown&#34; of helium in the Strait of Hormuz is an important raw material for chip cooling, and three helium production facilities in Qatar have ceased operations, with about one-third of global helium supply disappearing from the market. Helium is an essential raw material for cooling semiconductor wafers, and last year, 64.7% of South Korea's helium imports came from Qatar.
According to media reports, major South Korean chip companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have conducted comprehensive checks on their helium inventory status to avoid expanding risks. Industry insiders in South Korea pointed out that finding alternative helium supplies in the short term is not easy, and the expensive U.S. natural gas may become an alternative option
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On March 13th, storage chip concept stocks were active, with TWSC's stock price reaching a historic high, up 8.14%. Global storage giant Seagate Tech warned that disruptions in helium supply could exacerbate memory shortages. Helium is essential in semiconductor manufacturing, and global supply is concentrated in a few countries, affected by the situation in the Middle East, leading to tight supply. Qatar's liquefied natural gas export plants have had no loading ships leaving port for five consecutive days, impacting helium supply

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The "breath-cutting" crisis ignites the storage chip sector, concept stocks are active against the market trend, and TWSC hits a historical high