On February 4th, U.S. prosecutors revealed an expanded 14-count indictment against former Google software engineer Linwei Ding. The indictment accuses Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets for the benefit of two Chinese companies he was covertly working for. Ding faces seven counts each of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
Each economic espionage charge carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and a $5 million fine, while each trade secrets charge carries a maximum 10-year term and a $250,000 fine. Referred to as Leon Ding, the defendant is also charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. Currently out on bond, Ding's legal representatives have not yet commented on the case.
Ding's prosecution is part of an interagency effort established in 2023 by the Biden administration to safeguard advanced technology from being obtained by nations like China and Russia, thereby potentially endangering national security. Prosecutors allege that Ding illicitly obtained information on Google's data center infrastructure and software platform used for training large AI models, including chip blueprints. Some of these blueprints were reportedly intended to enhance Google's competitive edge in cloud computing against rivals such as Amazon.com and Microsoft. Ding is accused of stealing confidential files starting in 2019, during his tenure at Google, and later sharing this information with a Chinese startup he founded.
While Google has not been charged and has stated its cooperation with law enforcement, discussions between prosecutors and defense attorneys indicate a "potential resolution" in Ding's case, with the possibility of a trial. The case, known as U.S. v. Ding, is pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, with case number 24-cr-00141.