Ex-Google employee found guilty of stealing AI trade secrets

Former Google engineer Linwei Ding was found guilty of stealing AI trade secrets for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

On Thursday, a federal jury in San Francisco convicted Ding, also known as Leon Ding, on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets. He was first indicted in March 2024.

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Ding abused his privileged access to steal AI trade secrets while pursuing PRC government-aligned ventures.”

Between roughly May 2022 and April 2023, he allegedly uploaded thousands of confidential files that included Google’s trade secrets related to AI technology to his personal Google Cloud account while being an employee at the company.

According to the evidence presented, around the same time, Ding also became affiliated with two PRC-based technology companies. In 2022, he was in discussions to become the CTO of an early-stage technology company based in the PRC, and in 2023, he started funding his own company in the PRC focused on AI and machine learning, where he would serve as CEO. In 2023, he also applied for a government-sponsored “talent plan” in Shanghai.

The DoJ says that Ding told investors he could build an AI supercomputer by copying and modifying Google’s technology. Just two weeks before his resignation, Ding downloaded the stolen Google trade secrets to his own device.

The jury found that Ding stole sensitive information related to the hardware infrastructure and software platforms that allow Google’s supercomputing data center to train and serve its AI models.

It included details of the architecture and functionality of Google’s custom TPU and GPU systems, as well as Google’s custom SmartNIC, which facilitates high-speed communication within Google’s AI supercomputers and cloud networking products.

According to the DoJ, the evidence presented at trial showed that Ding planned to assist two entities controlled by the PRC with the development of an AI supercomputer, as well as with research and development of custom machine learning chips.

Ding now faces up to 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage and up to 10 years in prison for each count of theft of trade secrets.

“Not only does this case mark the first-ever conviction on AI-related economic espionage charges, but it also demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering dedication to protecting American businesses from the increasingly severe threat China poses to our economic and national security,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.