TSMC, Intel Halting Chip Deliveries to Russia Amid U.S. Sanctions

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and other leading chipmakers have begun halting sales to Russia amid the U.S. sanctions aimed at hurting the country’s economy following its invasion of Ukraine (via The Washington Post).

Last week, the Biden administration announced the U.S. would cut off more than half of Russia’s high-tech imports in an attempt to block deliveries to defense and other buyers in the aerospace and maritime technology sectors. Joining major U.S. allies, TSMC has also suspended chip deliveries to Russia.

The company is “fully committed to complying with the new export control rules announced,” said TSMC in an official statement.

GlobalFoundries, the chip manufacturer based in Malta, N.Y., said it also has begun complying with the rules. The company has a system to review and block any prohibited sales to Russia, said Karmi Leiman, the company’s head of global government affairs and trade.

Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., said it “complies with all applicable export regulations and sanctions,” including the new Russia-focused export controls.

Analysts believe Russia is vulnerable to the export ban because it doesn’t produce consumer electronics or chips in large quantities, and that TSMC’s participation in the sanctions is particularly damaging.