Open source community could drop support for Russian processors
Users discussing the issue on GitHub seem split between ethics and the paradigm of open source
The creators of the widely used OpenBLAS (Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms) library are considering removing code optimisations for Russian-made Elbrus E2000 processors, on the grounds that they will be deployed in military and government control scenarios.
OpenBLAS is a BLAS library implementation available as a free, open source download. The library, which is frequently used in the academic context, is distinguished by a high degree of code optimisation for a variety of processor architectures, which makes it particularly useful. It enables users to get the most out of any processor that is supported.
Support for the Elbrus E2000 family is a fairly recent addition, first debuting at the end of January 2022 - and now it may be removed, less than two months later.
According to Phoronix, members of the OpenBLAS community are worried about the probable applications and use-cases for the Russian processors in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Users discussed the issue on GitHub, where they can also download the project's source code.
An RFC (Request for Comments) post to remove the Elbrus code emphasised that linear algebra operations offered by OpenBLAS can be employed within weapons involving machine learning, computer vision and pattern recognition used by the Russian military, either now or in the future.
A user known as rubicon1042 began the discussion, highlighting the fact that both Intel and AMD have suspended processor sales to Russia "due to Russian military aggression against Ukraine."
"Continued support for the Elbrus processor within OpenBLAS is tantamount to supporting the Putin regime and its military aggression," they added.
As reported by Phoronix, this is the first time that the open-source development community has raised the issue of discontinuing hardware support as a result of geopolitical situations.
The majority of responses to the discussion seem to support Elbrus' removal from OpenBLAS, although it looks like it is too late to turn off the OpenBLAS optimisations at this point.
Because the code is open-source and has already been released, developers in Russia already have access to the relevant portions of the code.
The country may simply continue to use the most recent version of the library, which includes Elbrus-specific optimisations, or it could even seek to maintain its own branch of the library from source code.
Elbrus CPUs aren't quite as fast as current AMD, Intel, and Arm processors, but they represent years of effort to develop Russia-made CPUs for use in anything from desktop computers to workstations and servers.
Computing says:
The account that posted the discussion, rubicon1042, was only created last week and has no other posts, so it could be either a current developer who doesn't want to link their name to the project, or a 'concerned citizen'. Either way, while a nice political gesture, removing support for Elbrus would mostly be futile due to the ease of countering the move through forking.
A user on GitHub named FCLC said, "I'm personally not in favour of removing support. It achieves nothing, goes against the ethos of FOSS and sets the stage for problematic precedent down the line."