헬륨은 대체하기 어렵다

Unlike most industrial commodities, helium has no viable substitutes for critical applications in semiconductors (EUV lithography), medical imaging (MRI), and scientific research—making supply disruptions impossible to work around. Recent geopolitical tensions reveal the fragility of current supply chains: Qatar alone produces roughly one-third of global helium, and extraction is inseparably tied to natural gas drilling. As demand surges particularly in advanced chip manufacturing, helium scarcity could become a genuine bottleneck for technological progress and innovation.