
Former Google engineer Linwei Ding (aka Leung Ding) has been charged with stealing AI trade secrets for two Chinese companies. U.S. prosecutors have filed 14 new charges against him that could carry decades of prison time.
According to investigators, Ding had worked at Google since 2019, but was recruited by a Chinese technology company in 2022 to start stealing confidential files. He allegedly copied more than 1,000 classified documents containing vital information about Google’s chips and supercomputing platform for training AI models.
In particular, many of the documents related to hardware infrastructure and cloud computing software that gave Google an advantage over competitors Amazon and Microsoft. Ding even prepared a presentation for Chinese startups explaining how Chinese government policies are helping to boost the country’s AI industry.
A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Ding on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of trade secret theft. Each count of espionage carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $5 million fine, while the theft of secrets carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ding’s case is being investigated by the “Technology Espionage Task Force,” established by the Biden administration in 2023. The initiative aims to prevent the illegal acquisition of advanced American technology by rival countries, including China and Russia. Google has not been formally charged in the case, but the company is cooperating with the investigation. The trial is ongoing, and the parties are discussing a possible settlement, while Ding is currently out on bail. Because the stolen technology could be critical to U.S. national security, the case is expected to go to a full trial: Former Google engineer Linwei