Russian businesses are negotiating with the government to introduce subsidized lending and leasing programs for purchasing AI-focused hardware. The initiative aims to reduce capital expenditures on servers and GPU accelerators, which are currently prohibitively expensive for many developers and customers.
The proposal was discussed during a working group meeting on September 10, 2026. With the current Central Bank of Russia key rate at 14%, companies face a 15–25% cost increase over two to four-year contracts. Subsidies would likely involve the state compensating financial institutions for the difference between market and preferential rates.
These measures are part of the broader 243-FZ law on AI development, which allocates approximately 71.7 ₽ billion in total state support. The package includes subsidies for data center construction, modernization, and collective access schemes, though specific terms for the new credit and leasing programs remain under discussion.
The government is also considering non-financial support measures, including potential localization requirements. However, experts note that Russia currently lacks domestic production of high-performance AI accelerators comparable to global standards, making access to international hardware critical for the industry.
