A federal jury in San Francisco convicted Linwei Ding, a former Google software engineer, of 14 counts related to economic espionage and trade secret theft, involving thousands of pages of confidential information, including Google’s AI technologies, for the benefit of the Chinese government. The verdict followed an 11-day trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Vince Chabria.
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg highlighted the betrayal of trust involved, emphasizing the significance of protecting America’s technological leadership in AI. FBI officials noted this case marks a pivotal moment in the fight against economic espionage, underscoring threats from China.
During his time at Google between May 2022 and April 2023, Ding allegedly stole over 2,000 pages of critical information and formed partnerships with Chinese tech firms. He aimed to become CTO of a Chinese startup and later founded his own AI-focused company in China, claiming he could replicate Google’s technology.
The trade secrets included detailed data on Google’s AI infrastructure, such as Tensor Processing Unit chips and systems enabling training of large-scale AI models. By late 2023, Ding applied for a Chinese government talent program to support their AI ambitions.
Ding, facing up to 10 years in prison for trade secret theft and 15 years for economic espionage, is set to appear in court on February 3, 2026. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys with assistance from the national security division, following an FBI investigation.
Source link
