- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
Russian tech firms have noticed something strange about shipments of chips they’ve been receiving from Chinese manufacturers. According to a story in Kommersant (opens in new tab), a Russian daily newspaper devoted to politics and business, translated and reported by The Register (opens in new tab), up to 40% of the Chinese chips are turning out to be defective.
Given that many modern devices -- and, just as importantly, items of military hardware -- require many different semiconductor products, even a failure rate of 2% is bad. Having 40% of chips delivered in a non-functional state means it’s basically impossible to make anything without wasting significant time and effort testing everything first.
Kommersant -- which means The Businessman -- claims that sanctions have led to major import businesses abandoning Russia, leaving manufacturers there with no choice but to use unauthorized suppliers whose customer service perhaps leaves something to be desired compared to official channels. The Russian firms also have a lack of experience in checking out both suppliers and products before placing a large order.