AI Data Theft: Ex-Google Engineer Indicted For Stealing Trade Secrets To Help Chinese Firms

Google purportedly developed some of the chip blueprints in question to outmanoeuvre competitors in cloud computing like Amazon and Microsoft while reducing reliance on chips from Nvidia.

Linwei Ding, a former software engineer at Google, has been formally indicted in California for allegedly pilfering trade secrets about artificial intelligence from Google's parent company, Alphabet. As reported by Reuters, this move was reportedly aimed at benefiting two Chinese firms Ding was clandestinely associated with. The indictment, disclosed by a federal jury in San Francisco, comprises four counts of theft of trade secrets against the 38-year-old Chinese national, also known as Leon Ding. Ding was apprehended at his residence in Newark, California, on Wednesday morning. At present, there is no immediate identification of legal representation for Ding.

This legal action against Ding follows a statement by US Attorney General Merrick Garland at a conference in San Francisco, emphasising the government's commitment to curbing the theft of trade secrets. The indictment alleges that Ding absconded with intricate details concerning Google's hardware infrastructure and software platform utilised in its supercomputing data centres for training large-scale AI models through machine learning.

AI Supercomputer Data Stolen

Reportedly, the stolen data encompassed specifics regarding chips, systems, and software pivotal for operating a supercomputer with advanced machine learning and AI capabilities. Google purportedly developed some of the chip blueprints in question to outmanoeuvre competitors in cloud computing like Amazon and Microsoft while reducing reliance on chips from Nvidia.

Ding, who joined Google in 2019, is alleged to have initiated the thefts three years later, coinciding with discussions about his potential appointment as chief technology officer for a burgeoning Chinese tech startup. By May 2023, Ding purportedly had uploaded over 500 confidential files. It is highlighted in the indictment that Ding established his technology firm that same month and shared a document within a chat group insinuating their capability to replicate and enhance Google's computational power platform.

Google's suspicions regarding Ding arose in December 2023, culminating in the confiscation of his laptop on January 4, 2024, a day before Ding's planned resignation. Responding to inquiries, Jose Castaneda, a spokesperson for Google, underscored the company's stringent measures to thwart the theft of confidential information, affirming their prompt referral of Ding's case to law enforcement.

If found guilty, Ding could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison along with a $250,000 fine for each criminal count.