California, USA – Chipmaker Nvidia has developed a new location-verifying technology that can identify the country where its high-performance artificial intelligence semiconductor chips are manufactured. This move comes in response to growing US pressure and concerns about the smuggling of sensitive technology.
According to Reuters, this feature relies on the “secret computing” capabilities of graphics processing units (GPUs). It operates through a structure that utilizes the time delay that occurs when the GPU communicates with the server. This is to determine the chip’s geographic location information.
Released as a software update for “Blackwell”
Nvidia has been showcasing this technology privately over the past few months, and plans to make it available as an optional software update that customers can install themselves.
The technology will first be implemented on Nvidia’s latest chip, the Blackwell. Its applicability to previous-generation products, such as the Hopper chip, is currently under review.
Nvidia announced in a statement that it will be rolling out a new customer-installed program. The goal is to help data center operators monitor the health and inventory of their entire fleet of graphics processing units (GPUs).
Reuters noted that this move came in response to urgent demands from the US government and Congress. It aims to curb the smuggling of advanced chips to countries subject to export restrictions, primarily China.
