Drone strikes shutter Qatari helium hub supplying 33% of global production

Drone strikes shuttered a Qatari helium production facility that supplies approximately 33% of global production, disrupting supply chains for semiconductor manufacturing, medical imaging, and scientific research. Helium is a critical industrial gas with no synthetic substitute. The semiconductor industry uses ultra-pure helium in chip fabrication processes. Medical facilities depend on liquid helium to cool MRI magnets. The disruption is expected to cause price spikes and supply shortages that could last months as alternative production facilities attempt to increase output.