Both AMD and Intel on Thursday said that the two companies had halted sales of their products to Russia and Belarus, an explicit commitment from the chip industry in taking action against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Microsoft, too, also said it would halt “new” sales of Microsoft products, too.

On Thursday morning, AMD said it was halting all chip shipments. By Thursday afternoon, Intel had joined AMD with a similar statement. Microsoft added its own statement on Friday morning.

According to AMD, the chip ban extends to Belarus, which Russia has used as a staging ground for its attacking forces. “Based on sanctions placed on Russia by the United States and other nations, at this time AMD is suspending its sales and distribution of our products into Russia and Belarus,” an AMD representative said in an email. “It is all AMD products and products we power (PCs, etc) in Russia and Belarus.”

Intel, too, said it had suspended shipments. “Intel condemns the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and we have suspended all shipments to customers in both Russia and Belarus,” Intel said in a statement on its Web site. “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by this war, including the people of Ukraine and the surrounding countries and all those around the world with family, friends and loved ones in the region.”

Intel said that it had begun to raise funds for relief efforts, too.

“We are working to support all of our employees through this difficult situation, especially those with close ties to this region,” Intel added. “We have launched an employee donation and matching campaign through the Intel Foundation that has already raised over $1.2 million for relief efforts, and we are proud of the work our teams in surrounding areas including Poland, Germany and Romania are doing to aid refugees. We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and the global community in calling for an immediate end to this war and a swift return to peace.”

For its part, Microsoft said that it would halt sales of all “new” Microsoft products. “We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia,” Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith wrote. “In addition, we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.”

It wasn't clear whether Microsoft would leave in place ongoing subscription services. Microsoft also said that it continues to protect Ukrainian web sites from Russian attacks. “Our single most impactful area of work almost certainly is the protection of Ukraine's cybersecurity,” Smith added. “We continue to work proactively to help cybersecurity officials in Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, including most recently a cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster.”

Finally, clear statements in favor of Ukraine

On Feb. 24, the U.S. Department of Commerce implemented a new Commerce Control List-based license requirement for Russia. This requirement restricts exports to the country for key industries including “microelectronics,” avionics, navigation equipment, and more. Essentially, the new export rules blacklist Russia and businesses operating there from legally buying the restricted goods.

To date, however, the chip industry has been somewhat vague in how it has reacted to the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

On Feb. 26, for example, an Intel representative merely said that “Intel complies with all applicable export regulations and sanctions in the countries in which it operates, including the new sanctions issued by OFAC and the regulations issued by BIS.” At the time, the representative declined to comment further when asked if that indicated a specific ban on sales to Russia. A source close to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest and most important fab, told the Washington Post that the foundry has suspended all sales to Russia and to third parties that supply products to Russia. On the record, however, a TSMC representative told the paper that it would simply comply with the new export rules.

Compared to the overall market, however, chip sales to Russia represent a small fraction of total sales. On Feb. 24, the Semiconductor Industry Association released a statement that characterized Russia as “not a significant direct consumer” of semiconductors.

“While the impact of the new rules to Russia could be significant, Russia is not a significant direct consumer of semiconductors, accounting for less than 0.1% of global chip purchases, according to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization,” the SIA said in a statement. “The broader Russian ICT market totaled only about $50.3 billion out of the $4.47 trillion global market, according to 2021 IDC data. 

“In addition, the semiconductor industry has a diverse set of suppliers of key materials and gases, so we do not believe there are immediate supply disruption risks related to Russia and Ukraine,” the SIA added.

The AMD representative echoed what the SIA said, specifically regarding its own supply chain. “Currently, we do not believe that the conflict will impact our ability to provide products, support, and services to our partners and customers,” the AMD representative said in his email.

Representatives for Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

This story was updated at 9:17 AM on Friday, March 4 with a statement from Microsoft.

AMD's FreeSync and Nvidia's G-Sync are must-have features for PC enthusiasts. Each syncs the refresh rate of compatible displays with your graphics card‘s frame rate, providing perfectly smooth motion in most situations. The tech has even come to televisions like (most of) LG's OLED line.

In most cases, PC enthusiasts use FreeSync and G-Sync over a traditional video connection like DisplayPort or HDMI. But what about USB-C? The USB standard is capable of carrying video to a display, and USB-C hub monitors are now a great alternative to a display paired with an external dock or hub. Is USB-C compatible with FreeSync and G-Sync?

The short answer? Yes, USB-C is compatible with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. As is often true with USB, though, there's more to it than that.

The minimum: DisplayPort Alternate Mode

[ Further reading: The best USB-C cables ]

There's a basic feature required for FreeSync, G-Sync, and other Adaptive Sync standards to work over USB-C. It's called DisplayPort Alternate Mode.

USB-C devices that carry video do it with DisplayPort Alternate Mode. This carries a DisplayPort video signal over USB and works like any other DisplayPort connection. It adheres to the same standards and offers the same features.

The monitor that you use and the device you connect to it must have a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode. This is worth checking, as some laptops and monitors include USB-C ports without this feature. No DisplayPort Alternate Mode means no video over USB-C which, of course, means no Freesync or G-Sync.

Does AMD FreeSync work over USB-C?

Yes, AMD FreeSync will work over USB-C.

AMD FreeSync is basically VESA Adaptive Sync by another name, and Adaptive Sync is an optional part of the DisplayPort standard. That means a FreeSync display with a USB-C port that has DisplayPort Alternate Mode can easily support FreeSync over USB-C.

The benefit of FreeSync is its broad compatibility. FreeSync's tie to Adaptive Sync means you'll find it supported on hundreds of monitors, including inexpensive displays meant for office use rather than entertainment.

AMD supports USB-C on some of its current desktop graphics card line-up, such as the Radeon RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT.

Does G-Sync work over USB-C?

Yes, Nvidia G-Sync will work over USB-C – though there's a couple extra details to consider.

Not all versions of G-Sync are the same. G-Sync Ultimate and G-Sync displays have an additional proprietary module inside the display that syncs with an Nvidia graphics solution.

Gigabyte

These G-Sync displays require DisplayPort, and since USB-C sends video over DisplayPort, G-Sync Ultimate and G-Sync should be compatible. But there's a catch: right now, G-Sync Ultimate and G-Sync displays are not shipping with USB-C.

G-Sync Compatible, the more recent and by far most common form of G-Sync, is different. Like AMD FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible piggybacks on the Adaptive Sync specification. A handful of G-Sync Compatible monitors, like the Gigabyte M32U, have USB-C and DisplayPort Alternate Mode. These should support G-Sync over USB-C without issue.

Nvidia doesn't offer USB-C in its current graphics card line. The GeForce RTX 20-series had USB-C, but Nvidia took a step back from the feature for the 30-series.

What about Intel?

Intel added VESA Adaptive Sync support to its integrated graphics with the Intel 10th-gen Core “G” series processors. Intel's Adaptive Sync works over DisplayPort which, as with FreeSync and G-Sync, should not be a problem.

Unfortunately, the feature didn't work when I put it to the test. I tried a Samsung Galaxy Book 360 laptop, which supports Intel Adaptive Sync, with Dell's S2722QC monitor, which supports AMD FreeSync. Intel's Adaptive Sync appeared active in Intel's Graphics Command Center, but Adaptive Sync didn't work. The same monitor worked perfectly with an AMD-powered Lenovo ThinkPad E545 laptop.

I reached out to Intel about this issue and will update if the company provides a response. Update: An Intel representative replied to a request for comment by verifying that “Intel Adaptive Sync is supported for displays connected over Type-C and Thunderbolt using DisplayPort Alternate Mode or DisplayPort tunneled mode.” Intel graphics solutions that support Adaptive Sync should work with displays that support Adaptive Sync when connected over USB-C or Thunderbolt.

Why isn't USB-C more common?

The technical foundation of USB-C's DisplayPort Alternate Mode can handle AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, but you may have a hard time finding a USB-C monitor with official support.

Why? It comes down to marketing.

PC gamers, the group that cares most about Adaptive Sync, tends to stick with standard, full-size DisplayPort. Most desktop graphics cards don't even have USB-C.

Dell

Productivity monitors often have USB-C because it can turn a monitor into an all-in-one hub for USB, display, and Ethernet. Those shopping for such a monitor often don't care about FreeSync or G-Sync, though, so productivity monitors don't always bother with support.

This is changing. Adaptive Sync is not difficult to implement, so more and more monitors are adding support. For now, however, you'll have to keep a close eye on the specifications.

Bringing it all together

Still a bit confused?

Here's the basics. You need all of the following to use FreeSync or G-Sync over USB-C.

• A PC with a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode and graphics hardware that supports FreeSync and/or G-Sync.
• A USB-C cable that can handle DisplayPort Alternate Mode.
• A display with a USB-C port that has DisplayPort Alternate Mode and support for FreeSync and/or G-Sync.

I'd also recommend sticking to a direct connection between your PC and the display. That means no splitters, hubs, or adapters.

Editor's note: This article originally published on March 1, 2022, but was updated to include comment from Intel.