MCST
Since 1992
Russia
Central Federal District of the Russian Federation
Moscow
117105, st. Nagatinskaya, d. 1, p. 23
Top managers:
Kim Alexander Kiirovich
Content |
CJSC MCST develops universal high-performance Russian microprocessors and computing systems of the Elbrus series, is engaged in the design of computer modules, logic devices, operating systems and compilers.
History
2024
Market participants ask the Military Industrial Commission to check the transfer of ICST to external management
On October 3, 2024, the Association of Developers and Manufacturers of Electronics (ARPE), which includes Resonance, Silicon-El, T1 and other companies, sent an open letter to the Chairman of the Military Industrial Commission Denis Manturov with a request to raise the issue of the feasibility of transferring the developer of Elbrus processors ICST to a direct competitor - SPC Elvis (creates chips "Skif").
The document says that MCST is the leading Russian developer of microprocessors for high-performance computing systems. The products of this company provide the defense capability of Russia and are key to solving the problems of ensuring the security of critical information infrastructure (CII). Therefore, the authors of the letter are asked a number of questions, including:
- Will the subjectivity of a unique Russian company with its ideology of technological sovereignty be preserved, or can it become subordinate to another organization with a different culture through external management?
- Does the state support the development plans of the Elbrus family of high-performance microprocessors or can they change dramatically during external control?
- Why was the company JSC SPC Elvis competing with MCST JSC, which is controlled by private shareholders, chosen as the managing organization?
- How does the state regulate the conflict of interest between the shareholders of the company transferred to external management and the shareholders of the management organization?
At the same time, the Kommersant newspaper, referring to information received from knowledgeable persons, reports that the ICST had difficulties in fulfilling the state order, therefore, "according to the law of the company, bankruptcy threatened." It is proposed to solve the problems that have arisen "due to the strong managerial competencies" of Elvis. At the same time, it is alleged that there is no talk of a conflict of interest and the takeover of one project by another.[1]
Transition under the control of SPC "Elvis"
On September 30, 2024, it became known that MCST JSC, which is developing Russian Elbrus processors, was transferred to external control. This is allegedly necessary to ensure the stabilization of the state of the organization and the preservation of the architecture of these chips.
According to the Vedomosti newspaper, referring to information received from informed sources, the work of ICST will be managed by the competing Elvis Research and Production Center (SPC). This company develops microcircuits based on its own design platform "Multicor." The Elvis range, in particular, includes Skif mobile processors. Another area of activity of the SPC is the development of high-tech security systems based on technologies of artificial intelligence, computer vision, radar surveillance, biometric identification.
According to Kommersant, the controlling stake in MCST belongs to the general director of the enterprise, Alexander Kim. However, the company itself does not publish the structure of shareholders, as well as financial indicators. How exactly the external management will be implemented from a legal point of view is not specified as of the end of September 2024.
MCST does not have its own production, and the Taiwanese TSMC was engaged in the production of Elbrus processors. But due to the formed geopolitical situation, TSMC stopped serving customers from Russia, and difficulties arose with the manufacture of Elbrus chips. Because of this, according to Vedomosti, MCST could disrupt the deadlines for fulfilling the state defense order. It is said that the decision to introduce external management in the company was made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The agency, allegedly, intends to "cross the efforts of two different developers" of processors in order to "improve the efficiency of two enterprises."[2]
Source Code Disclosure
JSC "MCST," a company developing processors of the "Elbrus" family, has opened the source code of more than 700 software packages for its architecture. This became known on July 4, 2024 during a press conference held in Moscow.
According to Konstantin Trushkin, Deputy General Director for Marketing of MCST JSC, the published materials include the source codes of the Linux kernel, system libraries and development tools for the Elbrus architecture. The package repository is located on the https://openelbrus.ru/ website, where access to Elbrus-based equipment using container technologies is also provided.
The purpose of this step is to expand the community of software developers for the Elbrus platform, attracting both domestic and foreign specialists. The ICST expects that this will significantly speed up the creation of a firmware stack for this architecture.
Director of the Department of Digital Technologies of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Vladimir Dozhdev noted that this step will accelerate the emergence of a domestic trusted software and hardware stack necessary for a number of industries, especially in the field of critical information infrastructure (CII). In addition, he emphasized the export potential of Elbrus-based systems, in particular in the EAEU and BRICS markets .
Renat Lashin, executive director of the Domestic Software Association, emphasized the importance of this step for the creation of domestic software and hardware systems (PAC), which should replace foreign systems at KII facilities by January 1, 2025. According to him, the export of PAC based on Elbrus may become possible in two to three years.[3]
Creation of Elbrus LLC
On January 9, 2024, it became known that the microelectronics design center, MCST the developer of domestic processors Elbrus"," formed a new company for the production of hardware and software systems (PAC) based on them. It is assumed that such systems will be in demand in the sphere critical information infrastructure () CUES against the background of import substitution. More. here
2023: Transfer to the ownership of the Rosatom structure - NPO Critical Information Systems
On February 10, 2023, it became known about the sale of the ICST to the structure of the state corporation Rosatom"." The fact NPO Critical Information Systems that the transaction was carried out, writes "" Kommersant with reference to sources in companies developing microelectronics and several other interlocutors. The company itself by February 10, 2023 declined to comment on the requests of the publication.
According to one of the newspaper's whistleblowers, "the deal was cash-strapped." One of the sources of the publication says that negotiations on the ICST began in the summer of 2021, but the owners of the design center "put a too high price tag, and the process has not progressed." The interlocutor believes that Rosatom was already considered by the authorities as a "intelligible investor who can save an asset," while the state corporation itself was "moderately interested in a deal."
In 2022, after a pre-sale audit, Rosatom representatives expressed their readiness to "manage the asset and develop it, but did not want to pay." The ICST "had problems with the debt burden and open obligations for a number of subsidies, and with such factors, the assessment goes down," the source said.
If Rosatom really acquires the ICST, then the second will receive an incentive for development, Sergei Ovchinnikov, general director of Norsi-Trans, the largest partner of the ICST that produces data storage systems at Elbrus, told Kommersant. He does not know about the deal, but he is confident that the state corporation will be able to provide the ICST with sufficient personnel, competencies and funding for the development and release of "unique Russian processors."
Rosatom is able to take sanctions risks when buying the Elbrus manufacturer, before the state corporation already managed to avoid restrictive measures, since the Russian nuclear industry is not easy to exclude from the world market, said Igor Mazilin, managing partner of INGVARR law firm. Ekaterina Makeeva, head of the sanctions practice of the A-PRO law firm, agrees with his position: she points out that sanctions against a subsidiary will not affect the status of Rosatom's sister structures, but this may affect relations with counterparties that will be forced to comply with restrictions.[4]
2022
Inclusion in the sanctions list of the US Treasury
On September 15, 2022, the US Treasury once again updated the Russian segment of the sanctions list, including dozens of individuals and legal entities. Among them are companies related to the development and production of microelectronics and computer technology. Read more here.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in particular, included in the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals) list such companies as Baikal Electronics, ICST, SPC, Multiclet, Angstrom, Yadro Fab Dubna (a full-cycle plant for the production of computer equipment and telecom equipment), manufacturer of computer technology "Aquarius," International Center for Quantum Technologies.
Russian IT companies that fell under US, EU and British sanctions in 2022-2024 TAdviser map
TAdviser has drawn up a map the Russian IT of -companies that fell under sanctions in 2022-2024. and USA EU. Britain It included, among other things, the MCST company. The article about the map can be found here.
Hit by British sanctions
In early May 2022, the British authorities expanded sanctions against Russian developers of MCST and Baikal Electronics processors. In addition to freezing assets, the measures taken involve a ban on the provision of technological services, including the use of current processor models in new architecture developments by the British company ARM and possible restrictions on production at factories around the world. Read more here.
How to produce domestic chips under sanctions? Elbrus processor developers have Plan A and Plan B
The ICST is considering two options for the production of Elbrus processors under the conditions of sanctions, said on April 19, 2022, company representative Konstantin Trushkin at a meeting of members of the Domestic Software ARPP. Read more here.
2020
Joining the Consortium of Russian Developers DSS
On February 19, 2020, TAdviser became known that leading domestic high-tech companies announced the creation of a "Consortium of Russian DSS Developers." The organization includes the developer of storage and virtualization tools "Aerodisk," the Institute of Software Systems named after A.K. Aylamazyan RAS, the company "Norsi-Trans," GC "Element," "BASEALT," as well as JSC "MCST" - the developer of processors "Elbrus." Read more here.
Change Visual Style and Logo
As it became known on January 24, 2020, the ICST company, the developer of the Elbrus processor line, has created an updated visual style and logo of its organization. The goal of the rebranding in the company was to increase brand recognition in Russia and in the world, as well as its updating and change in perception.
The fundamental semantic difference between the created logo was the refusal to use the name of the company itself in it: "MCST Elbrus" simply turned into "Elbrus." In preparing the rebranding, the ICST limited itself to its own resources. Third-party design studios were not involved.
In accordance with the order of management, the company completely switched to the updated logo from January 1, 2020. Its old version has been used since 2012, according to the ICST website.[5]
2015
CJSC MCST developed and launched into mass production the first Russian dual-core microprocessors Elbrus-2SM, manufactured using 90 nm technology at the facilities of JSC NIIME and Micron, the largest manufacturer and exporter of microelectronics in Russia and the CIS. The Elbrus-2SM microprocessor is a deeply redesigned version of the Elbrus-2S + microprocessor. It is adapted for production on "Micron." Peak product performance - more than 12 billion operations per second. The microprocessor contains 2 cores, has a 2 MB cache and uses 2 channels of DDR2-533 RAM.
As domestic production lines are ready, CJSC MCST plans to adapt more productive microprocessor models for production at Micron. First of all, it is planned to adapt the Elbrus-4C microprocessor with a capacity of up to 50 Gigaflops.
As of March 2015, MCST CJSC is completing work on the Elbrus-8C microprocessor with a peak computing power of more than 250 billion operations per second.
2006
Since 2006, the staff of OJSC INEUM named after I.S. Bruk, which has many years of experience in creating domestic electronic control machines, has joined the implementation of ICST projects.
1992: Start of Operations
ICST has been operating since 1992 on the basis of departments of the S.A. Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering.
Notes
- ↑ Elbrus approached with a question
- ↑ Processor developer "Elbrus" transferred to external control
- ↑ JSC "MCST" has opened the code of key software components for the architecture "Elbrus"
- ↑ Rosatom storms Elbrus State corporation structures buy processor developer
- ↑ Elbrus processor developers have radically changed the logo
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