Half the processors made by Russian computer chipmaker Baikal Electronics are reportedly defective

More than half the processors manufactured by Baikal Electronics are defective, multiple sources told the newspaper Vedomosti. The Russian chipmaker has struggled to meet the country’s production needs since foreign manufacturers started canceling Russian orders and refusing to ship ready supplies due to international sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Though Russia’s development minister has vowed to establish domestic processor manufacturing by 2028, efforts by Baikal Electronics to master integrated circuit packaging have exposed the industry’s current limits.

Vedomosti’s sources blame the shortcomings on insufficient equipment and incompetent staff responsible for circuit packaging. Baikal Electronics CEO Andrey Evdokimov acknowledged that his company’s facilities currently lack the capacity for reliable large-scale industrial assembly, but he said defects in the production process are normal and stressed that “there is reason for cautious optimism.”