Nvidia has publicly denied allegations of security vulnerabilities in its AI processors, specifically its H20 GPUs, following an inquiry by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). In a blog post dated August 5, 2025, the U.S.-based semiconductor company asserted that its chips do not contain “back doors, kill switches, or spyware.”
David Reber Jnr, Nvidia’s chief security officer, emphasized that embedding weaknesses in chips would severely harm global digital infrastructure and erode trust in U.S. technology. Nvidia’s graphics processing units are widely used across critical sectors, including healthcare, finance, and scientific research. The company stated that existing laws mandate companies address vulnerabilities, not create them. A representative also informed the South China Morning Post that Nvidia’s chips do not offer remote access or control to any party. The CAC had summoned Nvidia the previous week to discuss security concerns related to its products.
The CAC’s inquiry into Nvidia’s H20 GPUs reflects a broader, decades-long pattern of nation-state concerns regarding embedded vulnerabilities in critical technology infrastructure. Significant cyber espionage cases from the past 25 years underscore how hardware and software systems have been exploited by hostile actors. Examples include the Moonlight Maze attacks (1998-1999), which saw thousands of military technology documents stolen from U.S. military networks, and Operation Aurora (2010), where Chinese hackers compromised Google and over 20 other companies. The OPM data breach (2012-2015) further highlighted how vulnerabilities can lead to substantial intelligence losses, with Chinese hackers stealing personal data of 21 million Americans, including sensitive federal employee information.
China’s specific concerns about Nvidia’s H20 chips potentially containing “tracking and remote shutdown capabilities” echo these historical precedents, where embedded vulnerabilities created systemic risks. The Chinese regulatory summons aligns with scenarios outlined in state media regarding catastrophic failures due to chip vulnerabilities, such as power loss in vehicles or failures during remote surgeries, indicating that these security concerns extend beyond mere data protection.
Nvidia’s public defense comes amidst an intensifying global competition where advanced chips are increasingly viewed as strategic national assets rather than purely commercial products. This shift is evident in initiatives like the U.S. CHIPS Act, which allocated $53 billion in federal incentives and spurred nearly $450 billion in private investments to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor production, underscoring chips’ critical importance to national security.
The creation of the Chip 4 Alliance, comprising the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, which collectively control 82% of the global semiconductor market, was specifically designed to secure supply chains against China’s influence. Recent U.S. export control measures aim to limit China’s access to advanced AI chips, while China has accelerated its domestic semiconductor initiatives in response. This geopolitical tension explains why China’s cybersecurity administration summoned Nvidia, suggesting that what appears to be a technical security inquiry is, in fact, indicative of broader concerns about technological dependence on U.S. suppliers within a strategically critical industry.
