Intel, AMD, Texas Instruments, and a Berkshire-owned distributor accused of “willful ignorance” as US-made chips surface in Russian missiles and drones
Major US semiconductor makers Intel Corp. (INTC) Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), and Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) have been hit with a series of lawsuits alleging their technologies were illegally diverted into Russian weapons systems used against Ukrainian civilians. The suits, filed Wednesday in Texas state court, claim the companies failed to prevent their chips from ending up in drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles deployed in deadly attacks between 2023 and 2025.
The legal actions—five in total—were brought on behalf of dozens of Ukrainian civilians by prominent attorney Mikal Watts and the national law firm Baker & Hostetler. The filings accuse the chipmakers, along with Berkshire Hathaway–owned Mouser Electronics, of “willful ignorance” and “domestic corporate negligence” for allegedly allowing restricted components to be resold through third parties to Russia and Iran. According to the suits, components traceable to Intel and AMD were found in Iranian-made drones used in one attack, while other strikes involved Russian KH-101 cruise missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles.
“These companies know their chip technology is making its way into Russia,” Watts said at a news conference in Washington, calling the defendants “merchants of death” who undermined US sanctions law. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that the companies failed to adequately monitor export controls, enabling foreseeable diversion of components into foreign weapons systems.
Intel, AMD, and Texas Instruments did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though all have previously stated they comply fully with sanctions and halted sales to Russia after the invasion. In congressional testimony last year, Texas Instruments reaffirmed its opposition to any military use of its chips, calling such shipments “illicit and unauthorized.”
A Bloomberg investigation had already revealed that sanctions were insufficient to keep Western chips out of Russian missiles and drones, prompting repeated warnings from US lawmakers. The lawsuits further allege that Mouser Electronics played a critical distribution role, facilitating transfers to shell companies tied to Russian proxies.
Filed in Dallas, the cases will move forward once processed by the court, marking one of the most significant legal efforts yet to hold US corporations accountable for the downstream use of their technologies in global conflict.
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