Russia is evading sanctions to acquire U.S.-made semiconductors and weapons components for use in Ukraine—largely through China, according to a Senate report. Senate lawmakers grilled chip-making executives about this issue. U.S. chip companies—such as AMD, Texas Instruments, Intel, Analog Devices—have gaps in their internal auditing, slow responses to trace requests, and are struggling to prevent their technology from being used in Russian weapons. Despite their claims of compliance with laws and export controls, the technology is still ending up in Russian missiles, like the Kh-101 cruise missile that struck a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Company officials acknowledge challenges in tracking the sale of chips and parts, which are often resold multiple times. They have recently made contact with monitoring groups like Conflict Armament Research, but there is a lack of full understanding of what products are making their way into Russian weapons. Continued business with China poses a potential obstacle to addressing illicit chip transfers, as reports highlight China as a source of semiconductors to Russia. Senators directly questioned the company executives about their sales to China, with officials confirming that they do sell chips to China and have manufacturing agreements with Chinese companies.
Senator Roger Marshall expressed concerns about China’s involvement in the process, stating, “You can’t trust them.” The issue of technology transfers to Russia continues to be a challenge, even with increased internal audits and collaboration with monitoring groups.
