Former Google AI engineer charged with commerce secret theft for China agency

Justice Division officers referred to as the case a sign that the U.S. authorities will stay vigilant in opposition to makes an attempt to illicitly switch superior U.S. applied sciences to China amid a Chilly Struggle-like technological arms race between Washington and Beijing.

“The Justice Division won’t tolerate the theft of synthetic intelligence and different superior applied sciences that would put our nationwide safety in danger,” U.S. Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland mentioned in a press release.

If convicted, Ding faces a most penalty of 10 years in jail and as much as $1 million in fines.

In response to an indictment filed Tuesday in federal courtroom in San Francisco, Ding was employed by Google as a software program engineer in 2019 and labored on the corporate’s supercomputing information facilities. He labored on creating software program that helped the operation of machine studying and AI functions for Google’s shoppers, the indictment mentioned.

Prosecutors mentioned Ding started importing confidential Google info to a private Google Cloud account in Might 2022 and had uploaded greater than 500 information by Might 2023.

The commerce secret theft counts contain chip structure and software program design specs for “tensor processing items” and “graphics processing items,” chips which might be the constructing blocks of supercomputing facilities.

Whereas nonetheless employed at Google, Ding grew to become the chief know-how officer of a China-based AI firm, Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Expertise, and based a second China-based firm, Shanghai Zhisuan Expertise, with out informing Google, the indictment mentioned.

The FBI searched Ding’s residence Jan. 6, seizing his digital gadgets and different proof.

“Let at this time’s announcement function additional warning: Those that would switch delicate U.S. know-how to China danger discovering themselves on the mistaken finish of a felony indictment,” Assistant Secretary Matthew Axelrod of the Commerce Division’s Workplace for Export Enforcement mentioned in a press release.

The Justice Division mentioned the investigation into Ding was carried out by the Justice and Commerce departments’ Disruptive Expertise Strike Drive, a year-old group aimed toward securing U.S. applied sciences from being acquired by “authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.”

Each the U.S. and Chinese language governments view synthetic intelligence as a strategic rising know-how with broad potential to spice up financial output in civilian sectors, whereas offering key capabilities for militaries and intelligence companies. President Biden issued an AI govt order final yr aimed toward holding america forward of nations like China in AI improvement.

Ding, Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Expertise and Shanghai Zhisuan Expertise couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda mentioned the corporate had referred the case to federal officers. “We’ve strict safeguards to forestall the theft of our confidential business info and commerce secrets and techniques. After an investigation, we discovered that this worker stole quite a few paperwork, and we shortly referred the case to legislation enforcement,” he mentioned.

Gerrit De Vynck contributed to this report.