China has begun phasing out US microprocessors from government computers and servers, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The move will include stopping using those from Intel and AMD, as well as Microsoft’s Windows operating system, the report said.
From this year onwards, government agencies above local level will have to follow new procurement guidance with criteria requiring «safe and reliable» processors and operating systems.
Instructions were first relayed from China’s industry ministry in late December, as it issued lists of the CPUs, operating systems and centralised database that are allowed, Reuters reported.
All of those were from Chinese companies, including Huawei, it revealed.
The Chinese State Council Information Office has not responded to Euronews Business’ request for comment.
The move is the latest step in what is often called a technological **trade war between the US and China.**Bejing is attempting to prioritise domestic technology, echoing the Biden administration’s 2022 CHIPS and Science Act boosting domestic semiconductor output and reducing reliance on China.
According to the FT, the «state-led march away from foreign hardware will dent US companies in China, starting with the world’s dominant PC processor makers, Intel and AMD,» adding that the country provided 27% of Intel’s and 15% of AMD’s sales last year.
