Accelerator Security Features

1. 15 May 2025 · Bill summary · Congressional Research Service

   “Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to require any covered integrated circuit product to have chip security mechanisms that implement location verification before the product is exported, reexported, or in-country transferred to or in a foreign country.” Full statement

   Summary of the Chip Security Act (H.R. 3447) as introduced in the House

   • Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to require any covered integrated circuit product to have chip security mechanisms that implement location verification before the product is exported, reexported, or in-country transferred to or in a foreign country.

     CRS bill summary, H.R. 3447 Chip Security Act (govinfo BILLSUM) · research · 15 May 2025

2. Jul 2025 · Lobbying disclosure · NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and Google

   Each lists the Chip Security Act among the issues it lobbied on; the reports name issues and record no position. Full statement

   Lobbying reports (LD-2), second quarter 2025 to second quarter 2026

   Each lists the Chip Security Act among the issues it lobbied on; the reports name issues and record no position. Of the 164 lobbying filings for those quarters that name the bill, 35 are for these four companies, counting amendments and reports by firms they hired: NVIDIA 11, AMD 9, Intel 5 and Google 10.

   A filing by each company for the second quarters of 2025 and 2026 (8)

   • LD-2, NVIDIA Corporation, 2025 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 18 Jul 2025
   • LD-2, NVIDIA Corporation, 2026 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 18 Jul 2026
   • LD-2, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., 2025 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 21 Jul 2025
   • LD-2, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., 2026 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 20 Jul 2026
   • LD-2, Intel Corporation, 2025 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 18 Jul 2025
   • LD-2, Intel Corporation, 2026 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 17 Jul 2026
   • LD-2, Google Client Services LLC, 2025 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 21 Jul 2025
   • LD-2, Google Client Services LLC, 2026 Q2 (lda.gov API) · primary · filed 20 Jul 2026

3. 31 Jul 2025 · Government notice · Cyberspace Administration of China

   Translation by Scrutica, in EnglishOn 31 July 2025 the Cyberspace Administration of China summoned NVIDIA and required it to explain the vulnerability and backdoor security risks of the H20 computing chips it sells to China, and to submit supporting evidence. Full statement

   Notice of the summons on its website

   • Original, in Chinese

     美人工智能领域专家透露，英伟达算力芯片“追踪定位”“远程关闭”技术已成熟。

     Translation by Scrutica, in EnglishExperts in the US artificial-intelligence field have disclosed that the “tracking and positioning” and “remote shutdown” technology for NVIDIA’s computing chips is mature.

   • Original, in Chinese

     国家互联网信息办公室于2025年7月31日约谈了英伟达公司，要求英伟达公司就对华销售的H20算力芯片漏洞后门安全风险问题进行说明并提交相关证明材料。

     Translation by Scrutica, in EnglishOn 31 July 2025 the Cyberspace Administration of China summoned NVIDIA and required it to explain the vulnerability and backdoor security risks of the H20 computing chips it sells to China, and to submit supporting evidence.

     国家互联网信息办公室就H20算力芯片漏洞后门安全风险约谈英伟达公司 · primary · 31 Jul 2025

4. Five NVIDIA statements, July to December 2025. Each says its chips have none of what is marked; the blog post of 5 August adds that they should not have them.

   BackdoorsKill switches or remote disableHardware tracking
   • 31 Jul 2025 · Statement reported by AP and The Register, marked: backdoors. “NVIDIA does not have ‘backdoors’ in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them,” an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement to AP. Full statement

     Spokesperson statement after the summons

     • 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, an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement to AP.

       China summons Nvidia over ‘backdoor safety risks’ in H20 chips (AP, syndicated by WSLS) · press or analyst · 31 Jul 2025 · A statement to the press, with no copy found on an NVIDIA site · also Beijing asks Nvidia about backdoors in China-bound AI chips (The Register), 31 Jul 2025

   • 5 Aug 2025 · Blog post, marked: backdoors; kill switches or remote disable. “NVIDIA GPUs do not and should not have kill switches and backdoors.” Full statement

     NVIDIA blog, by its chief security officer

     • NVIDIA GPUs do not and should not have kill switches and backdoors.

     • Some point to smartphone features like ‘find my phone’ or ‘remote wipe’ as models for a GPU kill switch. That comparison doesn’t hold water — optional software features, controlled by the user, are not hardware backdoors.

       No Backdoors. No Kill Switches. No Spyware · primary · 5 Aug 2025

   • 10–11 Aug 2025 · Statement reported by The Paper, marked: backdoors. Translation by Scrutica, in EnglishNVIDIA chips have no ‘backdoors’ and will not let anyone access or control the chips remotely. Full statement

     Reply after an article of 10 August by the account Yuyuan Tantian, relayed in Chinese

     • Original, in Chinese

       英伟达回应称：“网络安全对我们至关重要。英伟达的芯片不存在‘后门’，不会让任何人通过远程方式访问或控制芯片。”

       Translation by Scrutica, in EnglishNVIDIA responded: “Cybersecurity is critically important to us. NVIDIA chips have no ‘backdoors’ and will not let anyone access or control the chips remotely.”

       英伟达再回应H20芯片“后门”风险 · press or analyst · 11 Aug 2025 · Relayed by the press; the English original was not located on an NVIDIA host.

   • 10 Dec 2025 · Blog post, marked: backdoors; kill switches or remote disable; hardware tracking. “NVIDIA GPUs do not have hardware tracking technology, kill switches and backdoors.” Full statement

     NVIDIA blog on the fleet management service

     • This optional service provides real-time monitoring by each GPU system communicating and sharing GPU metrics with the external cloud service. NVIDIA GPUs do not have hardware tracking technology, kill switches and backdoors.

       Opt-In NVIDIA Software Enables Data Center Fleet Management · primary · 10 Dec 2025

   • 10 Dec 2025 · Statement reported by Reuters, marked: kill switches or remote disable. “There is no feature within Nvidia GPUs that allow Nvidia or a remote actor to disable the Nvidia GPU,” Nvidia said. Full statement

     • There is no feature within Nvidia GPUs that allow Nvidia or a remote actor to disable the Nvidia GPU, Nvidia said.

       Nvidia builds location verification tech that could help fight chip smuggling (Reuters, syndicated by Yahoo Finance) · press or analyst · 10 Dec 2025 · Relayed by the press.

     • Reuters’ report of what an unnamed NVIDIA official said

       The software was built to allow customers to track a chip’s overall computing performance - a common practice among companies that buy fleets of processors for large data centers - and would use the time delay in communicating with servers run by Nvidia to give a sense of the chip’s location on par with what other internet-based services can provide, according to an Nvidia official.

       Nvidia builds location verification tech that could help fight chip smuggling (Reuters, syndicated by Yahoo Finance) · press or analyst · 10 Dec 2025 · Relayed by the press from an unnamed NVIDIA official; none of the NVIDIA documents read describes it.

5. 25 Feb 2026 · Annual report (Form 10-K), risk factors · NVIDIA

   “[the USG] may impose additional conditions such as requiring chip tracking and throttling mechanisms that could disable or impair GPUs if certain events, including unauthorized system configuration, use, or location, are detected. Such government mandates in chip designs could introduce system vulnerabilities and expose us to significant risk and potential liability […]” Full statement

   • [the USG] may impose additional conditions such as requiring chip tracking and throttling mechanisms that could disable or impair GPUs if certain events, including unauthorized system configuration, use, or location, are detected. Such government mandates in chip designs could introduce system vulnerabilities and expose us to significant risk and potential liability, negatively impact demand for our products, and could have a material impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

   • China’s government publicly questioned whether our H20 products have built-in vulnerabilities, discouraging customers from purchasing our products. We provided a public response explaining that our GPUs, including H20, do not include such built-in vulnerabilities, and will respond to any follow-up questions we receive.

     NVIDIA Form 10-K for fiscal year ended 2026-01-25 · primary · 25 Feb 2026 (filed)

6. 27 Feb 2026 · Blog post · Information Technology Industry Council

   “While there are valid commercial reasons for companies to pursue location verification, a government chip tracking mandate would create the impression of deepening U.S. government control over the American AI stack […]” Full statement

   ITI blog, on the Chip Security Act

   • While there are valid commercial reasons for companies to pursue location verification, a government chip tracking mandate would create the impression of deepening U.S. government control over the American AI stack, fueling questions about the security, reliability, and privacy of U.S. technology and pushing the very countries that should be core customers of U.S. providers toward alternatives.

   • Instead of requiring U.S. companies to track AI chips, policymakers should address export control avoidance by increasing funding and staffing for the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which administers and enforces U.S. export controls.

     The Unintended Consequence of the Chip Security Act (ITI TechWonk blog, Mike Flynn) · primary · 27 Feb 2026

7. 2 Mar 2026 · Statement · Semiconductor Industry Association

   “While we understand policymakers’ interest in addressing this issue, we cannot support blanket mandates for new, untested, and potentially infeasible on-chip mechanisms, such as what is being proposed in the Chip Security Act.” Full statement

   Statement by John Neuffer, its president and chief executive, on the Chip Security Act

   • SIA members are fully committed to complying with export controls, and we strongly oppose the illicit diversion and misuse of our chip technologies. While we understand policymakers’ interest in addressing this issue, we cannot support blanket mandates for new, untested, and potentially infeasible on-chip mechanisms, such as what is being proposed in the Chip Security Act. Rushing to legislate complex, costly, and unproven security features risks undermining global trust in American semiconductor technologies and efforts to promote the export of the American AI technology stack, eroding our global leadership and competitiveness.

   • Our companies work closely with government agencies, law enforcement, and other relevant stakeholders to prevent and detect illegal diversion and misuse of our products.

     SIA Statement on Chip Security Act (Semiconductor Industry Association) · primary · 2 Mar 2026

8. 26 Mar 2026 · Press release · Rep. Bill Huizenga

   “The Chip Security Act enhances protections on AI chip exports by scaling up best security practices and encouraging innovative technologies,” said South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga. Full statement

   House Foreign Affairs Committee release on advancing the Chip Security Act, which he introduced

   • The Chip Security Act enhances protections on AI chip exports by scaling up best security practices and encouraging innovative technologies, said South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga.

   • This bill directly supports the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan recommendations and benefits from both the administration’s technical assistance and industry feedback.

     Chairman Mast, HFAC, Advances Chip Security Act (House Foreign Affairs Committee) · primary · 26 Mar 2026

The instruments that ask for verification, among them the Chip Security Act, are quoted and dated in the policy register.