TLDR
- Former Google engineer Linwei Ding charged with stealing AI secrets while working secretly for Chinese companies
- Ding faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on each count if convicted
A former Google software engineer, Linwei Ding, has been charged with stealing trade secrets about artificial intelligence (AI) while working for two Chinese companies. The Chinese national is accused of stealing more than 500 confidential files related to the infrastructure of Google’s supercomputing data centres. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on each count.
Key Elements of the Article
A former Google engineer, Linwei Ding, has been charged with stealing trade secrets about artificial intelligence (AI) while secretly working for Chinese companies. The charges include stealing over 500 confidential files related to Google’s supercomputing data centres. If convicted, Ding faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on each count.
The indictment alleges that Ding was hired by Google in 2019 and began uploading confidential information to a personal Google account in May 2022. He also worked for two Chinese companies, Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology and Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, without informing Google. Ding resigned from Google in December, and his unauthorized uploads were discovered after his departure.
The US Attorney General and FBI Director commented on the case, stating that Ding’s actions were attempts to gain an edge in the AI technology race. The incident underscores the growing tensions between the US and China over technological innovation and intellectual property theft.