China Bans AMD and Intel CPUs from Government Systems

[AleksandarK]

According to a report by the Financial Times, China has banned the use of Intel and AMD chips in government computers. The decision, which aims to reduce reliance on foreign technology and boost domestic semiconductor production, is expected to have far-reaching implications for the global tech industry and geopolitical relations. The Chinese government has instructed PC suppliers to replace foreign-made CPUs with domestic alternatives in all government computers within the next two years. This directive is part of China's broader strategy to achieve self-sufficiency in critical technologies and reduce its vulnerability to potential supply chain disruptions or geopolitical tensions. The ban on Intel and AMD chips is likely to significantly impact the two companies, as China represents a substantial market for their products.

However, the move also presents an opportunity for Chinese semiconductor manufacturers like Loongson and Sunway to expand their market share and accelerate the development of their next-generation chip technologies. By reducing its dependence on foreign technology, China aims to strengthen its position in the global tech landscape and mitigate the risks associated with potential sanctions or export controls. As China pushes for self-sufficiency in semiconductors, the global technology industry will likely experience a shift in supply chains and increased competition from Chinese manufacturers. This development may also prompt other countries to reevaluate their reliance on foreign technology and invest in domestic production capabilities, potentially leading to a more fragmented and competitive global tech market.



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[JasBC]

Wish Europe would reduce our reliance on foreign technology too. . .

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Aren't sales of processors to China already under an embargo?

Sale of processors and other chips used for Ai have already been blocked.

Dont really see anything wrong here. If China thinks they can make it without AMD/Intel etc then obviously more power to them.

 

[agent_x007]

Replacing ALL those office computers will take multiple decades (maybe a century), considering output on non-Intel/AMD units...
Also, software stack isn't mentioned... are they planning to simply emulate x86 instructions (since native support that needs to be licensed) ?

Too little, too late.

 

[GhostRyder]

I feel this was mostly symbolic. Were they really using Intel or AMD recently anyway, China has been pushing its home brew processors for a good while across the country so this was just a symbolic gesture (Likely in response to other countries banning things from China on government devices)

 

[Klemc]

What about Russia ?

 

[AusWolf]

No problem. They already have the highly capable Zhaoxin and Moore Threads.

Oh wait...

 

[THANATOS]

Wish Europe would reduce our reliance on foreign technology too. . .

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Vayra86]

No problem. They already have the highly capable Zhaoxin and Moore Threads.

Oh wait...

Don't forget the Loooooong... son

 

[bonehead123]

Translation:

"We've already stolen/copied/reverse-engineered all the tech/info we needed, now we will transfer everything to our own factories & produce chips with our slave labor at 1/100th the price of foreign parts and beat everyone out of the semi biz"

My take: good, this means more intel/amd chips available for the rest of the world

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

So in order to reduce potential, future, major disruptions, they introduce a real, current, major disruption. Until they can reach performance parity with AMD and Intel, they will also see a significant loss of processing power, and consequently a significant loss in productivity versus their international counterparts.

 

[KrazyT]

China can claim whatever it want ... who will check ?

 

[LabRat 891]

CCP wants their own Backdoors, not The Five Eyes'.
Makes sense.

Still, will be interesting to see how they 'address' this. @TM China-native x86 is several generations behind (Perf/W).

 

[mechtech]

So government systems only? So regular individuals, and business, can use them?

 

[Fourstaff]

I wonder if they are using this push the transition to ARM or RISC-V instead of staying with x86. It would make quite a lot of sense to move out of x86 if they are planning to forcefully sever the software side.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Wait, do the Chinese companies have x86 license?
Or did they acquired any previously license holders of x86 tech?

To be honest, this is good news. No, this is very good news. Too long we only had 2 main CPU and GPU competitors. Now is time for some other companies, even if State sponsored, to come into play.
This can only mean better competition and advantages for the end users. Hope they succeed.
I hope they ban nGreedia too. They become too big and callous.

 

[JohH]

Wish Europe would reduce our reliance on foreign technology too. . .

Good luck, you're currently paying billions in eurotaxes for Intel to build a fab in Germany. Enjoy your Intel Europrocessor Ultra 285.
And meanwhile ASML is threatening to outsource its production further still to the US if NL limits immigration.

 

[AusWolf]

So government systems only? So regular individuals, and business, can use them?

That's right. So you'll find more processing power in an internet café than at the government.

 

[regs]

China-native x86 is several generations behind (Perf/W).

There isn't information about power packages yet, but ZX-7000 performance, functionalities and capabilities are is on pair with Gracemont, which is very latest N SKU generation, just from a year ago. Frequencies are a little lower, but that performance is still more than enough for an office PC and surely for VPN client.

There is however also Loongson. And Loongarch is supported by Linux. Has frequencies lower due to limited older process, but IPC is on pair with Zen 3 and Ocean Cove.

 

[JohH]

Imagine the wonderful errata documentation on government processors, possibly considered a state secret.

 

[Vayra86]

Good luck, you're currently paying billions in eurotaxes for Intel to build a fab in Germany. Enjoy your Intel Europrocessor Ultra 285.
And meanwhile ASML is threatening to outsource its production further still to the US if NL limits immigration.

A Europrocessor, I can totally see it. For every task its going to first get into multilateral negotiations for a month or two But, at least then you know the solution's been triple checked and looked at carefully and every bit agrees with it. Not that that's saying anything

 

[JasBC]

Good luck, you're currently paying billions in eurotaxes for Intel to build a fab in Germany. Enjoy your Intel Europrocessor Ultra 285.
And meanwhile ASML is threatening to outsource its production further still to the US if NL limits immigration.

Well the factory is still located in Europe and will be part of Intel's Foundry Services-division/subsidiary, and as such will allow for domestic production of European-designed chips. I'm quite positive towards the different chip fabs being established by different companies like TSMC (via ESMC) and Intel, even if I feel governments and the EU are being too loosey goosey with throwing money their way instead of more aggressive negotiations. . . the clustering of fabs in Germany also isn't great but it is at least something being done to increase domestic manufacturing capabilities.

A Europrocessor, I can totally see it.

There already is such a thing, and it's being made by SiPearl: https://sipearl.com/en

It's just sad it isn't for consumers.

 

[Vayra86]

Well the factory is still located in Europe and will be part of Intel's Foundry Services-division/subsidiary, and as such will allow for domestic production of European-designed chips. I'm quite positive towards the different chip fabs being established by different companies like TSMC (via ESMC) and Intel, even if I feel governments and the EU are being too loosey goosey with throwing money their way instead of more aggressive negotiations. . . the clustering of fabs in Germany also isn't great but it is at least something being done to increase domestic manufacturing capabilities.


There already is such a thing, and it's being made by SiPearl: https://sipearl.com/en

It's just sad it isn't for consumers.

Where's the processor then? All I see is initiatives, collabs and projects.

 

[AusWolf]

A Europrocessor, I can totally see it. For every task its going to first get into multilateral negotiations for a month or two But, at least then you know the solution's been triple checked and looked at carefully and every bit agrees with it. Not that that's saying anything

It won't have ECC, but it'll have PCC (political correction code) instead.

 

[the54thvoid]

Some edits made.

I know it's difficult, but please try and leave the two-winged-bird of euro-politics out of this Chinese story.

Thanks.