Nvidia Denies Backdoors in China H20 AI Chips

Nvidia has denied allegations from Chinese authorities that its H20 GPU, designed for the Chinese market, contains backdoors, kill switches, or spyware. Chief Security Officer David Reber Jr. publicly stated in a widely published blog post that such features would compromise global trust in U.S. technology and create security risks. The denial comes as Chinese regulators have summoned Nvidia executives over chip security, while U.S. lawmakers consider the Chip Security Act, which proposes tracking and disabling exported chips to prevent misuse. Nvidia argues that hard-coded control mechanisms are inherently insecure, referencing past failed backdoor attempts. H20 chip sales in China have resumed following a U.S. export waiver amid ongoing geopolitical tension. The episode underscores Nvidia's pivotal position in the global AI race and the debate over national security versus technological trust.