Moscow (TDI): President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s government and the country’s biggest bank, Sberbank, to build cooperation with China in artificial intelligence.
Putin’s instructions were published on the Kremlin’s website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Moscow would team up with BRICS partners and other nations to develop AI.
He instructed the government and Sberbank, leading Russia’s AI initiatives, to “enhance collaboration with China in AI technological research and development”.
Western sanctions intended to restrict Russia’s access to the technologies it requires to sustain its war against Ukraine have resulted in the world’s major producers of microchips halting exports to Russia, severely limiting its AI ambitions.
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In 2023, Sberbank CEO German Gref admitted that graphics processing units (GPUs), essential for AI development, were the most challenging hardware for Moscow to replace.
By partnering with non-Western nations, Moscow is seeking to challenge the dominance of the US in one of the most promising and crucial technologies of the 21st century, according to Reuters.
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Putin said last month that a new AI Alliance Network would bring together specialists from BRICS nations and other interested countries.
Russia currently ranks 31st of 83 nations by AI implementation, innovation and investment on UK-based Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index, well behind not only the US and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil.
