Moscow, February 20, 2025 – Russia is intensifying its push to join the global artificial intelligence race, aiming to harness AI for both civilian and military applications and to bolster its economy despite ongoing sanctions and stiff competition from the United States and China.
In recent years, breakthroughs in AI have transformed industries worldwide. According to Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024, while AI has surpassed humans in tasks like image classification and visual reasoning, challenges remain in fields such as advanced mathematics, visual commonsense reasoning, and planning.
The report also highlights that AI has improved productivity and job quality, helping to bridge skill gaps across various industries.
While American tech giants such as Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Nvidia, and Meta Platforms continue to lead the global AI race, Chinese firms recently made headlines with the launch of DeepSeek—a low-cost model that outperforms competitors with far fewer resources. This development has raised concerns about U.S. dominance and has spurred Russia to accelerate its own efforts.
Russian companies, notably Sber and Yandex, are emerging as key players in the domestic AI field. Sber has rebranded part of its tech investments and introduced GigaChat, an AI chatbot positioned as a competitor to ChatGPT, while Yandex recently unveiled its fourth-generation YandexGPT. Other firms, including T-Bank, MTS, and VK, are also exploring AI development.
The Russian government has set ambitious targets, expecting AI to contribute as much as $110 billion to the national economy by 2030. President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order outlining the country’s AI strategy, which includes the development of integrated digital platforms in healthcare, industry, transportation, and public administration. In parallel, Russia aims to increase its annual output of AI graduates from 3,000 to 16,000, a move intended to address its persistent IT workforce shortage.
Russia is also seeking to leverage international partnerships. Putin has encouraged cooperation with China in AI research and development and, through the BRICS bloc, has helped establish an AI Alliance Network to further integrate regional efforts. However, heavy Western sanctions continue to pose significant challenges by limiting access to essential chips and hardware, forcing Moscow to rely increasingly on Chinese products and other intermediaries.
Experts note that despite these ambitious plans, Russia still lags behind the United States and China in AI innovation. The ongoing shortage of skilled IT workers, combined with restricted international cooperation due to sanctions, remains a major hurdle.
As Russia accelerates its AI initiatives, the country hopes to carve out a larger role on the global stage—while navigating a complex landscape of geopolitical tensions, technological challenges, and economic pressures.
The Kremlin has voiced strong concern over Estonia’s readiness to host NATO’s nuclear-capable F-35A jets, calling the move an immediate danger to Russia.
North Korea plans to attract Russian tourists after opening its long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort to domestic travellers in July, amid deepening ties with Moscow.
Denmark’s Arctic chief has dismissed concerns over a U.S. takeover of Greenland but says more must be done to deter any Russian attack on the strategically vital Arctic island.
India and Russia have discussed the timely delivery of the remaining S-400 air defence systems and upgrades to Su-30 fighter jets, alongside broader defence cooperation, during a key meeting at the SCO summit in China.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun has urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to push back collectively against what he called “hegemonic behaviour”, as defence ministers met for their annual summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.
Mexico’s navy intercepted a submarine carrying 3.5 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Guerrero, dealing a major financial hit to drug traffickers.
Lithuania has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, citing security concerns over Russia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned a US-supported aid operation in Gaza, calling it “inherently unsafe” and blaming it for civilian deaths.
Five senior Greek government officials, including a cabinet minister, have resigned amid an EU fraud investigation over the mismanagement of farming subsidies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has abruptly ended trade negotiations with Canada, citing Ottawa’s plan to implement a digital tax targeting major tech firms.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
The U.S. Embassy in Qatar has advised American citizens to shelter in place amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, as part of a broader global security alert issued by Washington.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
Severe rain in Venezuela has caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides, sweeping away homes and collapsing a highway bridge, with five states affected and no casualties reported so far.
In a televised address on Saturday night, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced that American forces, in coordination with Israel, had conducted precision strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, aiming to dismantle Tehran’s enrichment capabilities.
Chile's Vera C. Rubin Observatory has unveiled its first cosmic images, captured using the world's largest digital camera, paving the way for breakthroughs in understanding the solar system and monitoring asteroid threats to Earth.
Germany’s data protection commissioner has called on Apple and Google to block the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from their platforms over illegal data transfers and privacy concerns.
Australian scientists have developed synthetic chemicals to attract crown-of-thorns starfish for mass removal, offering a safer, targeted method to protect coral reefs.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said on Friday the group aims to become the world’s top platform provider for artificial super intelligence within the next decade, signaling a bold new direction for the Japanese tech giant.
A belt of volcanic rock in northeastern Quebec has been dated to 4.16 billion years ago, making it the oldest known rock on Earth and offering rare insight into the planet’s mysterious infancy.
Mexico’s navy intercepted a submarine carrying 3.5 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Guerrero, dealing a major financial hit to drug traffickers.
Lithuania has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, citing security concerns over Russia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned a US-supported aid operation in Gaza, calling it “inherently unsafe” and blaming it for civilian deaths.
Five senior Greek government officials, including a cabinet minister, have resigned amid an EU fraud investigation over the mismanagement of farming subsidies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has abruptly ended trade negotiations with Canada, citing Ottawa’s plan to implement a digital tax targeting major tech firms.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment