GIGADEVICE (03986) rose nearly 6% during the trading session. At the time of writing, the stock was up 3.22%, trading at HK$37.16, with a turnover of HK$240 million. On the news front, market reports indicate that as shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz escalate, supply chains for key raw materials such as helium have begun to fluctuate. Helium, a core industrial gas required for semiconductor manufacturing, is primarily extracted from liquefied natural gas (LNG). To mitigate expanding risks, major South Korean chipmakers like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have conducted comprehensive reviews of their helium inventory levels. An executive from Seagate stated that if helium supply disruptions persist for several weeks or more, chip manufacturers may be forced to allocate more production capacity to AI memory, thereby exacerbating the already severe shortage of general-purpose memory (DRAM). Recent research has pointed out that production halts at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG project have disrupted approximately one-third of global helium output. Helium is a critical material in the chip production chain, and currently, there are no readily available substitutes.
Comments