Linwei ( Leon ) Ding, a former software engineer at Google, is accused of stealing Google AI trade secrets from Chinese companies, according to the U. S. Department of Justice ( DoJ).
According to the allegations, Ding allegedly transferred proprietary information about Google’s artificial intelligence ( AI ) technologies to two Chinese businesses where he had a secret job.
Important technology supports Google’s advanced supercomputing data centers, which are essential for training and hosting large AI models capable of processing nuanced language and producing intelligent responses, according to the allegedly stolen trade secrets.
According to the indictment, Ding allegedly stole confidential data from hardware and software platforms, including:
- the TPU ( Tensor Processing Unit ) and GPU ( Graphics Processing Unit ) chips and systems ‘ architecture and functionality.
- software that these chips use to communicate and carry out tasks.
- The cluster management system ( CMS ), which turns thousands of chips into a cutting-edge supercomputer.
Covert data thief
According to the DOJ, Ding began working at Google as a software engineer in 2019 and starting uploading proprietary data to a personal Google Cloud account on May 21, 2022. More than 500 files were stolen as a result of this procedure, which lasted for almost a year.
To conceal his actions, Ding copied Google source files into Apple Notes on his Google-issued laptop and converted them into PDF files before uploading them to his Google Cloud account.
According to the indictment, Ding transferred the files containing sensitive information to China, specifically an AI company he co-founded by becoming the company’s Chief Technology Officer and founding Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co.
Ding disregarded his travel plans to attend investor meetings in China and did not inform Google about his connections to these businesses.
Instead, Ding allegedly requested that a coworker periodically check his entrance badge to make it appear as though he was employed by a Chinese company.
Ding lied to the firm’s investigator by claiming that he had uploaded files to his personal account to use as proof of the work he did at the firm even after Google discovered the unauthorized data transfer activity.
Untrue, he even signed a Self-Deletion Affidavit in which he claimed to have permanently deleted all non-public information from Google outside of his employment.
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Ding was detained on March 5, 2024, in California, and he is currently facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to$ 250, 000 for each count of trade secret theft ($ 1 million total ).