Critical for AI
It’s critical for lithography, the process that makes all of the magical chips that make the modern world function.
At least some positive news! Fuck AI
If you read the article, it isn’t about AI.
It’s used to cool lithography machines which produce all CPUs, GPUs, RAM, etc. The entire world of electronics is built on the output of these lithography machines.
The headline may as well say “Iran War Chokes Off Helium Supply Critical for Skibidi Toilet memes” Helium isn’t used in AI datacenters, it has nothing to do with AI outside of the fact that every processor is made using lithography.
What a dishonest headline…
It wasn’t technically wrong, but it was deliberately misleading…
Also, I’m so glad I bought my hardware when I did…
So it’s going to be rerouted from the MRIs I take it…
AI comes first alphabetically. Sorry!
Can I remind everyone that it is impossible to produce helium in a practical way?
It is literally only produced through a fusion reaction, and that happens in stars and in incredibly tiny quantities in fusion reactors.
Whenever it’s released, it basically just floats away into space and is lost forever.
It’s also produced (slowly) through radioactive decay underground where it becomes trapped with other gasses. That’s the reserve we’ve been working with.
Can I remind everyone that it is impossible to produce helium in a practical way?
Sun has been doing it for millions of years and it’s a big dumb ball of energy.
Is it practical? No. Is it producing any Helium right now? No. Is it probably just a big investor scam? Sure. But still more practical than trying to conquer Iran.
That doesn’t actually sound like they intend on producing usable helium though. That sounds like they intend on doing a really difficult and expensive fusion reaction to produce helium 3, which they will then use in a cheaper and easier to do fusion reaction, and the end result of all of that should be electricity and no net new helium since it’s expensive and rare AF and they need it all to make the whole process remotely plausibly profitable.
Unfortunately it’s also critical for MRIs.
Yeah, what a crazy headline that AI was the thing mentioned and not 1 of the many other real life uses that offer greater solutions to us.
Because clickbaiting the ‘AI bad’ people is worth more advertising money than actually examining the effects of a helium shortage.
If only I could believe that’s because MRIs are more important so their supply isn’t in jeopardy.
Maybe we’ll get lucky, and by the time the helium supply is restored, we’ve done away with the shitty not-really-AI craze, saving more helium for things of use to humanity.
Okay, but do you really think we’re going to prioritize the enormous loss-leading CSAM engines over lifesaving medical diagnostics machines?
I trust our leaders to make the right decisions. Just a small bump in the road or two lately, that’s all.
Thanks for reminding me of the date
Oh, I’ll be damned. Didn’t even dawn on me.
Yes, yes we are.
My understanding is that MRIs don’t consume helium, in the same way air conditioning units don’t consume refrigerant, so helium is only needed for making new MRI machines.
It’s not like its really used on AI inference, but it’s used in high grade semiconductor manufacturing. so helium shortage will hit anything with a modern semiconductors in it. So it’s not “whatever”.
Have you missed what all the fucking semiconductors are being bought up for the past year or so?
It’s not “whatever”, it’s “anyway” /jk
Also used in MRI machines and semiconductor manufacturing. Probably some other important stuff as well.
Birthday balloons and funny voices.
