A U.S. federal jury has convicted Linwei Ding, a former software engineer at Google, for stealing sensitive data related to AI supercomputing and unlawfully sharing it with Chinese technology firms. The conviction follows an 11-day trial in San Francisco, during which evidence revealed Ding’s extensive efforts to assist entities linked to the People’s Republic of China.
Ding, who was indicted in March 2024, faced charges after failing to cooperate with Google’s internal investigation. According to prosecutors, between May 2022 and April 2023, he illegally accessed and removed more than 2,000 pages of confidential materials, subsequently uploading them to his personal Google Cloud account. The stolen documents included critical information about Google’s proprietary TPU and GPU system technologies, as well as orchestration software for large-scale AI workloads and networking technology known as SmartNIC.
Having joined Google in 2019, Ding held secret affiliations with two technology companies based in China and negotiated a position as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at one of them. He later established his own AI company in China, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co., where he assumed the role of CEO and claimed to potential investors that he could replicate Google’s AI supercomputing infrastructure.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that Ding applied to a government-sponsored talent program in Shanghai, explicitly stating his ambition to enhance China’s computing capabilities to an international standard. The U.S. Department of Justice highlighted that Ding’s efforts were aligned with the PRC government’s initiatives to bolster economic and technological advancement.
“The jury heard evidence pertaining to the PRC government’s establishment of talent plans to encourage individuals to come to China to contribute to the PRC’s economic and technological growth,” the DOJ remarked. “Ding’s application for this talent plan stated that he planned to ‘help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.’”
Throughout the investigation, Ding failed to disclose his affiliations with Chinese firms or his travel to China. He even instructed a colleague to periodically scan his entrance badge at Google to falsely suggest that he was still present at work in the U.S. This deceitful behavior played a critical role in securing his conviction.
Ding was found guilty on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of trade secret theft, each carrying a potential sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison. As of now, no sentencing date has been announced.
The case underscores growing concerns over intellectual property theft, particularly in the realm of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. As the global race for AI dominance intensifies, companies and governments are increasingly vigilant against espionage and the unauthorized transfer of sensitive information.
The outcome of Ding’s case may serve as a significant precedent in addressing similar incidents, emphasizing the legal repercussions for individuals engaging in intellectual property theft in the tech industry. As businesses continue to innovate and develop cutting-edge technology, safeguarding proprietary information will remain a critical priority for companies like Google and others operating in the high-stakes AI landscape.
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