Strategically positioned in the helium market
The platformBased in Switzerland. Focused on North America.
Standard Helium is a Swiss industrial holding company. We invest in selected helium resources and infrastructure in North America and support their focused development. We understand industrial customers’ requirements for specification, volume, form of delivery and continuity of supply, and consider them in every investment decision. We deploy capital for the long term and according to clear, shared standards.
Even the most advanced technology depends on a physical foundation. More powerful AI requires more powerful chips; manufacturing those chips requires high-purity process gases, including helium. Our aim is a sovereign supply of primary helium for the age of artificial intelligence and its supporting infrastructure.
Helium can’t be manufactured, so we are buying the source.
Karl NagyCEO, Standard Helium AG
Corporate governanceFrom microchips and medical imaging to space flight, helium performs essential functions under demanding physical conditions. Our mandate is to make the long-term supply of this resource more predictable.
A resource for critical applications
Helium makes extreme physical conditions manageable: temperatures close to absolute zero, controlled environments in precision processes, and dependable pressure and leak testing. Its chemical inertness makes it suitable for sensitive applications with minimal tolerance for variation.12
Semiconductor manufacturing
In semiconductor fabrication plants, helium removes heat, supports controlled process conditions and detects minute leaks in vacuum and gas-supply systems. It therefore performs important functions at several stages of semiconductor manufacturing.1
Medical technology
Many MRI systems generate their magnetic field using superconducting magnets. Liquid helium keeps these systems at operating temperature, enabling medical imaging.3
Space flight
Rocket systems use helium to pressurize tanks, purge lines and test systems for leaks. Its chemical inertness is a significant technical advantage in these applications.4
Research and emerging technologies
Helium-based cooling systems enable temperatures close to absolute zero. They underpin advanced low-temperature research, including quantum applications.5
Rising demand. Concentrated supply.
Investment in technology is broadening the industrial demand base, while helium production remains concentrated in a small number of countries.6 Our investment strategy reflects this market structure: additional sources of production in North America would bring supply closer to major industrial customers and place new capacity within a dependable legal and infrastructure framework.
Four functions connect a resource with its customer
- 01
Production
Robust data on gas composition, pressure and production performance indicate what a site may be capable of delivering.7
- 02
Processing
Gas separation and purification bring helium to the required specification.
- 03
Delivery routes
Compression or liquefaction creates the required product form. Transport and the circulation of containers secure its route to the customer.
- 04
Customers
Industrial applications impose specific requirements for product specification, volume, form of delivery and continuity of supply.
The foundations of a robust helium platform
Four foundations turn a resource into a robust industrial system.
Existing production
Operating data on gas composition, production performance and plant operation provide a traceable basis for assessment. They enable capital to be directed toward the industrial development of producing sites.7
Primary helium
We use “primary helium” to describe helium from resources developed principally for their helium content. The helium market therefore provides the economic basis for their development and production. We assess the geological and operating risks of each site individually.2
How we select opportunities
We assess whether an opportunity fits the platform by examining its industrial substance, the robustness of its valuation, the security of access and the clarity of its integration route.
Where geology and industry meet
North America combines helium-bearing geology, experienced operators, industrial infrastructure and major customer markets. We focus our investments in this environment, support the development of suitable resources and bring the required parts of the supply chain together into one platform.
North AmericaMarket signals
In Insights, we examine developments that could materially change available volumes, supply routes or the time required to bring new capacity on stream.
The Helium Letter
The letter is published once a month and provides context on developments in the helium market.
Developments in production, delivery routes and availability.