Intel and AMD CPU imports into Russia plunge on paper, but local companies tell a different story

Imports of foreign x86 processors into Russia appear to be moving in two very different directions depending on who is asked. Federal Customs Service (FCS) statistics for 2024 show dramatic year-over-year declines: shipments of Intel CPUs fell 95 percent to roughly 20,000 units, while AMD deliveries dropped 81 percent to about 17,000 units, taking the combined value of both brands down from 6.3 billion to 439 million rubles.

The customs figures point to a market that had almost evaporated since 2023 when Intel and AMD volumes had already been trimmed by 64–70 percent amid excess stockpiling the previous year. In monetary terms, Intel’s imports shrank 94 percent to 297 million rubles, and AMD’s slid 84 percent to 142 million rubles, according to the same FCS dataset.

However, large Russian assemblers report ordering “several times” more processors in 2024 than in 2023, citing healthy supply pipelines rather than shortages. Lotos Group says overall demand for Intel and AMD parts is rising, with Intel chips accounting for the bulk of new requests. Rikor, another domestic manufacturer, states it bought more than 120,000 processors in 2024—about 30 percent more than the year before—while observing only minimal price movement on mainstream models.

Executives attribute the gulf between official data and factory intake to how goods are declared. Processors are often bundled within broader product categories or trans-shipped through third-party hubs where the final nomenclature never reaches Russian customs records. Sanctions-driven rerouting via Hong Kong, Malaysia-to-India corridors, and other indirect channels continues to funnel advanced U.S. silicon into the country despite export controls imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

Suppliers have already warned Russian buyers of a 10–12 percent increase for 2025, blaming inflation and the escalating U.S.-China trade dispute. Even so, manufacturers interviewed by Kommersant say inventories remain comfortable and project deliveries of about 300,000 processors next year for server production alone.