Russia wants to reduce dependence on foreign computer technologies
Russian IT companies have repeatedly spoken about problems with obtaining equipment after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine and the Western equipment has been stopped. Against this background, parallel imports of electronics were legalized in Russia Last year. last year Russia legalized the parallel import of electronics.
Participants in the IT market and data center operators say that the current quantity and quality of domestic equipment will not be enough to meet demand, and in case of restrictions, it will only increase in price.
In 2022, the supply of servers, data storage systems (DSS), computers, and spare parts for computers decreased by 15%, to $ 6.6 billion, one of Kommersant's interlocutors notes, referring to information from the Federal Customs Service. The physical volume of imports, according to him, decreased by 24%, to about 41 million devices: "Asian manufacturers have become leaders, the share of American and European ones has decreased tenfold."
After the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and the refusal of most vendors from deliveries to the Russian Federation, domestic IT companies talked a lot about problems with obtaining equipment. In particular, VK asked the Ministry of Digital Transformation to find a supplier of "tens of thousands of servers." As a result, a year ago, Russia legalized the import of electronics without the permission of the copyright holder, the so-called parallel import (see Kommersant of June 28, 2022), which is now opposed by domestic vendors.
The representative of the Russian computer manufacturer Aquarius confirmed the desire to limit parallel imports, while recognizing the impossibility of completely stopping it: “It is necessary to introduce more precise regulation, limiting support for the import of equipment, the production of which is actively developing in the country.”
Aquarius added that the industry is preparing proposals for the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
At the level of client products, servers of standard architecture, and storage systems of initial and middle levels, there is currently no shortage of equipment, notes Alexei Melnikov, managing partner of F + tech Group of Companies: “This is due to the completion of the reconfiguration of parallel import logistics channels, a large volume of components and finished products in the speculative Asian market, as well as large stocks of equipment from suppliers in the Russian Federation. Mr. Melnikov emphasizes that there is a great demand for Russian equipment, especially those included in the register of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, therefore, he says, in 2022, domestic developers have increased investment in production.
However, distributors and buyers are against drastic steps.
“Reducing the list of parallel imports can lead to a shortage and an increase in the cost of equipment,” emphasizes the representative of RATEK (including M.Video-Eldorado, Citilink, Huawei, and others) Anton Guskov.
Restrictions on foreign computer supplies will slow down the development of some IT industries, including the financial sector, cloud platforms, etc. Pavel Kulakov, the founder of Oxygen Data Center and Cloud Provider, adds: «Now Russian SHD and servers are not able to satisfy the market demand, both in quantitative and technical terms». He also notes that if restrictions are imposed, the cost of not only foreign solutions but also Russian ones will increase, which will affect the final price of IT companies.