China has introduced new guidelines banning the use of Intel and AMD CPUs and Microsoft Windows in government PCs and servers, as Beijing ramps up a campaign to replace foreign technology with homegrown solutions. Selected vertical markets are also affected.
The Financial Times reported today (Paywall) about new government procurement guidelines, which were already announced late last year. Government entities above township level are required to replace Intel/AMD and Windows powered computers and servers with chips and an operating system Made in China. Also foreign-made database software will need to be replaced by domestic options. According to the FT some leeway remained to buy computers with foreign processors and Microsoft Windows.
Is this the end for x86 CPU and Windows powered digital signage in China?
As far as information are currently available, the ban of western CPUs and Windows is limited to government, military, and strategic important vertical markets. The vast majority of Western made digital signage CMS are used in retail and other non-strategic verticals and are on-premise and shouldn’t be effected by the new regulations.
Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS solutions are available on dedicated China-based instances for mainland China users. The Google Cloud Platform is not available in China.
