Initiating a review would help safeguard national security and the interests of Chinese consumers, the group said.
Intel’s products sold in China should be subject to a cybersecurity review, the Cyber Security Association of China said, cautioning that the U.S. chip maker poses a national-security threat to the country.
In a post on WeChat, the Chinese industry group said thatIntel’s products have shown frequent security vulnerabilities and high failure rates.
China was Intel’s largest market in 2023, accounting for 27% of its revenue.
It also made note of security vulnerabilities and stability issues previously found in Intel CPUs in the US. CSAC raised concerns about an Intel module capable of remotely managing user devices and “hidden backdoors” that the firm had allegedly “embedded in almost all its CPUs since 2008.”
The group alleged those “backdoors” gave US National Security Agency the ability to monitor Intel systems across the globe, and were effectively “a huge security threat to the critical information infrastructure of countries around the world, including China.”
While CSAS is not a government body, the group has close ties to the Chinese state. Given the extent of its accusations against Intel, this could trigger a security review from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
The powerful Chinese cyberspace regulator was behind the failed network security review last year of another US chipmaker: Micron Technology. Following the review CAC barred domestic operators of key infrastructure from buying products made by Micron.
Amid the technology war between the U.S. and China ,Intel— like its other US peers — is under increasing pressure from Washington to stop exports of top-tier tech to China.
That has led to retaliatory moves from Beijing, which, earlier this year, implemented guidelines to phase out microprocessors made by Intel and AMD, another US chipmaker, from government personal computers and servers.
The tech war between the world’s two biggest economies has only intensified since, with US doing all it can to boost domestic semiconductor output and reduce reliance on China with the CHIPS and Science Act.
In its post, CSAS claimed Intel “was the biggest beneficiary” of the act.
“In order to please the US government, Intel has actively taken a stance to suppress China,”
CSAS alleged.
As Reuters notes, despite their differences, the U.S. and China have called for cooperation and peace over the past year, while also saying their willingness to cooperate will not stop them from making moves to protect their commerce and security.
Source: Reuters
