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Issue No. 10 | September 21, 2026
THE BROOK REPORT
Market intelligence on Helium, Helium-3, & Cryogenic Technology
A weekly report on trends shaping our industry
CURATED NEWS FOR ALL THINGS HELIUM
⭐️ Brook's Pick of the Week
China's GGAS is buying more helium from North America and Europe and drawing strategic liquid-helium reserves as disruptions threaten supplies to semiconductor and advanced-display manufacturers.
China's response to this year's helium disruption is becoming much clearer. GGAS says Middle East instability and overseas export restrictions have caused significant volatility in global helium supply, prompting the company to increase purchases from North America and Europe while releasing strategic liquid-helium inventories to protect critical domestic customers. GGAS says global helium supply has still not returned to normal.
This appears to be more than a temporary purchasing response. GGAS has built a geographically diversified supply network spanning the Middle East, North America, and Europe, invested in nearly 100 liquid-helium ISO containers, and established helium filling, storage, recovery, and purification facilities in Shanghai, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. Its share of China's helium imports continued to increase during the first half of 2026.
At the same time, GGAS and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are advancing China's first deep-underground small-molecule storage project—the proposed “Helium Bank.” Taken together, China appears to be pursuing a three-part strategy: diversifying foreign supply, maintaining strategic inventories, and developing large-scale domestic storage.
THE BROOK REPORT believes China's response to the current shortage may permanently alter international helium trade flows, particularly as semiconductor manufacturing becomes an increasingly important source of Chinese helium demand.
Jinhong Gas confirms that its strategic helium agreement with a leading Chinese advanced-memory manufacturer has progressed to regular deliveries, providing direct evidence of semiconductor-driven helium demand in China.
Air Products will invest $250 million in Arizona infrastructure for a major semiconductor manufacturer, including bulk helium systems supporting expanded chip manufacturing and advanced packaging operations.
Colorado prosecutors allege two men raised $4.8 million from roughly 90 investors for helium and hydrocarbon projects but failed to drill promised wells or build a helium plant. Sometimes, a complete failure of due diligence means your capital doesn’t just lose value—it literally floats away
Tokamak Energy completed roughly 10,000 operating hours on its Demo4 superconducting magnet system, testing 44 HTS coils with pressurized-helium cooling under temperatures and magnetic fields relevant to fusion.
The proposed SHOQ device uses superfluid helium to create a qubit potentially resistant to electromagnetic noise, with calculated error rates about 100 times lower than those of conventional superconducting qubits.
Poland remains Europe's principal indigenous helium producer, while France's 45-8 Energy advances new helium discoveries and drilling as Europe seeks to reduce its heavy dependence on imported helium supply.
Airship developers have repeatedly announced ambitious aircraft, customer, and commercial plans, yet many programs never reached sustained operation, raising questions about whether proposed fleets should count as significant future helium demand.