Russia plans to ditch US processors inside government PCs in favor of local chips

[Justin Kahn]

Russian officials have said the American made chips running its government computer systems won't be there for much longer. The Russian Industry and Trade Ministry has plans to replace the US made Intel and AMD chips with ARM architecture similar to what we see used with mobile devices. The Ministry will flush out its x86 run computers in favor of a new Linux based system running a chip built in Russia called Baikal.

The processor is being built by an electronics division of supercomputer maker T-Platforms and appears to have some serious funding from large government run companies. Rosnano, a tech firm, and Rostec a very large defense contractor are both funding the project. The first versions will pack an ARM Cortex A-57 at 2GHz and will run both PCs and servers.

According to local reports, the Russian government buys 700,00 PCs every year at around $500 million, as well as 300,000 servers for $300 million. The new Baikal chips are expected to begin replacing current systems starting in early 2015.

With all of the US foreign espionage stories in the news, many feel the switch over to Russian made processors is part of a security measure. There have been a number of reports suggesting the NSA uses tactics to force hardware and software companies to build-in back doors that would allow for Agency access. While it may be to bolster local companies, it may also be a precaution put in place by the Russians to better protect itself from outside eyes.

Image via Shutterstock

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57199-russia-plans-to-ditch-us-processors-inside-government-pcs-in-favor-of-local-chips.html

 

[amstech]

It's a good idea, until those machines connect to the internet.

 

[wastedkill]

It's a good idea, until those machines connect to the internet.

Not just that but remember that these new russian chips will be high demand low supply not just that but they will be high cost low performance, I can see these russian chips being like Grade F China AMD clone CPU's...

And 300k servers a year and 700k PC's a year.. talk about trying to become the NSA what in the hell would anyone do with 300k servers each and every year other than cancer research or china grade NSA.
700k PC's a year as well damn....... imagine putting a bitcoin miner on those orders for 5yrs at 5-10% usage you would be a billionaire by now...

 

[Burty117]

That's right Russia, ditch American designed processors for British designed processors, because GCHQ isn't as bad as the NSA...

 

[veLa]

I wonder how these Russian processors will compare to good ole AMD and Intel.

 

[VitalyT]

They follow the suit started by China with their Loongson CPU. This approach just can't work. Taking a popular direction from an open market and trying to develop it in a closed environment is bound to fail because it just can't compete with open market solutions, and will inevitably fall so far behind that it will be abandoned.

It this particular case the CPU-s will end up just as great as Russian cars.

 

[Guest]

More blueprints c/- Snowden ?

 

[robb213]

I was going to make a wise crack about how gerbils on wheels aren't viable CPUs, but then I saw ARM...and I can't anymore...

Wonder if they may backtrack on this somehow due to supply/demand.

 

[captaincranky]

I guess this makes it official, "the cold war" is back on!

 

[Guest]

Comparing AMD/Intel 86x 64-bit normal chips to these are like comparing Apple Pie to Fresh Mushrooms.
The best ARM is about on par to the best Intel Atom. However for most office use this is a null point. There really is no major reason why these chip couldn't replace 90+% of virtually any companies or governments computers.
The real interesting thing that could come out of this is whether or not they will openly support development on linux and the open-source world or if they are all going to try and spin their own in home versions and not give any real support to the open-source world which they are leaching off of. If they actually do the right thing and support the open-source world all these countries witching to home grown ARM chips could very well change the face of the tech world. If they all just try and waste resources making their own in-house spins than the world will yawn and AMD/Intel will be out some money.

 

[Guest]

It is pure and simple a political move.

 

[Guest]

Whocares what computer you run, its the router and switches that have all the backdoors in them.

 

[Ed Mann]

How many PC's do the Russians buy every year? Are there no editors at TechSpot?

 

[Jad Chaar]

That's right Russia, ditch American designed processors for British designed processors, because GCHQ isn't as bad as the NSA...

Russian logic for you my friend.

 

[Guest]

I wonder how these Russian processors will compare to good ole AMD and Intel.

Reverse engineered garbage. Overclocked and liquid cooled with vodka

 

[RustyTech]

I guess this makes it official, "the cold war" is back on!

All thanks to the spineless US yahoo. And for those whom would say "well what did you want him to do, start a war?", I'd say the yahoo should have been careful with his words to begin with; instead, he became the "Master of the Backpedal Maneuver" (second to MS of course!).

 

[havok585]

They follow the suit started by China with their Loongson CPU. This approach just can't work. Taking a popular direction from an open market and trying to develop it in a closed environment is bound to fail because it just can't compete with open market solutions, and will inevitably fall so far behind that it will be abandoned.

It this particular case the CPU-s will end up just as great as Russian cars.

You really have no clue what you are talking about, do you?

What the hell do competivity has to do with Russian government or Chinese government giving orders for their own needs? This is not Intel vs AMD fighting for your average citizen wallets.

"This approach just can't work." Ok wiseguy, it can't work because you say so, it's not like you are trying to level yourself on the same field with 2 world superpower governments.

 

[VitalyT]

You really have no clue what you are talking about, do you?

What the hell do competivity has to do with Russian government or Chinese government giving orders for their own needs? This is not Intel vs AMD fighting for your average citizen wallets.

"This approach just can't work." Ok wiseguy, it can't work because you say so, it's not like you are trying to level yourself on the same field with 2 world superpower governments.

Well, I speak of my own country, at least, and what do you know except throwing offences here?

They will pour money into this thing, which will be stolen by 80% as it is always the case in Russia, and the rest will be used to produce some crappy results till nobody cares about it anymore, and that'll be the end of it.

 

[Guest]

"This approach just can't work." Ok wiseguy, it can't work because you say so, it's not like you are trying to level yourself on the same field with 2 world superpower governments.

It will never work because history has shown us otherwise. Competition gives you growth and innovation. Some of the greatest accomplishments in US history were due to competition. The US/Soviet space race for example. Isolating yourself from competition is pointless. Ask the Chinese how much success they had on the world stage under isolationism.

Russia just wants a taste of its former glory. Just like the famous prophet said, "Ill build my own theme park, with backjack...and hookers!" -Bender Rodriguez

 

[captaincranky]

It will never work because history has shown us otherwise. Competition gives you growth and innovation. Some of the greatest accomplishments in US history were due to competition. The US/Soviet space race for example. Isolating yourself from competition is pointless. Ask the Chinese how much success they had on the world stage under isolationism.

Given Russia's annexation of the Ukraine, and Putin's intractability over reversing course, I'd say the Russians are gearing up for another cold war, (I'm repeating myself here). The cold war produced the "space race", or at the very least, the space race was a byproduct of it.

I kinda disagree that any of this was "healthy competition". More than likely, putting a man on the moon, at least in part), was the US's way of saying, "our rockets are better than your rockets, so don't f*** with us! (Ever hear of "MAD", mutually assured destruction)?

Also, IMHO, the US's greatest technical achievements, were precipitated by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While they may not have had the advancement of today's toy phones, they established the US as the superpower, in the manufacturing and advanced weapons arena

Russia just wants a taste of its former glory. Just like the famous prophet said, "Ill build my own theme park, with backjack...and hookers!" -Bender Rodriguez

Russia just "built its own theme park", I think they called it, "The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi", and I believe it's in large part responsible for the current massively engorged size of Vladimir Putin's cajones.

Besides, anyone with the diminutive name, "Vlad", has a proud history of Russian tyrants to live up to, most notably, "Vlad the Impaler".... (*)

(*) Although, "Vlad the Impaler", may have been Transylvanian. I was going for style here, and didn't bother to do much research).

 

[Guest]

That's right Russia, ditch American designed processors for British designed processors, because GCHQ isn't as bad as the NSA...

As one user at Hexus.net pointed out: "With AMD/intel you have a very black box with the cpus. With ARM license, you can have a 100% transparent specifications and design that you can validate for security.".

Given Russia's annexation of the Ukraine

Wow. Has Russia "annexed" entire Ukraine already?.. Wait, what's "the Ukraine"?

Besides, anyone with the diminutive name, "Vlad", has a proud history of Russian tyrants to live up to, most notably, "Vlad the Impaler"

FFS, dude... "Vlad" is short for "Vladislav". Diminutive of "Vladimir" would be "Volodya" or "Vova". Not to mention that you've just compared some pathetic parody of a president to Dracula himself. At least do some research before attempting to appear smart.

 

[captaincranky]

....[ ]....Wow. Has Russia "annexed" entire Ukraine already?.. Wait, what's "the Ukraine"?

Oh silly, they're just waiting for some of the furor over Crimea to die down before a further incursion to that, "call it whatever you will", former segment of the Soviet Union.

The interesting thing about the whole Ukraine affair is this; the ousted, massively corrupt, president of the Ukraine fled to Russia. Now, it isn't too much of a leap to suppose that said former president was a Russian sympathizer or plant, the entire time he was in office. So, if that were the case, he pretty much had carte blanche to be as corrupt as was humanly possible, to precipitate exactly the events that occurred. And really, doesn't our own CIA try to pull stunts like that on foreign soil?

FFS, dude... "Vlad" is short for "Vladislav". Diminutive of "Vladimir" would be "Volodya" or "Vova". Not to mention that you've just compared some pathetic parody of a president to Dracula himself. At least do some research before attempting to appear smart.

That which you call , "a pathetic parody of a president", is a former official of the KGB. And as such, should be considered, "armed and extremely dangerous". Now I know all the naive little boy and girl trolls around are going to try and tell me, "the KGB has been disbanded". Dream on.

And dude, I'll compare "Dracula himself", to whomever I choose, since he really never existed in the first place. If you think he actually did, you've been reading too many Bram Stoker novels.

 

[havok585]

And dude, I'll compare "Dracula himself", to whomever I choose, since he really never existed in the first place. If you think he actually did, you've been reading too many Bram Stoker novels.

Who said anything about Bram Stoker? Dracula (derived from Draculea) was Vlad Tepes real, clan name.

Anyways, enough offtopic already...

Russia will capitalize on these new cpus and intel or amd cant do nothing about it, no matter any of you naysayers.

 

[captaincranky]

Russia will capitalize on these new cpus and intel or amd cant do nothing about it, no matter any of you naysayers.

Intel and even AMD have quite a commanding head start though.

I still think this is more of a moral propaganda issue, as Russia moves back toward a separatist / imperialist foreign policy.

Whether it succeeds or not is anybody's guess. But it is a bold move toward computing independence. When a country attempts to withdraw into an economy that is totally self sustaining, you have to wonder if the underlying motivation is self sufficiency in the event of war.

Besides, if you have everything you need to survive, sanctions can't hurt you!

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Don't worry the Russians still send us plenty of money. Huge contracts for many different things. One of which is with EO Tech who provides holographic red dot sights for their military rifles. It's not just military though either. Regardless this is another small move by Putin in an attempt to go back to the old days. Ultimately it will fail, but that wont stop him from trying.