Russian retaliation would leave almost the entire world without microelectronics

New Delhi: The ban on technology exports to Russia, in response to the war in Ukraine, could backfire on global manufacturers of computer processors and semiconductors, as many crucial components for their production are made exclusively in Russia, an industry expert has warned.

“The ban on finished products for Russia will result in a retaliatory ban on the supply of production components and will cause an acute shortage of microprocessors for the whole world. By comparison, the end-of-2021 supply disruption situation will appear relatively light,” Oleg Izumrudov, head of the Consortium of Russian Developers of Data Storage Systems (RosSHD), said, RT reported.

His statement comes after the world’s largest manufacturers of computer processors and semiconductors announced that they will join the sanctions against Russia over its military campaign in Ukraine. A number of technology manufacturers halted product deliveries to Russia, including US majors AMD and Intel, while the world’s largest semiconductor chip producer TSMC stopped the production of Russian Baikal and Elbrus microprocessors at its Taiwanese plant.

While global tech majors are announcing their split from Russia, Izumrudov says potential Russian retaliation moves “would leave almost the entire world without microelectronics”.