Russian Military’s Reliance on Western Chip Technology Raises Concerns
Internal documents from a Russian arms firm, reviewed by a German newspaper, have revealed the country’s military is heavily dependent on Western chip technology, with the top three chip manufacturers, Intel, AMD and Nvidia, being the primary suppliers. The reliance has raised alarm among Russian military officials, according to the documents, which include emails, contracts and presentations stamped with the highest security clearance.
The firm, based in Kazan, is central to the Russian military’s equipment and the data set contains a total of 1.1 million documents. The documents show that even the former Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, have been involved in the discussions.
Experts, cited in the newspaper, express concern over the vulnerability of the Russian military due to its dependence on Western technology. Russian-made chips, such as Elbrus and Baikal, are not a viable alternative, according to a Russian arms manager, who wrote in a four-page dossier in March 2022 that the Russian chips are inferior in terms of performance and energy efficiency and are also significantly more expensive.
The documents also reveal that the Russian military is at least a decade behind in terms of chip technology and that the country is forced to acquire chips through a complex network of intermediaries due to US and EU sanctions, which prohibit direct purchases of Western chips.
Moscow is seeking ways to break free from its dependence on Western chip technology and has initially considered Chinese chip manufacturers, but ultimately rejected the plan, citing the risk of replacing a supplier from a potential enemy (the US) with a supplier from another potential enemy (China). The Chinese government is currently viewed as an ally of Russia in the international arena.