Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding was found guilty of stealing over 2,000 pages of confidential AI trade secrets, after FBI and DoJ investigators traced the theft of custom chip designs and supercomputing data linked to China.
In a major ruling for Silicon Valley, a federal jury has found a former Google software engineer guilty of stealing massive amounts of confidential artificial intelligence technology to benefit companies in China.
Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old also known as Leon Ding, was convicted on seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets following an 11-day trial. According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Ding spent nearly a year, from May 2022 to April 2023, secretly moving over 2,000 pages of sensitive data from Google’s network to his private accounts.
For your information, these trade secrets are basically the private blueprints that give a company a competitive edge. In this case, they involved the heavy-duty hardware and software that allow Google’s data centres to run advanced AI.
Secret Roles and Stolen Chips
While still collecting a salary from Google, investigators found that Ding was living a double life. By early 2023, he had started his own AI company in China and was acting as its CEO. Further investigation revealed that he even told potential investors he could build a supercomputer by simply copying and changing Google’s existing technology.
The stolen information focused on Google’s custom-made computer chips, such as Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). These chips are the real brains behind AI, designed to handle huge amounts of data very quickly.
Notably, Ding also took details on SmartNICs, which are special cards that help these chips talk to each other at high speeds. According to the investigating agency, Ding’s goal was to help China build a computing infrastructure that was “on par with the international level.”
National Security Concerns
As we know it, Silicon Valley is the heart of global tech, and US officials are keen to keep it that way. US Attorney Craig H. Missakian stated, “The jury delivered a clear message today that the theft of this valuable technology will not go unpunished.” FBI Special Agent Sanjay Virmani added that the misuse of this technology “threatens our technological edge and economic competitiveness.”
It is worth noting that Ding was also trying to get into a government-sponsored “talent plan” in Shanghai, which encourages experts to bring their skills to China. Following the verdict, Ding is due back in court for a status conference on 3 February 2026. He could face up to 10 years in prison for each count of theft and 15 years for each count of espionage.