The world’s largest chip makers are pausing sales of microchips to Russia under the influence of U.S. sanctions. Consumer chips will presumably still go over the counter in the future.
The U.S. government is placing firm restrictions on semiconductor exports to Russia. The embargo is one of several measures in response to the war Russia has started in neighboring Ukraine. All US companies that sell chips, computers, telecommunications equipment, IT security hardware, lasers, sensors, navigation devices, avionics, aviation and marine components will now be allowed to export to Russia only when licensed. The restrictions also apply to international companies that build such products with the help of U.S. hardware.
Also, TSMC
The measures will suspend chip sales by Intel and AMD. Taiwan’s TSMC, which produces processors for US companies but also Russian ones, will also comply. After all, TSMC uses devices from the US in its production line and thus also falls under the sanctions.
The restrictions are primarily intended to put Russia on the block militarily. In principle, consumer components may still be exported. Hardware that can also be used militarily is not allowed to cross the border. The exact scope of the measures is still unclear. After all, companies have yet to analyze exactly which products are covered by the embargo. Presumably, an Intel Core chip will still be allowed to enter Russia, but a Xeon processor that can also be used in a supercomputer will not.
Limited impact
The immediate impact on Russia will not be so great. The country accounts for barely 0.1 percent of global chip purchases. Virtually no hardware using semiconductors is manufactured in Russia itself. The country will feel the impact of the embargo only when it wants to renew a military HPC installation, for example.
The embargo is reminiscent of the trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. against China’s Huawei. In this case, the measures do affect an entire country and not just one or more companies.