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[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 120 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 105 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] fullsquare@awful.systems 29 points 1 month ago

The one we can mine is drawn off together with natural gas, and was produced over geological timescales as product of alpha decay of uranium

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

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.

Incidentally...

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.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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.

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[-] brianary@lemmy.zip 57 points 1 month ago

Never mind AI, MRIs are more important.

At least we have the US Helium Res— dammit, Biden!

The U.S. just sold its helium stockpile. Here’s why the medical world is worried

[-] BanMe@lemmy.world 29 points 1 month ago

Dammit, Obama maybe - the act was passed by Congress in 2013.

[-] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago

Clinton was the one that started selling off the helium reserves. Obama signed something that changed shit about it, so he certainly didn't do anything to help the situation.

[-] brianary@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 month ago

Ah, good catch.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 49 points 1 month ago

So it's going to be rerouted from the MRIs I take it…

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago

AI comes first alphabetically. Sorry!

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[-] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 44 points 1 month ago
[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 103 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately it's also critical for MRIs.

[-] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 61 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 month ago

If only I could believe that's because MRIs are more important so their supply isn't in jeopardy.

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[-] mech@feddit.org 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

And making your voice sound funny

[-] tal@lemmy.today 11 points 1 month ago
[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

IIRC it's also one of the worst greenhouse gasses in existence, unfortunately.

Edit: the worst greenhouse gas. Why are cool things always secretly terrible?

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[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Okay, but do you really think we're going to prioritize the enormous loss-leading CSAM engines over lifesaving medical diagnostics machines?

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

I trust our leaders to make the right decisions. Just a small bump in the road or two lately, that's all.

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[-] SarahValentine 14 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] Soulphite@reddthat.com 7 points 1 month ago

Maybe this is why they're now ramping up going back to the moon? Gonna start fuckin the moon up for all that sweet Helium 3.

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

We could be at war with Iran for a century, sending strike teams in to siphon helium out of the ground and smuggle it back to the US in stealth jets and submarines, and it would still be significantly cheaper than trying to mine the moon.

[-] SarahValentine 3 points 1 month ago

I sure hope not. I saw how that went in the Time Machine remake!

[-] wosat@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

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.

[-] fullsquare@awful.systems 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

New ones, and not all if them, work this way, as in there's tiny helium condensing unit. Older ones just let it go and require topping up every couple months (guessing by how often helium in NMR is topped up). Also every emergency shutdown invariably blows off all of helium inside

[-] Korkki@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago

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".

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[-] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago

So THIS is how they hallucinate.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 28 points 1 month ago

Can the AI just talk in a lower voice? I don't see why this is that critical.

The media really can't get it can they I'm fine with AI having problems, I'm supposed to feel sorry for them upsetting some way but I just don't.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'd guess that most industrial users of helium don't consume it and could theoretically recover it from whatever process it's involved in rather than just releasing it.

EDIT: Hard drives being an exception, as apparently some ship helium-filled; there, it's actually being consumed during the manufacture.

EDIT2: I'd also point out that in the long run, we probably do have to be more conservative with our helium supply. We get it from pockets in the earth. It's actually not all that common; it just happens, though, that we go to a lot of effort to extract natural gas, and that happens to sometimes also come up with helium, so we get that supply. But because it's not reactive, it doesn't bond to anything


it stays in gas form. When we let it go, it heads to near the top of our atmosphere and eventually gets lost to solar wind. Many users who today just release it


because why not, as the natural gas people will be providing more, and it's cheaper that way


probably will need to capture what they're using if we want helium to continue to be available.

[-] JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 month ago

The problem is that helium is notoriously hard to contain. It's transported and stored super-cooled, but it still gases off, and to release pressure they just have to release it into the atmosphere. It effectively has a shelf life and so it has to be constantly replenished.

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[-] homes@piefed.world 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

This is bad news that feels like good news. Like when your house burns down, but it kills your abusive parents, so you’re kind of happy about it because it means you didn’t have to go through with your plans, and it means you don’t have to become a murderer after all.

And you have all that money saved up, and you already got that scholarship to college, and you can just move on with your life without any of those chains tying you to them in your former life…

So, really, what’s the actual fucking problem here? no more birthday balloons? Boo fucking hoo. My shitty parents never threw me a birthday party anyway.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 25 points 1 month ago

No more medical imaging.
No more fibre optics.
No more semiconductors.
No more laparoscopic or eye surgery.
No more hard drives.
No more titanium.
No more rockets.

[-] homes@piefed.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I feel like you weren’t really listening to what I had to say

Tell me: when you read my post, what did you hear?

How did that translate in your head?

[-] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago

You asked:

So, really, what’s the actual fucking problem here?

That's what they heard.

They answered:

No more medical imaging.
No more fibre optics.
No more semiconductors.
No more laparoscopic or eye surgery.
No more hard drives.
No more titanium.
No more rockets.

That's what you didn't hear I guess.

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[-] topherclay@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

I think your untreated trauma is negatively affecting how you treat the people around you.

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[-] brianary@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 month ago

Helium is needed for MRIs.

[-] db2@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago
[-] homes@piefed.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I’d like to think that I’m happy but it’s only partly true— the truth is that I’m simply relieved.

I suppose that the lesson here is… Everyone is damaged, and you never really know someone. You can’t. Everyone deserves a hug.

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[-] Cnote5@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

I'm reading all of these comments with the helium-voice in my head.

[-] hayvan@piefed.world 9 points 1 month ago

It's not just AI, it's integrated electronics in general.

[-] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 9 points 1 month ago

I realize there are benefits to attacking Iran, but it's still wrong.

[-] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Also used in MRI machines and semiconductor manufacturing. Probably some other important stuff as well.

[-] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Birthday balloons and funny voices.

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[-] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago

what do I laugh when I think about helium and choking

[-] ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Big tech's support of this dipshit finally biting themselves in the ass

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this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2026
377 points (100.0% liked)

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