Nvidia’s H20 chips may pose a security threat to China, reports Baltimore Chronicle, citing Reuters. Beijing has expressed concern about the possible presence of “backdoors” in these chips. According to an article published on the WeChat account Yuyuan Tantian, associated with China’s state-run CCTV channel, the H20 chips’ technology fails to meet high standards of security and environmental safety.
Nvidia’s H20 chips were developed for the Chinese market after the U.S. imposed restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips in late 2023. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump banned their sale in April 2023 due to escalating trade tensions with China, but the ban was lifted in July.
On July 31, China’s cyberspace regulator summoned Nvidia representatives to explain the security risks associated with H20 chips. Specifically, the concern was about the potential existence of a “backdoor”—a mechanism that could allow remote access to the device or bypass security controls. Nvidia later confirmed that no “backdoors” exist in their products.
However, Yuyuan Tantian’s article suggests that Nvidia’s chips may have the ability to perform “remote shutdown” due to potential hardware vulnerabilities. This statement followed criticism of Nvidia by China’s state-run publication People’s Daily.
Earlier we wrote that Nvidia CEO: new H20 chip production could take nine months.