China’s internet regulator has asked Nvidia to address security concerns over its H20 artificial intelligence chip, urging the US semiconductor giant to prove its products are free of hidden vulnerabilities, according to multiple media outlets.
The request was followed by a commentary by the state-published People’s Daily titled, “Nvidia, how can I trust you?”
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) made its request last Thursday, after reports that advanced chips exported abroad could include tracking or so-called backdoor functions. The US has just reversed its ban on exporting such chips to China – a move designed to stop Chinese tech companies innovating their own alternatives.
Nvidia has denied CAC’s allegations. “Cybersecurity is critically important to us,” a company spokesperson told media. “Nvidia does not have backdoors in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them.”
[See more: Chinese scientists are using optical computing to rival Nvidia’s chips]
Industry experts said the security concerns would continue to accelerate the adoption of domestically made chips, while Pan Helin, a member of an expert committee under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said “If Nvidia’s chips really have backdoor risks … clients across the world may abandon its chips over fears of remote shutdowns or data theft.”
Chinese regulators have previously scrutinised US technology firms like Intel for security issues, citing risks to personal data and critical infrastructure. Officials say multinational companies must strictly follow Chinese laws and guarantee product safety to continue operating in the mainland market.
