A former Google engineer has been accused of stealing trade secrets related to the company’s AI technology and secretly working with two Chinese companies.
Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was arrested Wednesday in Newark, California, and faces four counts of theft of federal trade secrets, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. prison.
The indictment alleges that Ding, who was hired by Google in 2019 to develop software for the company’s supercomputing data centers, began transferring sensitive trade secrets and confidential information to his personal account Google Cloud in 2021.
“Ding continued periodic downloads until May 2, 2023, at which time Ding allegedly downloaded more than 500 unique files containing confidential information,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.
Prosecutors say that after stealing the trade secrets, Ding was offered a position as chief technology officer at an AI startup in China and attended investor meetings for that company. Additionally, Ding reportedly founded and served as CEO of a China-based startup focused on training AI models using supercomputing chips.
“Today’s charges are the latest illustration of efforts by affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China to steal American innovation,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“The theft of innovative technologies and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating consequences for the economy and national security. »
If convicted on all counts, Ding faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between the United States and China over intellectual property theft and the race to dominate emerging technologies like AI.
(Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash)
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