How the Iran War could impact data centers and AI builds. Why it’s time for nuclear microgrids. A key to breeding drought-resistant plants. All that and more in this week’s edition of The Prototype. All that and more in this week’s edition of The Prototype. To get it in your inbox, sign up here.

The headlines stemming from Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are laser focused on oil prices–and with good reason. They don’t just affect the price at the pump but the price of everything else. (A similar oil price spike led to the stagflation of the 1970s.) And there’s no way to easily compensate for the supply that’s not able to leave the Middle East.

But beyond oil prices, the Iran conflict also poses some serious difficulties for the AI boom, especially in South Korea. That country’s semiconductor manufacturers are facing a one-two punch–not only do they rely on natural gas from the Middle East, they also crucially rely on its helium, which is required for making chips. About one-third of the world’s helium comes from Qatar, and that’s now inaccessible with no real way to restore supply.

Shortages of helium and energy in South Korea will cascade across the entire tech economy. Samsung and SK Hynix dominate memory chips–they produce more than half of the world’s supply. That memory is needed for everything........

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