BEIJING – China has introduced guidelines to phase out Intel and AMD microprocessors from its government personal computers and servers, the Financial Times reported on March 24.

The procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft’s Windows operating system and foreign-made database software in favour of domestic options, the report said.

Government agencies above the township level have been told to include criteria requiring “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems when making purchases, the newspaper said.

China’s industry ministry in late December issued a statement with three separate lists of CPUs, operating systems and centralised databases deemed “safe and reliable” for three years after the publication date, all from Chinese companies, a Reuters checks showed.

The United States has been aiming to boost domestic semiconductor output and reduce reliance on China and Taiwan with the Biden administration’s 2022 Chips and Science Act.

It is designed to bolster US semiconductors and contains financial aid for domestic production with subsidies for production of advanced chips. REUTERS