Nvidia is working on a new software component that can provide insight into the country in which its AI chips are being used. The company wants to use this to reduce the risk of chips ending up in countries subject to export restrictions via indirect routes.
The development was first reported by Reuters. The solution is still in its early stages and is not yet widely available. Nvidia has recently shown the technology to a few parties. It involves software that runs on top of the existing security features of Nvidia GPUs, including confidential computing. This technology makes it possible to process and control information within the chip without revealing sensitive data.
Data centers have been using software to monitor the performance and availability of large numbers of GPUs for some time. Nvidia is extending this principle by also utilizing signals from network traffic. By analyzing the communication between GPUs and Nvidia infrastructure, a global indication of where the hardware is located can be obtained.
Nvidia considers the software to be a management tool
According to Nvidia, the software is intended to give administrators more insight into the state and composition of their AI infrastructure. The agent running at the customer’s site collects telemetry data from the GPUs and can help identify technical and operational anomalies. Nvidia is thus positioning the technology as a management tool, not exclusively as an enforcement tool.
The first implementation is planned for the new Blackwell architecture. These chips have more extensive security capabilities around attestation, which can be used to verify that hardware and software are in a trusted state. Nvidia is investigating whether similar functionality can also be added to earlier generations such as Hopper and Ampere, although no commitment has been made yet.
The development is taking place against a backdrop of increasing political pressure from Washington. US policymakers are pushing for stricter measures to prevent advanced AI chips from ending up in China or other countries with export restrictions.
At the same time, the idea of location control is causing suspicion in China. Regulators there are wondering whether such technology could be used as a hidden means of control by the United States.
Nvidia emphasizes that the technology does not contain any backdoors and is not intended to manipulate systems remotely. According to security experts, it is technically feasible to combine global location indication with strong security and privacy protection. It is not yet known when Nvidia will make the software more widely available and in what form.