Marketplace Tech Middle East tensions are putting tech supply chains under pressure
7 snips
Apr 30, 2026 
Jeff Janukowicz, an IDC analyst focused on semiconductors and supply chains, explains how regional conflict has squeezed key materials. He discusses soaring helium prices and their ripple effects on chips and medical gear. He covers resin and circuit board plastic shortages, AI-driven demand pressures, and how manufacturers are responding.
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Middle East Damage Is Pushing Up Helium Prices
- Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East is driving raw material price spikes that ripple into semiconductor production.
- Jeff Janukowicz cites Qatar facility damage that pushed helium prices 50–100% and affects core chip manufacturing gases and chemicals.
Multiple Specialty Chemicals Are Now Costly
- Shortages and price increases extend beyond helium to other chemicals used in semiconductors like bromine, tungsten, and hydrofluoride.
- Janukowicz links these chemicals to resins and photomasks critical in chip production, driving input-cost inflation.
PCB Resins Are Tightening Consumer Electronics Supply
- Printed circuit board resins are in short supply, constraining the components that go into phones, PCs, and other devices.
- Janukowicz warns these resin shortages raise prices and complicate manufacturers' supply-chain planning.