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Helium: the invisible gas that powers AI, and why it’s in short supply

Helium: the invisible gas that powers AI, and why it’s in short supply

Science Weekly vor 5 Monaten

Ian Sample hears about the uses of helium, and its fragile supply chain, from co-host Madeleine Finlay and Sophia Hayes, professor of chemistry at Washington University in St Louis

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Alongside the oil and gas stranded in the strait of Hormuz is
another commodity vital to today’s economy: helium. It is a
critical element in all kinds of areas from MRI machines to the
Large Hadron Collider, and even deep-sea diving. It is also
integral to the AI boom. And this isn’t the first time its fragile
global supply chain has been threatened. So why is helium so
useful, and what will happen if the shortage continues? Ian Sample
hears from co-host Madeleine Finlay, and from Sophia Hayes,
professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Help
support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod