China blocks use of America-made AMD, Intel processors in government computers

Beijing is attempting to ramp up homegrown technology and replace those manufactured in foreign lands.

The stricter government procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft’s Windows operating system and foreign-made database software in favour of domestic options. It runs alongside a parallel localisation drive underway in state-owned enterprises, reported Financial Times.

The latest trend emerged amid ongoing tension between the USA and China.

Washington has imposed sanctions on a growing number of Chinese companies on national security grounds, legislated to encourage more tech to be produced in the US and blocked exports of advanced chips and related tools to China, the newspaper reported.

They order government agencies and party organs above the township level to include criteria requiring “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems when making purchases, the newspaper reported further.

China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center, a testing agency, has unveiled its first list of  “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems.

All of them are reportedly Chinese brands.

Among the 18 approved processors were chips from Huawei and state-backed group Phytium. Both are on Washington’s export blacklist. Chinese processor makers are using a mixture of chip architectures including Intel’s x86, Arm and homegrown ones, while operating systems are derived from open-source Linux software, reported Financial Times.