Russia Readies For Tech Expansion
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is putting in place a series of measures to encourage high-tech investments. Tax benefits amount to one quarter of the profits tax and half of the 'social' tax.
May 12, 2005
Russian big business is under control, taxes are being collected, and the oligarchs are turning their attention to the high-technology sector, according to the Russian trade organisation Electronintorg.
Russian software exports will top $1bn this year, SRISA, the pilot IC sub-micron production facility in Moscow, has put 0.21 micron processing into experimental production, and the two leading Russian chip-makers, Angstrem (now privately owned) and Mikron, are expanding their production capacity.
Angstrem is discussing a $180m investment and may install a quarter micron fab line brought over from the West, while Mikron is re-opening the moth-balled wafer fab at Voronezh for its low-end production. "Mikron is investing tens of millions of dollars in process improvement in 2005 and 2006,"said Sergey Orlov, senior director at Electronintorg.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is putting in place a series of measures to encourage high-tech investments. Tax benefits amount to one quarter of the profits tax and half of the 'social' tax.
The government will return VAT on imported equipment and there is a zero import tax on equipment not made in Russia. A national investment fund is to be launched with nanotechnology to be a priority, and four new technoparks have been set up in Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhiniy, Novgorod and Novosibirsk.
The international business community is seeing the potential in Russia, according to Orlov. General Motors, Ford and Renault have joint ventures producing cars and Toyota and DaimlerChrysler are in negotiations to set up ventures each of which will involve a quarter billion dollar investment. Hewlett-Packard is also planning PC assembly in Russia.
Russian software exports will top $1bn this year, SRISA, the pilot IC sub-micron production facility in Moscow, has put 0.21 micron processing into experimental production, and the two leading Russian chip-makers, Angstrem (now privately owned) and Mikron, are expanding their production capacity.
Angstrem is discussing a $180m investment and may install a quarter micron fab line brought over from the West, while Mikron is re-opening the moth-balled wafer fab at Voronezh for its low-end production. "Mikron is investing tens of millions of dollars in process improvement in 2005 and 2006,"said Sergey Orlov, senior director at Electronintorg.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is putting in place a series of measures to encourage high-tech investments. Tax benefits amount to one quarter of the profits tax and half of the 'social' tax.
The government will return VAT on imported equipment and there is a zero import tax on equipment not made in Russia. A national investment fund is to be launched with nanotechnology to be a priority, and four new technoparks have been set up in Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhiniy, Novgorod and Novosibirsk.
The international business community is seeing the potential in Russia, according to Orlov. General Motors, Ford and Renault have joint ventures producing cars and Toyota and DaimlerChrysler are in negotiations to set up ventures each of which will involve a quarter billion dollar investment. Hewlett-Packard is also planning PC assembly in Russia.