Ex-Google Engineer Faces Espionage Charges Over Alleged AI Data Theft for China

A former Google software engineer, Linwei (Leon) Ding, has been charged with economic espionage after allegedly stealing critical AI-related data, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The indictment claims Ding accessed over 1,000 confidential files between May 2022 and May 2023, uploading them to his personal Google Cloud account. This information, which included Google’s proprietary hardware designs and AI software, was reportedly intended to benefit Chinese tech firms and the Chinese government.

Ding, who joined Google in 2019, allegedly began collaborating with a Chinese tech company and later founded his own AI venture in China by 2023. His activities raised suspicions when he is said to have used stolen Google data to build an AI infrastructure aiming to rival global standards.

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The stolen materials included Google’s SmartNIC, Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and GPUs, along with other software vital for the company’s AI operations. Ding’s intention, according to the DOJ, was to help China bolster its AI capabilities by leveraging stolen trade secrets.

If convicted, Ding could face a lengthy prison sentence, with up to 175 years behind bars and millions in fines, though the final judgment will depend on a range of legal factors. The case is still under investigation by the FBI.

Alexander Zdravkov