German Gref, chief executive officer of Sberbank, announced during Vladimir Putin's visit to China that the bank intends to run its in-house large language model/chatbot, GigaChat, on Chinese-made microchips. Sberbank is both the developer of the chatbot and a leading driver of AI development in Russia.
Procurement challenges and market competition
Those plans face significant hurdles. There is strong competition for advanced Chinese AI chips: ByteDance, Tencent, and Alibaba are all ordering large quantities of Huawei's latest Ascend 950 accelerator. While the Ascend 950 is currently the most advanced Chinese-made option, it still trails the American Nvidia H200 in performance.
Gref did not specify which exact chip model Sberbank is trying to acquire, nor did he provide timelines or volumes for any purchases.
Sanctions and technological dependence
Russian companies, including Sberbank, have limited access to top-tier Western hardware because of Western sanctions. Many sensitive sectors — including defense — are heavily dependent on imported electronics, and China is presently the main supplier in this area.
Significance: capability gap and strategic implications
According to Reuters, Russia remains substantially behind the United States and China in AI development. Restricted access to cutting-edge hardware due to sanctions, together with intense competition among Chinese buyers, will affect how quickly and with what capabilities Sberbank and other Russian actors can deploy more advanced AI systems.
Summary points
- Sberbank plans to operate GigaChat on Chinese chips, German Gref said during Putin's visit to China.
- Huawei's Ascend 950 is currently the top Chinese model but lags the Nvidia H200 in performance.
- ByteDance, Tencent, and Alibaba are buying Ascend 950s in large volumes, creating strong competition for supplies.
- Western sanctions limit Russia's access to high-end hardware, and the country lags the global leaders in AI development.
