In a major corporate espionage case, federal prosecutors have charged former Google software engineer Linwei (Leon) Ding with stealing sensitive Artificial Intelligence (AI) trade secrets while secretly working for two China-based technology companies.

The Alleged Theft

• The Data: Ding is accused of clandestinely uploading over 500 confidential files from Google’s internal network to his personal cloud account.
• Targeted Tech: The stolen information included detailed specifications for Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips—the specialized hardware used to train massive AI models—and software related to their “cluster management system.”
• The Method: To evade detection, Ding reportedly copied data from Google source files into the Apple Notes app on his laptop, then converted those notes into PDFs to bypass Google’s Data Loss Prevention systems.

Secret Roles in China

While employed at Google, Ding allegedly accepted high-level positions at two Chinese tech firms without notifying his employer:

• CTO Role: He was named Chief Technology Officer at an early-stage startup focused on AI acceleration.
• Founding a Startup: He founded his own company, Beijing Zhisuan Technology, which touted its access to “Google’s trillion-level computing power platform.”
• Undisclosed Travel: Ding reportedly traveled to China to attend investor meetings while still on Google’s payroll, having a colleague badge-in for him at the Google U.S. Office to create the illusion he was present.

Legal Consequences

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Ding with four counts of theft of trade secrets. If convicted, he faces:

• Up to 10 years in prison per count.
• Fines of up to $250,000 for each violation.

Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute the theft of advanced technology that could “endanger national security.”