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[winjer]

China bans Intel and AMD processors, Microsoft Windows from government computers

The guidelines, unveiled on December 26, are now being enforced, writes the Financial Times. They order government agencies above the township level to include criteria requiring "safe...

www.techspot.com

China has introduced new guidelines that will phase out US processors and software from its government computers and servers. The rules mean that CPUs from Intel and AMD, along with Microsoft Windows and foreign-made database software, will be replaced with homegrown alternatives.

They order government agencies above the township level to include criteria requiring "safe and reliable" processors and operating systems when making purchases.

The China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center published a list of these safe and reliable products. The CPUs all come from Chinese companies, including Huawei and Phytium, and cover a mixture of x86, Arm, and homegrown architectures.

China has spent years trying to move away from its reliance on overseas technologies in favor of domestic products. Its Made in China 2025 policy goals include dropping its image as the world's factory and becoming a global technology powerhouse in its own right.

China was Intel's largest market last year, accounting for 27% of Team Blue's $54 billion in sales. The Asian nation also generated $23 billion for AMD, representing 15% of its sales. The restrictions will have less of an impact on Microsoft, which counts on China for about 1.5% of its revenues.

In some ways, the US is mirroring China by lessening its reliance on the country and Taiwan for its semiconductors through the CHIPS Act, which provides $52 billion in subsidies for companies to move manufacturing back to the US. Intel was recently awarded the CHIPS Act's largest sum to date: $8.5 billion in funding, along with $11 billion in loans and a 25% investment tax credit on up to $100 billion of capital investments.

It's not just foreign CPUs and software China wants out of its government buildings. In September, Apple's shares fell 9% following news that China was expanding its ban on the use of iPhones in certain government offices.

The technological Cold War is in full swing.

 

[Mistake]

I agree with what they are doing, but even the beijing subway runs on windows xp. I smell a disaster in the making

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Obviously a massive blow for the blacklisted companies but a pretty smart move. By cutting out American software and hardware it instantly creates a giant market for Chinese business to flourish in.

 

[winjer]

Obviously a massive blow for the blacklisted companies but a pretty smart move. By cutting out American software and hardware it instantly creates a giant market for Chinese business to flourish in.

This ban is for government computers. Consumers and companies are still not affected.
Though it might be just a matter of time, until they are also included.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

This ban is for government computers. Consumers and companies are still not affected.
Though it might be just a matter of time, until they are also included.

Yeah, I did realise, obviously it'd be even bigger if it extended to consumer goods as well, but government employees in China are measured in millions - the first thing I saw on google said more than 50m employees.
Any company getting the contract to develop and supply software to 50m people would be having quite a good day.

 

[Ownage]

Just like devices made by Huawei spying on global users, the same goes for other domestic and international chip and product makers. You'd be a fool to believe those privacy measures some companies claim, when in reality there's more backdoor action than an ass to ass orgy.

 

[jason10mm]

Hmmm, does this make Taiwan more or less safe if China has their own soup to nuts computer manufacturing capability?

In principle I'm all for this though, the quicker the rest of the world moves away from Chinese dependence the better, hard to imagine domestic chinese chip production will be exported. Gonna be a hell of the thing to switch over systems at that scale though, hope no major hiccups occur.

 

[Thaedolus]

Honestly I can’t blame them. Nor am I against banning Huawei and TikTok over here

 

[Robot Carnival]

Yeah, I did realise, obviously it'd be even bigger if it extended to consumer goods as well, but government employees in China are measured in millions - the first thing I saw on google said more than 50m employees.
Any company getting the contract to develop and supply software to 50m people would be having quite a good day.

maybe in the central government and the tier 1 and 2 cities, it's fully digital. but I'm guessing a lot of the lower tier cities and towns the government workers mainly still go with pen and paper.

as for the contract, that'll probably go to whoever gave the biggest kickback.

 

[Mistake]

This ban is for government computers. Consumers and companies are still not affected.
Though it might be just a matter of time, until they are also included.

In china, many businesses, especially the big ones, are essentially integrated with the government. So how far this rule goes is anyone's guess

 

[StueyDuck]

lol they just steal all the tech anyway so like does it even make a difference. Now it's just a written fact instead of just a well known one behind closed doors.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Only on government computers.

 

[LordOfChaos]

I always thought the purpose of the chip war was to bring China to the negotiating table and hammer out something more fair, rather than forced transfer of tech and and all their other problems of market manipulation

But if we instead end up with a split world, where China has its own chip foundries, processes, even ISAs since they won't be able to use new ARM extensions...Was that really the goal?

I guess it would hope to keep them steps behind on things like AI, but what if that's not always the case beyond the short to medium term?

 

[NoLootBoxDev]

Coming soon to the china government...

 

[Sushi_Combo]

Everything they make is IP theft anyway.

 

[Pagusas]

wonder how much of AMD or Intels business is tide up in China? Also how to patent agreements work? Can China just tell its companies "just steal their IP, nothing bad will happen to you"?

 

[HoodWinked]

The primary reason they are doing this is to prop up thier own domestic CPUs

 

[nush]

"just steal their IP, nothing bad will happen to you"?

Pretty much.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Just like devices made by Huawei spying on global users, the same goes for other domestic and international chip and product makers. You'd be a fool to believe those privacy measures some companies claim, when in reality there's more backdoor action than an ass to ass orgy.

We’ve had TPM’s on all our devices since 2003…

 

[newtypepilot]

 

[ntropy]

This ban is for government computers. Consumers and companies are still not affected.
Though it might be just a matter of time, until they are also included.

that's cute, you think there's a private sector in China

 

[chromhound]

They keep sending spies in big companies to steal informations. Why so salty ?

 

[March Climber]

Nvidia won?

 

[Puscifer]

Just like devices made by Huawei spying on global users, the same goes for other domestic and international chip and product makers. You'd be a fool to believe those privacy measures some companies claim, when in reality there's more backdoor action than an ass to ass orgy.

The only ones I believe who actually cared is the GrapheneOS developer, the dudes paranoid mindset was so far ahead of the pack was down streaming security patches 6 months later to official android source code while simultaneously finding and patching out said backdoors.

Just happy he's sticking to coding than public outreach, the level of paranoia he has really showed but it's much appreciated. Still crazy to me in my lifetime we went from people wanting and expecting privacy to "lol what do I have to hide!?"

 

[Insane Metal]

Well, that didn't take long after developing their own stuff, even if they're still a long way behind.

 

[Rat Rage]

They're just going to use Windows XiP instead.

 

[Nobody_Important]

All this tells me is that China's government will now run on shitty third party specs.


Please proceed lol

 

[Hudo]

They're all gonna run Arch Linux now. Brace yourselves for even more people appearing online just saying "I use Arch, btw"

 

[ReBurn]

All this tells me is that China's government will now run on shitty third party specs.


Please proceed lol

China will just steal all of the designs they manufacture for everyone else.

 

[Ownage]

We’ve had TPM’s on all our devices since 2003…

Yours truly helped put them there.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Yours truly helped put them there.

I hope the treason paid well

 

[RaduN]

So...they ban the actual name, 'cose sure as hell they will copy and still use them, just name them slightly differently. China and Russia are the biggest fucking (IP) thieves on this planet.

 

[AfricanKing]

China probably know a few zero days which they exploit on their civilians but don’t want anyone using it against their government

 

[eddie4]

So...they ban the actual name, 'cose sure as hell they will copy and still use them, just name them slightly differently. China and Russia are the biggest fucking (IP) thieves on this planet.

Yeah I saw a video on how the companies that were 'banned' in Russia just closed, then reopened under another name, but still sold all the same inventory. This will be the same thing. Good luck running goverment software on mediatek and arm processors with supported software. lol.

edit: this is definitely a "oh, so you wanna ban tiktok" move.

 

[Days like these...]

That Huawei ban backfired. Huawei developed its own chips and OS and now this along with iPhones being banned from employees who work for the government.

 

[violence]

I thought of TikTok first and totally forgot about Huawei. I wouldn’t be surprised by another accidental pandemic if we fuck with them anymore.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

I wish my gov't would ban Windows.

 

[Nankatsu]

Makes sense, specially if you're also considering and waiting to invade Taiwan too.