Nvidia says its AI chips do not have ‘kill switches’ after China claim

Nvidia has refuted Chinese allegations of incorporating a “kill switch” in its data center GPUs designed for artificial intelligence, denying any presence of such a feature.

“NVIDIA GPUs do not and should not have kill switches and backdoors,” stated Nvidia’s Chief Security Officer David Reber in a recent blog post.

The blog post response follows a request from the Cyberspace Administration of China for Nvidia to address security concerns regarding the H20, its data center AI chip targeted at the Chinese market. The regulator highlighted potential “backdoor” security risks, as reported by the New York Times.

This development showcases Nvidia’s handling of geopolitical tensions as its AI chips continue to be in high demand globally. U.S. legislators have even proposed regulations mandating location-tracking systems on AI chips subject to export controls.

The U.S. has imposed export restrictions on certain Nvidia chips to China citing national security concerns, fearing potential misuse for military or AI advancement purposes.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has advocated for the widespread adoption of Nvidia’s AI chips worldwide, particularly among Chinese developers, as beneficial for U.S. interests.

The H20 chip contributes significantly to Nvidia’s quarterly revenue, although specific figures are not disclosed. Notably, the chip faced a temporary export ban to China earlier this year.

Nvidia reported that its revenue guidance could have been $8 billion higher if not for the impact of recent export restrictions on H20 chip sales to China.

In a move to resume sales, the Trump administration announced a waiver for the chips in July.

In the tech community, concerns over backdoors, which enable unauthorized access to a device’s data or control, are widely shared. Companies like Apple have resisted government pressure for backdoors in the past.

Nvidia chose not to provide additional comments beyond the blog post by Reber, emphasizing the dangers of secret vulnerabilities like backdoors that can be exploited by hackers and pose risks to cybersecurity.

Reber highlighted that incorporating a kill switch or backdoor in products like Nvidia GPUs would not only jeopardize user privacy but also compromise U.S. national security interests.

“Including a kill switch in a chip is a permanent flaw beyond user control, akin to giving a dealership remote control of your car’s parking brake,” Reber explained. “It’s a recipe for disaster.”