Global tech industry begins halting sales to Russia
Export sanctions on “dual-use” items that could have civilian or military uses cover a variety of computer components.
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Tech companies around the world have begun suspending deliveries to Russia in compliance with international sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions,announced by the Biden Administrationon February 24, cover restrictions on the sale of semiconductors and computers.
The sanctions also include an expansion of the Foreign Direct Product Rule, which forces tech companies who work with American-made tools and software to obtain a license from the US government before dealing with companies that support the Russian military.
AMD and Intel have reportedly halted sales of processors to Russia already, with Intel providing the following statement to PC Gamer’s sister site,Tom’s Hardware: “Intel complies with all applicable export regulations and sanctions in the countries in which it operates, including the new sanctions issued by OFAC [Office of Foreign Assets Control] and the regulations issued by BIS [Bureau of Industry and Security].”
While Russia has its own chip designers, companies like Baikal Electronics are “fabless” and reliant on outsourced fabrication. And on February 27, the Economy Ministry of Taiwan, home to major chip manufacturer TSMC,announced it was joining the list of countries imposing sanctions on Russia. “Domestic semiconductor manufacturers have also expressed that they will abide by the laws and closely cooperate with government measures,” the Ministry said.
Multiple game studios, includingCD Projekt, Bungie, Amanita Design, Digital Extremes, Hinterland Games, and 11 Bit Studios, havepledged support for Ukraine, making donations to humanitarian aid efforts like the Ukrainian Red Cross.
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Jody’s first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia’s first radio show about videogames,Zed Games. He’s written forRock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue,GamesRadar,Zam,Glixel,Five Out of Ten Magazine, andPlayboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody’s first article for PC Gamer was about theaudio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he’s written aboutwhy Silent Hill belongs on PC,why Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, andhow weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.
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