Tom Essaye breaks down how Middle East disruptions have tightened global helium supplies and pushed prices higher. He explains why the shortage isn’t likely to meaningfully move CPI or core PCE, but could raise costs for semiconductor and memory production at a time when AI infrastructure is already getting more expensive. With helium critical to chip fabrication, prolonged shortages could reduce production, drive memory prices higher and add even more pressure to AI CapEx for OpenAI, Anthropic and hyperscalers.