Core Viewpoint - A bill proposed by U.S. Congressman Bill Foster aims to require U.S. chip companies to incorporate "backdoors" in export-controlled chips, enabling tracking and remote shutdown capabilities [1] Group 1: Legislative Context - The bill is led by Bill Foster, who has a background in physics and chip design, asserting that the technology for implementing these backdoors is mature and feasible [1] - The proposed functionalities include "tracking" and "remote shutdown," which can be achieved through hardware and software backdoors [1] Group 2: Technical Implementation - Using NVIDIA's H20 chip as an example, a hardware backdoor can be implemented by embedding a "remote shutdown" circuit in the power management module, allowing the chip to be disabled under specific conditions [2] - The H20 chip can be programmed to shut down after a set usage time, rendering it unusable and resulting in wasted investment for buyers [2] - Another method for a hardware backdoor involves modifying the firmware bootloader to check specific conditions at startup, potentially preventing the chip from functioning if conditions are not met [2] Group 3: Product Evaluation - The H20 chip is deemed unsafe and not advanced, with only about 20% of the overall computing power compared to its standard version, the H100, and a 41% reduction in GPU core count [3] - The performance drop of 28% in the H20 chip makes it inadequate for training large-scale models, and it is also characterized as neither environmentally friendly nor advanced [3] - Consumers are presented with the option to avoid purchasing the H20 chip due to its lack of safety, advancement, and environmental considerations [3]
玉渊谭天:美国给芯片安“后门”,H20既不环保、也不先进、更不安全