The US Department of Energy (DOE) has designated helium a critical material, one that is vital to the manufacture of semiconductors and other advanced tech.

The US has been looking for ways to end, or at least lessen, its dependence on foreign minerals and materials for advanced tech. Semiconductors and EV batteries, in particular, are heavily dependent on materials that largely come from China. Given the ongoing trade and political tensions between the US and China, the Trump Administration is trying to lessen that dependence. Helium, which is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing, is now part of that effort.

“President Trump is bringing back America’s manufacturing industry, and that means making sure we have the materials needed to build things in America again,” said US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright . “Helium is essential to producing the semiconductors and advanced technologies that power our economy.…