Despite US export bans following the invasion of Ukraine, chips continue flowing into Russia through a complex web of unofficial channels. The key takeaway is that sanctions often look strong on paper but remain porous in practice. For now, efforts to cut off Russia’s access to high-end chips appear largely symbolic.
Russia’s official customs data suggests the country’s once-thriving market for US-made processors has nearly disappeared. Figures from the Federal Customs Service (FCS), reported by Russian publication Kommersant, show Intel CPU imports fell by 95 percent last year compared to the previous year. By comparison, AMD shipments dropped by 81 percent. That amounts to just 37,000 CPUs total – a steep decline from 537,000 units in 2023.
Källa: Russia is still swimming in new Intel and AMD chips thanks to sanction ”workarounds”
