Summary
Chinese authorities held meetings with local tech companies like Tencent and ByteDance to discuss their purchase of Nvidia’s H20 chips. They expressed concerns about data risks and questioned why companies were not using local chip suppliers. Although no ban has been enforced, China urged companies to avoid using these chips for government purposes.
Key Facts
- Chinese authorities met with companies such as Tencent and ByteDance about buying Nvidia’s H20 chips.
- Officials are worried the chips might involve data privacy risks.
- Authorities asked companies to consider local chip suppliers instead of Nvidia.
- Companies have not been banned from buying the H20 chips, but some were advised against using them for government-related work.
- The H20 is a chip Nvidia designed specifically for China after export limits were placed on more advanced AI chips.
- The US had previously banned selling the H20 to China but reversed this decision in July 2023.
- China’s cyberspace regulator has questioned Nvidia regarding security risks posed by the H20.
- State media have criticized Nvidia, questioning its potential security threats.
