Sberbank seeks Chinese chips to power Russia’s GigaChat AI model

Sberbank’s CEO said on May 20, 2026 that the bank is seeking Chinese-made chips to power its GigaChat AI model as Western sanctions limit Russia’s access to advanced hardware. The move comes amid strong domestic demand in China — ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba are also racing to buy Huawei’s Ascend 950 — and highlights supply constraints: Ascend 950 still lags U.S. leader Nvidia’s H200. Market implications include increased pressure on Chinese AI-chip supply, potential uplift for Chinese chip makers if exports expand, and continued strategic dependence by Russian tech on China. The story underscores how sanctions and geopolitics are reshaping AI hardware flows and could slow Russia’s parity with U.S./China AI leaders.