Nvidia’s NemoClaw Adds Security and Privacy Features for AI Agents. Is It Enough?
Just a few months since OpenClaw broke the roof of the AI world, Nvidia’s latest NemoClaw is turning heads. Announced during last week’s GTC conference keynote, NemoClaw is Nvidia’s reference stack for the OpenClaw platform, which provides a special infrastructure layer for easy installation with many security and privacy features.
Essentially, NemoClaw promises to be a simple, safe way for anyone to create a “claw,” an AI assistant that can perform actions without constant prompting or continuous instructions. CEO Jensen Huang described OpenClaw as “a personal AI app.”
It is a step towards agent AI: autonomous systems that can program, implement tools and execute complex multi-step instructions with minimal human intervention. Gifts, powered by large language models like Claude, can handle tasks such as email and messaging, although more advanced applications of these agents may become more common in the future.
Watch this: Highlights From Nvidia’s GTC 2026 Keynote With Jensen Huang
According to Nvidia, NemoClaw can be set up with a single command that installs the necessary components and software to build agents. The reference stack also includes a trust layer, creating a decentralized sandbox that uses policy-based monitoring protocols so your AI assistant can handle your data securely. Privacy router allows you to connect your agent to cloud tools securely.
Always-on agents require constant computing power to complete tasks. NemoClaw was built with this in mind, optimizing the claws to work 24-7 on any dedicated platform, including Nvidia’s own RTX PCX, and other laptops and workstations. Dell also introduced a new NemoClaw supercomputer, the Dell Pro Max with GB10 and GB300. The most popular hardware for OpenClaw enthusiasts so far has been the The Mac Minibut manufacturers began to develop computers specifically for this use.
The rise in popularity of claws has inspired Cisco to develop its own open source software, DefenseClaw, which is specially designed to protect AI agents from cyber threats by scanning all new capabilities and code before they are allowed to run. DefenseClaw also allows every agent’s actions to be tracked and viewed, so there’s always a history to go back and review. Additional layers of monitoring work aggressively and strictly enforce the rules.
Will NemoClaw use OpenClaw agents safely?
Besides making the claws more powerful, Nvidia said NemoClaw addresses the security weaknesses of the OpenClaw agent platform. Security experts were quick to raise red flags about OpenClaw’s security, warning that the tool could act as a “backdoor” if left unchecked. Attackers can hide malicious instructions in emails or websites, and a vulnerable agent can easily bypass traditional security tools.
So, can we really trust what AI agents do when no one is watching?
Melissa Bischoping, senior director of security and product design research at cybersecurity company Tanium, said that while Nvidia’s investment in NemoClaw is a good sign, agent AI systems need strong security features to truly protect users, especially given the pace of innovation.
“I hope that Nvidia builds in strong privacy and security measures to allow adoption, and innovation with their agent while providing vigilance to protect users and their data,” he said.
If OpenClaw is the Wild West, NemoClaw adds a few extra precautions to reduce risk. Karthik Ranganathan, CEO and founder of database management company Yugabyte, said NemoClaw introduces much-needed security features where none existed before.
“NemoClaw ensures that the agent is running in a sandbox and network traffic can be tracked and inspected,” said Ranganathan. With more user control, it is easy to restrict the agent to certain situations, such as preventing it from accessing a certain website.
But NemoClaw is still not there, and other “bad situations” remain ignored. Ranganathan gave the example of someone using OpenClaw to digest and respond to emails. Once the claw starts deleting large chunks of emails without warning, there’s little that can be done to stop it. “NemoClaw doesn’t need this,” he said.
Rens Troost, CTO at Rational Exponent, an AI company for banks and financial institutions, agreed that NemoClaw is a big improvement on the raw OpenClaw, but more needs to be done. “‘Significant development with OpenClaw’ is a low bar,” Troost said.
