Login to Continue Learning
NVIDIA has clarified its stance on the integration of kill switches and backdoors into AI chips, stating that it is not interested in this approach.
NVIDIA Says Chips Heading to China Will Never Have Backdoors or Kill Switches, Opposing the Stance of US Lawmakers
Recently, Chinese regulators approached NVIDIA regarding potential backdoors in their AI chips. In response, NVIDIA published a dedicated blog post addressing this matter. The company calls out ‘pundits and policymakers’, asserting that it will never embed kill switches into its equipment, which is at the heart of modern computing. According to NVIDIA, such measures would be a gift to hackers and hostile actors, undermining the use of US technology in foreign markets.
NVIDIA has been designing processors for over thirty years. Embedding backdoors and kill-switches into chips would be a gift to hackers and hostile actors. It would undermine global digital infrastructure and fracture trust in U.S. technology. Established law wisely requires companies to fix vulnerabilities—not create them.
NVIDIA further discusses the consequences of the ‘Clipper Chip Debacle’, an initiative by the US government that attempted to introduce a backdoor into encrypted communications for enforcement purposes. The company explains that implementing such measures with AI chips would have drastic impacts.
While the US government has not yet taken such an approach, a bill has been introduced into the Senate. However, NVIDIA is firm in its position: “There are no backdoors in NVIDIA chips. No kill switches. No spyware. That’s not how trustworthy systems are built—and never will be.”
📚 Reading Comprehension Quiz
According to NVIDIA, why does the company refuse to integrate kill switches and backdoors into its AI chips?
Please login or register to take the quiz and earn points!
