A government working group has proposed allowing the use of foreign AI accelerators in trusted hardware and software systems for critical information infrastructure. The initiative aims to address the current shortage of domestic GPUs capable of training and running large-scale artificial intelligence models.
Under the proposed amendments, foreign hardware from companies like AMD and Nvidia could be utilized until Russian-made alternatives with comparable performance become available. If equipment is absent from the national registry, its deployment would require approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and security measures coordinated with the FSB.
The Ministry of Digital Development stated that the proposals have not yet been formally submitted and require inter-agency coordination. Officials emphasized that any decision must prioritize information security standards for critical infrastructure systems.
Industry experts hold differing views on the proposal. Ivan Pokrovsky of the Association of Russian Developers and Manufacturers of Electronics warned that prioritizing AI deployment over security could be risky. Meanwhile, representatives from HiTech and Sitronics Group suggested that foreign hardware could serve as a temporary solution while domestic production is scaled up.
