Putin Orders Cooperation In Development Of AI Russia And China

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's largest government and bank, Sberbank, to step up cooperation with China (photo: x @Alex_Oloye)

JAKARTA The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ordered Russia's largest government and bank, Sberbank, to step up cooperation with China in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The instruction was announced through the Kremlin's official website on Wednesday 1 Janurai, just three weeks after Putin stated that Russia would cooperate with BRICS partners and other countries in AI development.

Putin asked the government and Sberbank, which lead the AI initiative in Russia, to "ensure further cooperation with the People's Republic of China in research and technology development in the field of artificial intelligence."

The move comes amid Western sanctions aimed at limiting Russia's access to key technologies, including microcip exports that have been stopped by major world manufacturers. This obstacle slows down Russia's ambitions in AI development, with the GPU (graphical processing unit) as one of the most difficult hardware to replace.

Sberbank CEO German Gref previously acknowledged in 2023 that the GPU was a major challenge for Russia in pursuing AI development.

Through partnerships with non-West countries, Russia is trying to challenge the dominance of the United States in one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. On December 11, 2024, Putin announced the establishment of the AI Alliance Network which will gather experts from BRICS countries and other countries interested in AI technology.

Currently, Russia is ranked 31st out of 83 countries in the Global AI Index published by Tortoise Media, well behind the United States, China, as well as other BRICS members such as India and Brazil.