• Source:JND
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India's neighbouring country China has announced fresh guidelines that would limit the use of Intel and AMD microprocessors on government computers and servers, according to the Financial Times. Not only that, the stricter version of the procurement guidebook also plans to reduce reliance on Microsoft Windows OS and other foreign database software.

The move aims to further the country's tech localisation vision and reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers. The significant change comes in the backdrop of tensions between the US and China. As per the report, Washington has also pushed for local production, restricted transfer of advanced technology and increasingly blocked usage of Chinese tech infrastructure, citing national security as a reason.

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According to FT, officials have started adhering to the guidelines introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and Finance Ministry in December. The criteria require "safe and reliable" chips and OS in purchases made by state agencies and parties above the township tier.

The stricter version of the new Chinese procurement guidelines plans to reduce reliance on Microsoft Windows.(Image:Unsplash)

China has published a list of reliable OS (based on open-source Linux) and processors, which includes names of only Chinese OEMs, like Huawei and Phytium. Both are marked on the US export blacklist. For Intel, China was the largest market with a 27 per cent share ($54 billion in sales) in 2023. For AMD, the sales percentage was 15 per cent ($23 billion). As for Microsoft, the company's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told the US Congress in 2023 that the revenue share was 1.5 per cent.

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To implement the restrictive guidelines, the finance ministries are pushing several notices for compliance. However, FT reported that "some leeway" does exist in the process. Officials have to reportedly explain and register the use of foreign technology now. The old systems can still be used "under certain situations", citing an official, the report noted.