Key Takeaways
- Shreya Life Sciences, a pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai, shipped servers equipped with Nvidia AI chips to Russia.
- Additionally, Shreya shipped over 1,000 Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers to Russia in 2024, according to trade statistics.
- The Nvidia H100 AI chips found in these cutting-edge servers are crucial for enabling AI functions.
Shreya Life Sciences, a pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai, delivered 1,111 Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers with Nvidia H100 AI chips to sanctioned Russia between April and August 2024, according to a recent report.
Because of worries that such advanced technology could bolster the Kremlin’s military capabilities, Western countries have prohibited Russia from acquiring it. Strategic moves involving middle-tier nations have permitted the ongoing transfer of restricted technology to Russia in spite of these sanctions.
Since September 2022, Shreya has been exporting cutting-edge technology to Russia
The servers and chips supplied are on a banned list established by the US and the EU to limit technology that could strengthen Russia’s military superiority, according to an exclusive report by Bloomberg.
Main Chain Ltd. and I.S. LLC, two Russian companies, imported the $300 million consignment.
In reaction to Russia’s aggressive acts, especially after the invasion of Ukraine, the US and EU banned the country. By limiting access to vital technologies and financial resources that could strengthen Russia’s military capabilities, these sanctions target important sectors of the Russian economy.
According to the article, Shreya has been exporting cutting-edge technology to Russia since September 2022, which is in line with the chief of staff’s latest X post to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The article raised worries about Russia’s continued acquisition of vital parts for its electronic warfare and espionage systems in spite of Western sanctions.
However, as India is not a party to the Western sanctions against Russia, its role is substantial while still being lawful. India has become Russia’s second-largest provider of crucial but restricted technologies, according to US authorities last month.
India’s current trade relations with Russia, which include oil imports and military equipment purchases, are strengthened by this alliance. India still benefits from buying cheap Russian crude oil, even if EU nations have stopped importing Russian oil because of the ongoing conflict.
Another important player in these deals was Malaysia. Shipping paperwork showed that numerous servers came from the nation before being re-exported to Russia, according to Bloomberg. Malaysia is one of the main avenues for the transshipment of prohibited technology into Russia and, like India, is exempt from Western sanctions on Russia.