Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Public money, private plans: MPs demand Post Office transparency

      13 June 2025

      Coal to cash: South Africa gets major boost for energy shift

      13 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      10 red flags for Apple investors

      13 June 2025
    • World

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025

      Qualcomm shows off new chip for AI smart glasses

      11 June 2025

      Trump tariffs to dim 2025 smartphone shipments

      4 June 2025

      Shrimp Jesus and the AI ad invasion

      4 June 2025

      Apple slams EU rules as ‘flawed and costly’ in major legal pushback

      2 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025

      South Africa unveils big state digital reform programme

      12 May 2025

      Is this the end of Google Search as we know it?

      12 May 2025
    • TCS

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025

      TCS | Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus

      3 June 2025

      TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround

      28 May 2025
    • Opinion

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025

      Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

      29 May 2025

      Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

      14 April 2025

      Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

      9 April 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » World » US bans tech exports to Russia: key questions answered

    US bans tech exports to Russia: key questions answered

    By Agency Staff25 February 2022
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Vladimir Putin

    The US on Thursday restricted exports to Russia of a broad set of US-made products as well as foreign-produced goods built with US technology, following the invasion of Ukraine.

    Here is how the rules are expected to affect US tech companies, according to six experts on US trade law.

    1. What technology is newly restricted from export to Russia?

    US companies must now obtain licences to sell computers, sensors, lasers, navigation tools, and telecommunications, aerospace and marine equipment. The US will deny almost all requests.

    “We expected something sweeping, and this was certainly sweeping,” said Ama Adams, partner at law firm Ropes & Gray.

    The new rules also force companies making tech products overseas with US tools to seek a US licence before shipping to Russia.

    A similar restriction was first applied in recent years to companies shipping to Chinese technology giant Huawei, to great effect.

    2. Which US companies will be most impacted?

    Many companies may opt to suspend all sales to Russia out of caution, legal experts said. Dan Goren, partner at law firm Wiggin and Dana, said a client that makes electronic equipment had already held shipments to a Russian distributor on Thursday.

    US exports to Russia were limited to about US$6.4-billion last year, US census data shows, with machinery and vehicles among big categories in past years.

    The most severe tech hits to Russia could come from curbs on foreign goods.

    For example, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), which represents US chip makers, noted that “Russia is not a significant direct consumer of semiconductors” and that Russia’s communications and tech spending “totalled only about $25-billion out of the multitrillion-dollar global market” in 2019.

    But many products made in Asia and destined for Russia include chips made with US tooling. Over two dozen members of the European Union, as well as the UK, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, are imposing similar export restrictions to limit Russia’s options.

    3. How will Russia be affected?

    Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former deputy assistant US trade representative, said the restrictions will freeze Russia’s technology where it is today.

    “You won’t be able to get new tech into the country,” she said.

    William Reinsch, a trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former US commerce department export official, expects a slow escalation of impact.

    “Eventually they will be hurting, but maybe not for months,” he said. “It’s not an immediate body blow.”

    The curbs and sanctions are not as comprehensive as US trade actions on Iran and North Korea, but they could have bigger consequences globally because Russia is more intertwined with the world economy, attorneys said.

    4. What technology is not covered by new restrictions?

    The measures include carve-outs for consumer items such as household electronics, humanitarian goods and technology necessary for flight safety. Cellphones are permitted as long as they are not sent to Russian government employees or certain affiliates.

    Also not restricted are consumer encryption technologies, which one attorney described as a sign that the US and its allies do not want to disrupt protesters and media.

    Nothing precludes the US from later extending sanctions to more items.

    South Korea was not listed among countries partnering on the rules, and its assistance would be important for blocking Russia’s access to chips from there, Kilcrease said.

    A senior US administration official said on Thursday that more countries were expected to join.

    The South Korean Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    South Korea said on Thursday it would join in unspecified multilateral economic sanctions on Russia in response to its military operations in Ukraine, but is not considering adopting unilateral measures.

    5. Which companies could benefit from the new rules?

    Kilcrease and legal experts expect that Chinese technology companies may want to fill some voids created by restrictions on Western tech companies, though Kilcrease said the US rules would discourage them. But the senior US administration official said that China cannot supply Russian crucial military needs, especially for the most advanced chips.  — Leslie Adler, (c) 2022 Reuters



    Joe Biden Vladimir Putin
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleTiny robots to explore the moon in scientific first
    Next Article Cell C prepaid broadband deals rejigged – R45 for 4GB

    Related Posts

    Washington plans tougher chip curbs on China

    25 February 2025

    DeepSeek is a big test for Meta and its embrace of open-source AI

    29 January 2025

    Trump AI gaffe has Meta scrambling

    26 January 2025
    Company News

    Huawei Watch Fit 4 Series: smarter sensors, sharper design, stronger performance

    13 June 2025

    Change Logic and BankservAfrica set new benchmark with PayShap roll-out

    13 June 2025

    SAPHILA 2025 – transcending with purpose, connection and AI-powered vision

    13 June 2025
    Opinion

    Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

    2 June 2025

    South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

    2 June 2025

    Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

    29 May 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.