NVIDIA Stands Firm: No Backdoors, No Kill Switches, No Compromise on Security

NVIDIA GPUs are foundational to modern computing, powering critical systems across healthcare, finance, scientific research, autonomous vehicles, AI infrastructure, and more. They are embedded in medical imaging devices like CT scanners and MRI machines, DNA sequencers, air-traffic control systems, city traffic networks, self-driving cars, supercomputers, broadcast equipment, casino gaming machines, and gaming consoles. Some policymakers and commentators have proposed mandating hardware-level “kill switches” or backdoors in GPUs—features that could remotely disable or control chips without user knowledge or consent. These ideas are fundamentally flawed and dangerous. NVIDIA does not and will never build such features into its products. Hard-coded, single-point controls in hardware are inherently insecure. Over 30 years of experience designing processors has taught us that introducing intentional vulnerabilities—whether backdoors or remote disable mechanisms—creates massive risks. These flaws do not just threaten individual users; they undermine the entire global digital infrastructure. They provide a direct path for hackers, foreign adversaries, and malicious actors to exploit systems at scale. The principle that companies must fix security flaws—not create them—has long been a cornerstone of cybersecurity policy. When vulnerabilities like Spectre and Meltdown were discovered in CPUs, governments and industry responded swiftly and collaboratively to patch them. This unified approach worked because it treated security as a shared responsibility, not a tool for surveillance or control. There is no such thing as a “safe” backdoor. Every hidden access point becomes a target. The history of cybersecurity shows that centralized vulnerabilities are not just technical risks—they erode trust. The 1990s Clipper Chip initiative, pushed by the NSA, is a cautionary tale. Designed to allow government access to encrypted communications, it was quickly exposed as insecure, with flaws that could be exploited by attackers. It failed both technically and politically, ultimately abandoned due to widespread distrust. Comparing GPU kill switches to optional software tools like “find my phone” or “remote wipe” is misleading. Those features are user-controlled, transparent, and optional. They operate through software, not hardware, and require user consent. NVIDIA has always supported open, transparent software solutions—diagnostics, performance monitoring, bug reporting, and timely security updates—all with user awareness and control. That’s responsible innovation. Hardwiring a kill switch into a chip is not innovation—it’s a dangerous design flaw. It’s akin to giving a car manufacturer a remote control for the brakes. Such a system invites abuse, creates systemic fragility, and threatens national and economic security. Hardware integrity must be nonpartisan and nonnegotiable. The U.S. has long led the world in building secure, trustworthy technology. That leadership depends on maintaining the highest standards of integrity. There are many legitimate tools for national security—intelligence, law enforcement, and regulation—without weakening the foundation of digital trust. NVIDIA’s chips have no backdoors. No kill switches. No spyware. This is not a matter of opinion. It’s a commitment to security, transparency, and the long-term health of the global technology ecosystem. That’s how we build systems that people can trust.