Now There's a Helium Shortage and It Affects More Than Balloons

Helium powers key technologies far beyond party balloons, as explained by Nick Snyder, CEO of North American Helium, in this Odd Lots episode. Amid disruptions to major suppliers like Qatar, the discussion covers helium's unique chemistry, supply challenges, and growing industrial demands.

Unique Properties and Critical Uses

Helium stands out due to four traits: the lowest boiling point of any substance (4 Kelvin, or about -269°C), the smallest atomic size, complete non-reactivity, and superior heat conduction. Liquid helium enables superconductivity for MRI and NMR machines used in drug discovery. In semiconductors, it serves as a carrier gas in lithography—where vapor deposition requires a small, heat-dissipating, inert molecule—and cools wafer backsides; leading-edge chips now use up to 10 times more per unit than older ones, with helium demand doubling silicon growth. Rockets rely on it to pressurize liquid fuels like oxygen or kerosene, as it stays gaseous and non-reactive at cryogenic temperatures. Other roles include leak detection in batteries and machinery, fiber optic production, titanium manufacturing, and deep-sea diving mixes to prevent nitrogen narcosis (its heat conduction requires heated habitats). These multi-attribute uses limit substitutes.