Russia distrusts the U.S. and its allies, a stance that aligns with the current tense geopolitical climate. The mistrust is mutual and extends beyond diplomacy, influencing critical infrastructure decisions. For a country that relies on nuclear power to generate electricity, securing its infrastructure is a strategic necessity.
Starting Jan. 1, 2030, Russian nuclear power plants must phase out foreign hardware and software developed outside the country. This government directive applies to all critical infrastructure within Russia. However, Russia currently doesn’t produce the hardware typically used in these facilities, prompting the Ministry of Digital Development to make an unconventional choice.
The Hardware Russia Chose
Russia has created its own alternative to the Raspberry Pi: the Elbrus programmable logic controller, based on the MCST Elbrus-2S3 processor developed by Roselectronics. The Ministry of Digital Development certified this hardware for use in critical infrastructure and automated process control systems.
Some nuclear power plants already use this hardware, and it’s being tested in several oil and gas facilities. Its specifications suggest moderate performance but appear adequate for the certified scenarios. The Elbrus hardware likely serves as a stopgap solution until Russia can produce more advanced hardware domestically.
The Elbrus-2S3 SoC features two general-purpose cores, a maximum clock speed of 2GHz, up to 8 GB of DDR4-3200 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and PCI Express 3.0 links. While modest, this hardware cannot handle highly demanding workloads. For more rigorous processes, Russia will likely continue sourcing foreign hardware through secondary markets or parallel import channels.
This hardware is already installed in some nuclear power plants and undergoing tests in oil and gas facilities.
For years, TSMC in Taiwan produced Russia’s Elbrus and Baikal processors using advanced technology. The Elbrus-2S3 SoC, for instance, used TSMC’s 16 nm process. However, in December 2022, TSMC halted production for Russia due to U.S. and Taiwanese sanctions. It remains unclear where MCST will now manufacture Elbrus chips, though Russia may turn to domestic facilities that lack TSMC’s advanced photolithography technology.
In May, Vasily Shpak, Russia’s deputy minister of industry and trade, announced at the “Digital Industry of Industrial Russia” conference that the country had developed its first extreme ultraviolet photolithography equipment. He stated that the machine, designed entirely in Russia, could produce 350 nm integrated circuits. The government plans to roll out more advanced photolithography: By 2026, Russia aims to build a prototype EUV machine capable of producing 130nm chips. And by 2028, the goal is a similar machine capable of manufacturing 7 nm integrated circuits. Whether Russia meets these ambitious targets remains uncertain.
Image | Alexxx Malev
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