Former Google engineer convicted in AI espionage case

A federal jury in San Francisco has convicted a passe Google instrument engineer of stealing excellent synthetic intelligence exchange secrets and methods for the succor of China, marking the first-ever conviction on AI-connected economic espionage prices, US officers acknowledged.

Linwei Ding, additionally called Leon Ding, 38, turned into as soon as stumbled on responsible on seven counts of economic espionage and 7 counts of theft of exchange secrets and methods after an 11-day trial sooner than US District Settle Vince Chhabria within the Northern District of California.

Prosecutors acknowledged Ding stole thousands of pages of confidential AI-connected data from Google while secretly pursuing China-linked technology ventures.

“This conviction exposes a calculated breach of trust involving some of the most advanced AI technology in the world at a critical moment in AI development,” acknowledged Assistant Attorney Total for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Ding abused his privileged access to steal AI trade secrets while pursuing PRC government-aligned ventures.”

In step with proof at trial, Ding stole bigger than 2,000 pages of confidential data from Google’s interior methods between Might well perchance 2022 and April 2023. Prosecutors acknowledged he uploaded the topic cloth to his personal Google Cloud fable and later downloaded it to his computer personal computer rapidly sooner than resigning from the firm.

While unruffled employed at Google, Ding secretly aligned himself with two China-essentially based fully technology corporations, officers acknowledged. In mid-2022, he talked about turning into chief technology officer of an early-stage company in China. By early 2023, he had founded his bear in mind synthetic intelligence and machine studying firm in China and turned into as soon as serving as its chief executive officer.

In investor shows, Ding claimed he can also make an AI supercomputer by copying and embellishing Google’s technology. The jury stumbled on that the stolen exchange secrets and methods connected to hardware and instrument that enable Google’s data centers to declare and operate huge AI items.

The topic cloth integrated detailed data about Google’s custom Tensor Processing Unit chips, graphics processing unit methods, and the instrument that lets within the chips to keep in touch and work together. It additionally lined instrument dilapidated to orchestrate thousands of chips into AI supercomputers and anxious components of Google’s SmartNIC technology dilapidated for excessive-dart networking.

Prosecutors additionally presented proof that Ding sought strengthen from the Chinese executive. In late 2023, he utilized for a Shanghai-essentially based fully executive-backed talent program, stating that he deliberate to “help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”

FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Fee Sanjay Virmani acknowledged the choice underscored the executive’s dedication to retaining innovation. Ding turned into as soon as first indicted in March 2024. He is scheduled to appear next at a popularity convention on February 3, 2026, and faces up to 10 years in penal complicated on every theft depend and up to fifteen years on every espionage depend.