Ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies | Technology
A former Google software engineer was found guilty in San Francisco on Thursday of siphoning highly sensitive AI-related information to aid two Chinese firms he had secretly aligned with. The defendant, Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was convicted after an 11‑day jury trial on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets, involving thousands of pages of confidential materials.
Prosecutors said Ding joined Google in May 2019 and began the illicit activity roughly three years later, as he was courted by an early-stage Chinese technology company. Each of the seven economic espionage charges carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in federal prison and fines as high as $5 million per count, while each theft of trade secrets charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years and fines up to $250,000 per count. A status conference to discuss the next steps in the case was scheduled for February 3.
The investigation and prosecution were coordinated through a federal task force focused on disruptive technologies and safeguard of advanced computing assets, established to address growing national security concerns around tech transfers and AI-related capabilities. Authorities said the stolen data encompassed Google’s hardware infrastructure details and the software framework used to train large AI models within its data centers. Some of the alleged chip blueprints were described as potentially giving Google an advantage over cloud competitors that design their own hardware, such as major providers in the market.
According to prosecutors, Ding maintained connections with two Chinese entities during the period of the alleged theft and pursued opportunities with a Chinese tech venture to expand access to confidential information. Google has not faced charges in connection with the matter and has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation; the company declined to comment beyond confirming its cooperation.
Experts say the scope of the alleged theft could complicate ongoing efforts to protect cutting-edge AI work and supply chains from unauthorized transfers. While the exact impact remains difficult to measure, the incident highlights ongoing tensions around technology transfer, national security, and how best to secure critical research and development in an increasingly competitive AI landscape. The verdict marks a significant legal reminder of the penalties that can accompany attempts to siphon proprietary technology for overseas interests.
