China summons Nvidia over security concerns over its artificial intelligence chips

In early July, Nvidia announced it would resume sales of its H20 chips in China after U.S. authorities lifted some export restrictions to the Asian country. However, concerns persist in the United States about Chinese customers using the chip, which specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) and is intended for the Chinese market.

In May, US lawmakers proposed that Nvidia and other leading AI chipmakers integrate geolocation devices into their products. In response, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's top internet regulator, said Thursday that it had summoned Nvidia that same day to discuss "serious security issues" that had reportedly been recently identified.

Geolocation and remote deactivation

According to the Chinese regulator's statement, US experts believe that the "geolocation" and "remote disabling" technologies integrated into Nvidia chips are already fully operational. The authorities have therefore asked Nvidia to explain "the security risks associated with vulnerabilities and backdoors in its H20 chips sold in China."