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The ongoing war in the Middle East could hamper the supply of key materials, such as helium and bromine, essential for semiconductor manufacturing, and thus significantly impact the AI boom currently driving unprecedented demand for compute and memory chips.中东地区持续的战争可能会阻碍氦、溴等半导体制造所需关键材料的供应，从而对当前推动计算芯片和存储芯片需求创历史新高的人工智能产业热潮产生重大影响。

South Korea’s industry ministry has identified 14 items in chip supply chains, including helium and bromine, that are facing severe exposure due to the war in the Middle East. South Korea, home to the world’s largest memory chipmaking duo, is a crucial player in the global semiconductor market, given that Samsung and SK Hynix account for 70% of the DRAM market and 80% of the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market.韩国产业部已确定芯片供应链中的14种物资，包括氦气和溴素，这些物资因中东局势面临严重供应风险。作为全球最大的两家存储芯片制造商的所在地，韩国在全球半导体市场中占据关键地位——三星和SK海力士占据了70%的DRAM市场份额以及80%的高带宽内存（HBM）市场份额。

“For now, the impact appears to be limited,” Ray Wang, memory analyst at SemiAnalysis, told CNBC. “A prolonged regional conflict could potentially disrupt chipmakers’ manufacturing operations regarding sourcing materials like helium and bromine.”“目前来看，其影响似乎有限，”SemiAnalysis 的内存分析师雷·王（Ray Wang）接受美国消费者新闻与商业频道（CNBC）采访时表示。“但一场旷日持久的地区冲突，可能会扰乱芯片制造商在氦气、溴等原材料采购方面的生产运营。”

In a way, this semiconductor materials crunch is reminiscent of the 2022 shortage of helium and neon triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the scale and scope of this supply chain hiccup could far outweigh semiconductor-centric materials shortages resulting from the war in Ukraine.