Former Google Engineer Convicted of Economic Espionage and AI Trade Secret Theft
A federal jury in San Francisco has convicted Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, a former Google software engineer. The conviction, delivered after an 11-day trial, includes seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets. The charges relate to the theft of thousands of pages of confidential information containing Google’s artificial intelligence technology, intended for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Key Details of the Theft
Between approximately May 2022 and April 2023, while employed by Google, Ding stole over 2,000 pages of Google’s AI trade secrets from the company's network. He uploaded this confidential information to his personal Google Cloud account.
During his Google employment, Ding secretly affiliated himself with two PRC-based technology companies. By June 2022, he was engaged in discussions to become the Chief Technology Officer for a PRC-based technology company. By early 2023, Ding had founded his own AI and machine learning company in the PRC, where he served as its CEO.
He informed potential investors that he possessed the capability to develop an AI supercomputer by replicating and modifying Google’s existing technology. In December 2023, shortly before his resignation from Google, Ding downloaded the stolen trade secrets to his personal computer.
Stolen Technology Profile
The stolen trade secrets pertained to critical hardware infrastructure and software platforms used in Google’s supercomputing data centers. These systems are essential for training and serving large AI models.
The information included detailed architecture and functionality of Google’s custom Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems, as well as Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems. The stolen data also covered sophisticated software designed to facilitate chip communication and orchestrate thousands of chips into powerful supercomputers for advanced AI workloads.
Additionally, information concerning Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC was taken. The SmartNIC is a specialized network interface card crucial for high-speed communication within Google’s AI supercomputers and cloud networking products.
Connection to the People's Republic of China
Ding referenced the PRC’s national policies, which prioritize AI development, in presentations made to potential investors. In late 2023, he applied for a government-sponsored “talent plan” in Shanghai, PRC.
His application expressed an intent to “help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”
Evidence presented indicated that Ding intended to benefit two entities controlled by the Chinese government. This was to be achieved by assisting in the development of an AI supercomputer and by collaborating on custom machine learning chips.
Legal Proceedings and Potential Sentence
Ding was initially indicted in March 2024, with a superseding indictment in February 2025 that specified the seven distinct categories of stolen trade secrets.
He now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of theft of trade secrets, and 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage. A status conference in the case is currently scheduled for February 3, 2026.