A California federal jury has convicted former Google software engineer Linwei Ding on seven counts of trade secret theft and seven counts of economic espionage. The charges stem from allegations that Ding misappropriated Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets to benefit himself and entities in China.
According to the indictment, Ding, who joined Google in 2019, began transferring confidential information from Google’s network to his personal account between May 2022 and May 2023. During this period, he uploaded over 1,000 unique files containing proprietary information related to Google’s AI technology. Concurrently, Ding was secretly affiliated with two China-based technology companies. In June 2022, he was in discussions to become the Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage Chinese tech firm. By May 2023, he had founded his own AI and machine learning company in China, serving as its CEO. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/superseding-indictment-charges-chinese-national-relation-alleged-plan-steal-proprietary-ai?utm_source=openai))
The stolen trade secrets included detailed information about the architecture and functionality of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, and the software that orchestrates these components into supercomputers capable of training and executing advanced AI models. Additionally, Ding misappropriated information about Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC, a network interface card used to enhance GPU performance and cloud networking products. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/superseding-indictment-charges-chinese-national-relation-alleged-plan-steal-proprietary-ai?utm_source=openai))
Prosecutors argued that Ding intended to benefit the Chinese government by stealing these trade secrets. Evidence presented during the trial included a PowerPoint presentation Ding circulated to employees of his company, citing Chinese national policies encouraging the development of the domestic AI industry. He also created an application for a Chinese talent program, stating that his company’s product “will help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.” ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/superseding-indictment-charges-chinese-national-relation-alleged-plan-steal-proprietary-ai?utm_source=openai))
Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman told the jury during closing arguments that Ding “stole, cheated, and lied” to advance his personal ambitions and assist China. She emphasized that Ding’s actions were not just about personal gain but also about providing an unfair competitive advantage to Chinese companies. ([news.bloomberglaw.com](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/employment/google-ai-espionage-trial-ends-with-focus-on-engineers-intent?utm_source=openai))
Google initiated an internal investigation after Ding’s resignation in December 2023. The company discovered unauthorized uploads of confidential information and promptly referred the case to law enforcement. A Google spokesperson stated, “We have strict safeguards to prevent the theft of our confidential commercial information and trade secrets. We are grateful to the FBI for helping protect our information and will continue cooperating with them closely.” ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/06/chinese-google-engineer-arrested-stealing-ai-trade-secrets?utm_source=openai))
Ding’s conviction underscores the ongoing challenges U.S. companies face in protecting intellectual property, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. The case highlights the importance of robust internal security measures and vigilance against insider threats.
For a visual overview of the case, you can watch the following news report:
Ex-Google engineer charged with stealing AI secrets | BBC News