Nvidia Rejects Chinese Security Claims over H20 Chips

The controversy over Nvidia’s resumption of sales of its H20 AI chip to China continued to fill headlines. Last week, the company was defending the security of the semiconductor following a probe by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

In a post on Tencent’s Weixin app, the regulator called on Nvidia to explain a push by US politicians for advanced AI chip exports from the country to be equipped with tracking and location capabilities. The regulator also claimed serious security issues with Nvidia’s computing chips had been exposed, and US AI experts revealed the company’s chips have mature tracking, location, and remote shutdown features. It called on the chipmaker to submit relevant documentation.

In a meeting, Nvidia insisted its chips have no backdoors allowing remote access. Before the meeting, Nvidia ordered its Taiwan-based contract manufacturer to restart production of the China-specific AI chip, which was expected to receive the required export license from US authorities, due to rising demand. The move to reopen sales to China drew sharp opposition from security experts and politicians in the US.