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Editor’s take: Regardless of US export bans following the invasion of Ukraine, chips proceed flowing into Russia via a posh net of unofficial channels. The important thing takeaway is that sanctions usually look robust on paper however stay porous in observe. For now, efforts to chop off Russia’s entry to high-end chips seem largely symbolic.
Russia’s official customs knowledge suggests the nation’s once-thriving marketplace for US-made processors has practically disappeared. Figures from the Federal Customs Service (FCS), reported by Russian publication Kommersant, present Intel CPU imports fell by 95 % final yr in comparison with the earlier yr. By comparability, AMD shipments dropped by 81 %. That quantities to only 37,000 CPUs complete – a steep decline from 537,000 models in 2023.
Executives in Russia’s tech manufacturing sector paint a unique image. Leaders at main home assemblers like Lotos Group and Rikor instructed Kommersant that processor deliveries are usually not solely persevering with however rising. Rikor studies buying over 120,000 processors final yr – about 30 % greater than the yr earlier than. Many Russian tech corporations additionally say chip provides have improved for the third consecutive yr.
Sanctions enforcement is struggling to maintain up with a rising variety of workarounds. Hong Kong stays a key hub on this community, with one tackle reportedly managing billions of {dollars} in smuggled semiconductors. In the meantime, different chips enter Russia via international locations like Malaysia and India, usually relabeled or bundled inside broader product classes that conceal their true nature from customs officers.
Business insiders say many processors arrive with out being labeled as such. A Russian tech government instructed Kommersant that the phrase “processor” usually does not seem on supply sheets. This observe helps clarify why the Federal Customs Service’s import numbers look so anemic, despite the fact that manufacturing unit cabinets stay well-stocked.
It isn’t all easy crusing, nonetheless. Suppliers warn Russian patrons to count on a ten to 12 % value improve in 2025, citing inflation and ongoing tensions in US-China commerce relations as key components. Nonetheless, costs for mainstream processors have remained comparatively steady in the interim.
