Here's a question that probably keeps compliance departments up at night: What happens when your chips end up in missiles aimed at civilians, even though you swear you're following all the rules? Three major American chipmakers are about to find out.
Intel Corp (INTC), Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), and Texas Instruments Inc (TXN) are now defending themselves against multiple lawsuits filed Wednesday in Texas state court by dozens of Ukrainian plaintiffs. The accusation? That these companies failed to prevent their semiconductors from winding up in Russian weapons that killed and injured Ukrainian civilians.
The lawsuits allege that all three chipmakers ignored mounting warning signs while third parties illegally resold restricted semiconductors to Russia, skirting U.S. sanctions. According to the complaints, these weren't isolated incidents—plaintiffs cite five separate attacks spanning 2023 to 2025 that allegedly involved components tied to Intel and AMD.
The Distribution Trail
The suits don't stop at the chip manufacturers. They also name Mouser Electronics, a Texas-based distributor owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK-A), accusing it of helping route components through shell companies connected to Russian proxies. The plaintiffs claim Mouser played a crucial role in moving semiconductors through its logistics and sales operations, essentially greasing the wheels of an illicit supply chain.
The legal theory here is that these companies failed to prevent their chips from being diverted to Russia and Iran, where they were integrated into precision-guided weapons. It's one thing to say you comply with sanctions. It's another to make sure your products don't end up guiding a missile through someone's living room.
What the Companies Are Saying
For their part, Intel, AMD, and Texas Instruments have consistently stated they fully comply with sanctions regulations. Texas Instruments has been particularly vocal, saying it strongly opposes any military use of its products in Russian equipment.
But there's a gap between policy and reality. A July 2024 investigation backed by Hunterbrook Media painted a damning picture: Russian military jets and precision weapons were actively using Western-made microchips from manufacturers including Intel, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices Inc (ADI), On Semiconductor Corp (ON), and AMD. Despite international sanctions, global supply chains kept routing components straight into Moscow's war machine.
The Numbers Tell a Story
That investigation wasn't just anecdotal. Researchers traced more than 1,100 parts from 141 Western firms inside Russian aircraft and missiles. The chips weren't teleporting to Moscow—intermediaries were methodically moving them through Serbia, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka before they reached Russia, where they powered precision strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine.
The question facing these lawsuits isn't whether the chips ended up in Russian weapons. The evidence suggests they did. The real question is whether these companies did enough to prevent it, or whether they turned a blind eye to red flags in their distribution channels. That's what courts will now have to figure out.