Your attention is my motivation, and your support is the direction we are heading. Follow me and you can see my latest articles. Appreciate the changes in the international situation.
After Europe and the United States imposed a chip blockade on Russia, Russia is facing the dilemma of obtaining Western chips. However, despite the sanctions, Russia still managed to buy a large number of American chips, a phenomenon that has attracted widespread attention. This article will examine the question of how Russia has access to a large number of Western chips around sanctions and analyze the reasons and effects of this.
In the context of the chip blockade imposed by Europe and the United States on Russia, Russia still smoothly purchased a large number of American chips such as AMD, Intel, and Texas Instruments. According to statistics, in the first three quarters of 2023, Russia's chip imports reached $1.7 billion. Some of them were purchased through third-party countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
In order to circumvent sanctions, Russia uses forwarding companies from third-party countries for chip imports. For example, a PC wholesaler called AzuInternational began forwarding American computer parts to Russia shortly after its establishment in Turkey. Over the next seven months, the company resold nearly $20 million in parts to Russia. There are many such brokers, including some shell companies. The inability of the United States to prohibit these small dealers from turning to Russia to sell chips partly explains why, despite the Western chip giants' announcement that they will cut off supplies to Russia, chips and components in Russian-made equipment can still enter the Russian market in a steady stream.
For Western investigative organizations, while they can identify the makers of the chips, tracking down the exact transaction process is a daunting task. Before the chips arrive in Russia, they often go through multiple dealers. When a Tier 1 distributor purchases Intel and AMD chips, the process may be fine, but the exact way the Tier 1 distributor delivers the goods to the Tier 2 distributor is difficult to monitor.
The Rusi study also sheds light on the problem, pointing out that Russia uses forwarding companies from third-party countries to import chips from the United States. As a result, it is easy to determine the type and date of manufacture of chips exported to Russia, but it is difficult to track the specific transaction process.
As can be seen from the existing dismantled Russian-made equipment, there are more than 70 parts produced by European and American companies. This shows that before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia had a large number of chip parts in stock. Although the Western chip blockade has had a certain impact on Russia, it has also triggered an important revelation, that is, to strengthen the research and development and manufacturing of independent chips.
The country's development in the field of independent chips cannot be ignored. Due to its dependence on imported chips, Russia cannot easily obtain advanced process chips in military equipment. This is also an important reason for the continued downturn in the Russian consumer electronics market. Therefore, it is of great significance to strengthen the R&D and manufacturing of domestic chips to ensure the best and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.
The chip blockade imposed by Europe and the United States on Russia is a sanction measure, but Russia still buys a large number of Western chips through third-party countries. This phenomenon reveals some problems in the Russian chip chain, and also highlights the importance of domestic chips.
For Russia, it is crucial to maintain its own chip research and development capabilities. Only by continuously improving the ability of independent innovation and strengthening the development of the chip manufacturing industry can we better protect our own interests in the face of external sanctions and blockades.
Finally, not only Russia, but other countries should also be wary of their dependence on their own chips**. In the context of increasingly fierce global scientific and technological competition, strengthening independent R&D and manufacturing capabilities and promoting the development of the domestic chip industry are important measures to achieve independent and controllable science and technology. Only by ensuring the reliability and stability of the chip can we achieve long-term sustainable development.
Follow me to get the latest and hottest information, so that you can keep up with the pace of the times and understand the latest trends! Every bit of yours, I will remember in my heart; I appreciate your words and deeds.