Nvidia Photo: VCG

The People's Daily commentary department on Friday published on its social media accounts WeChat and Sina Weibo an article titled "Nvidia, how can I trust you?" along with a video footage, regarding the recent summon of the US tech firm by China's cyberspace watchdog.

On Thursday, China's cyberspace regulators summoned Nvidia over concerns that its H20 artificial intelligence computing chips could be tracked and turned off remotely, according to a statement released on the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC)'s official website.

In the meeting, Nvidia was asked to provide explanations and submit relevant evidence to address security risks associated with vulnerabilities and potential backdoors in its H20 computing chips, which are designed specifically for the Chinese market, the CAC statement said.
The move is aimed at safeguarding the cybersecurity and data security of Chinese users, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law, said the CAC.

The following is the full text of the commentary:

Nvidia's H20 computing chip has been exposed to have serious security issues, and the company was recently summoned by the Cyberspace Administration of China. Some may ask, how serious is this security issue? Imagine these scenarios: a new-energy vehicle on the highway suddenly loses power; a patient undergoing remote surgery experiences a black screen; a mobile phone payment function suddenly fails at a supermarket checkout... Once the security risk of vulnerabilities and backdoors in computing chips is triggered, we could face a "nightmare" at any time.

Afterwards, Nvidia responded in a statement saying that, "Cybersecurity is critically important to us. Nvidia does not have 'backdoors' in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them." However, despite the response, regarding the concerns about the "tracking and location" and "remote shutdown" risks of the H20 chip, the company can only alleviate the concerns of Chinese users and restore market trust by providing convincing security evidence as required by the summons.

Cybersecurity not only impacts our daily lives but also acts as the lifeblood of businesses, and is directly linked to national security. Last week, several Russian ministries and other state entities have been hacked, causing temporary disrupt to airlines services, well-known drugstore chains, and other businesses. A sudden outage in the US Starlink satellite internet service has caused 60,000 users worldwide offline, disrupting remote surgeries and causing online classes' screens to go black. These incidents serve as a reminder that safeguarding cybersecurity is as important as safeguarding national territory. Once security is compromised, everything else collapses to nothing. Developing the digital economy and building a digital China requires safeguarding cyberspace security, and we must never allow "defective" chips to enter service.

For foreign companies to deepen their presence in the Chinese market, respecting Chinese laws and strictly adhering to security red lines are fundamental prerequisites. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang once said, "We have a fundamental obligation to make sure we comply with the law all the time and that we do our utmost to serve our customers and markets." Having said that, they must act accordingly. China is committed to promoting high-level opening up within the framework of the constitution and laws, because the best business environment is one governed by law. Win-win development can only be achieved if all businesses, foreign and otherwise, abide by the rules and treat each other with sincerity.

Global Times