China meets with Nvidia over possible AI chip security issues
July 31 (UPI) -- The Chinese government announced Thursday it met with Nvidia in regard to potential security risks in an AI chip it developed for sale in China.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, called upon the American technology company to explain "backdoor security risks" allegedly found in Nvidia's H20 computing chips, and to submit documentation related to such risks that it said was revealed by American artificial intelligence experts.
The CAC said the security issue could allow affected chips to be shut down remotely or used to track the location of its users.
The Trump administration lifted a ban on sales of the chips to China earlier this month despite a letter from several national security experts and former government officials who urged that the ban remain in place.
"We believe this move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the United States' economic and military edge in artificial intelligence," that letter stated.
Nvidia described its H20 chips as "fully compliant [graphics processing units] for China" in a press release earlier this month.
"I'd refer you to competent authorities for anything specific," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun when asked Thursday during a press conference for details related to the situation.
