[News] Russia Reportedly Resumes Baikal-S Processor Production Despite Sanctions

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According to a report by CNews, a prominent Russian high-tech industry news outlet, Vasily Shpak, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, announced at the Electronica Russia trade show in Moscow on October 26 that the Baikal series microprocessors, developed in Russia, have resumed supply. The recent deliveries include products that had been stuck abroad due to logistical hurdles but have now reached Russia.

A report by Central News Agency, citing publicly available information, reveals that prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Taiwan’s subsequent imposition of sanctions, TSMC manufactured Baikal and Elbrus microprocessors for Russian IC design company Baikal Electronics and processor developer MCST. Both companies have since been sanctioned by the US, UK, and EU due to their connections with Russia’s Ministry of Defense and military-industrial complex, with their products reportedly appearing in Russian weapon systems.

In December 2022, Maksut Shadayev, Russia’s Minister of Digital Development, disclosed that several batches of Baikal and Elbrus processors had been completed but were stuck overseas, with manufacturers unwilling to ship them. This had negatively impacted domestic assembly of servers and other products.

CNews, in a report titled “Baikal Returns to the Motherland,” quoted Shpak stating that around 1,000 Baikal-S microprocessors have now arrived in Russia. An industry insider revealed to CNews that most of these processors have already been allocated, and multiple companies are “waiting in line” to acquire them.

Although the number of Baikal processors reaching Russia remains limited, CNews described it as a “significant step forward” for the domestic tech industry. However, Baikal Electronics declined to answer questions from CNews regarding future shipments, their quantities, or how the supply issues were resolved.

(Photo credit: Baikal Electronics)