NVIDIA responded late at night, and then the Chinese authorities stepped in to refute it, stating that China would not buy "junk" for money. At this critical moment, it has been reported that NVIDIA has already signed a deal with Trump, agreeing to hand over the money earned from China to the U.S. government.

NVIDIA chips

Recently, Chinese state media have published several articles, claiming that the H20 chips sold by NVIDIA to China indeed carry "hardware backdoor risks," which can enable functions such as "remote shutdown." This is the second time that China has raised doubts about NVIDIA's products after NVIDIA issued a late-night response denying the existence of "backdoor vulnerabilities."

The Chinese accusation against NVIDIA's "backdoor" is not just a simple product quality issue but directly points to the systemic risks of U.S. technological hegemony. In July, Huang Renxun announced in China that the U.S. government had approved the sale of H20 chips to China, but soon after, the Cyberspace Administration of China held a meeting with NVIDIA, citing "security risks."

The so-called "backdoor" refers to the company's ability to bypass normal detection systems and access sensitive information without authorization, which brings the risk of data leakage. In its response, China stated that the H20 chip is fully capable of achieving "remote shutdown" and will do so in two ways.

Huang Renxun in China

One method is to set the chip's activation time. For example, once the usage time exceeds the set 500 hours, the power management module of the H20 chip will automatically cut off the core power or adjust the voltage to an unstable state, causing the chip's function to malfunction. In other words, the length of time that China can use the chips it bought at a high price is determined by the United States.

The other method is to modify the chip's boot program. For example, to activate the chip, it needs to meet conditions such as geographical location and application authorization. If these conditions are not met, the chip cannot start, and even if it does, certain advanced functions will be restricted, effectively achieving a "remote shutdown."

It should be noted that the H20 chip is currently only available for the Chinese market, making it highly targeted. In other words, if the so-called "backdoor" is activated, it will not affect other NVIDIA products, only those sold to China will face problems. Compared to the standard version H100, the H20 has about 20% of the total computing power, which is not advanced, and now it adds an extra "insecurity."

Huang Renxun and Trump

In response, China clearly stated in the article that as the sole consumer of the H20, China can choose to "not buy" this "substandard product." At the same time, the Financial Times also reported a piece of news that further strengthened China's decision. The report said that NVIDIA has already reached an agreement with the U.S. government to hand over 15% of its sales revenue from the Chinese market to the U.S. government in exchange for export licenses.

For the U.S. government, binding revenue sharing through export licenses allows the U.S. to maintain technological suppression against China while profiting from mid-range chips. However, for China, the interest exchange between NVIDIA and the U.S. government transforms the chips from commodities into strategic tools. Its security has gone beyond the technical realm, and China cannot ignore national security, thus continuing to purchase NVIDIA products.

H20 chip

Now, China's clear response indicates that the existence of a "backdoor" in the H20 is undeniable, and China's concerns are not baseless. Currently, the U.S. Congress is pushing a proposal called the "Chip Security Act," which requires export of high-end chips to install a "location verification" mechanism.

Put simply, if this bill passes, American companies will serve the government comprehensively, and the so-called "backdoor" will become common knowledge. Through this move, the U.S. is effectively cutting off the supply chain of high-end chips, once again pointing the gun at China. China's response is clear: national security comes first, and China will "not buy" anymore.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7537193065480471081/

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