Linwei Ding, a former Google software engineer, has been convicted of stealing confidential AI supercomputer data and sharing it with Chinese tech firms. His indictment came in March 2024 after he failed to cooperate with Google’s internal investigation. Between May 2022 and April 2023, Ding took over 2,000 pages of sensitive materials, including details about Google’s AI infrastructure and proprietary technologies. He uploaded these documents to his personal Google Cloud account before attempting to leverage this knowledge for his own ventures in China. Ding had ties to two Chinese tech companies and even negotiated a position as Chief Technology Officer at one of them. He later founded his own AI company in Shanghai, claiming he could replicate Google's supercomputing capabilities. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Ding aimed to assist entities linked to the Chinese government by working on AI supercomputers and machine learning chips. He applied to a Shanghai talent program, stating his intent to help China achieve international-level computing capabilities. Throughout this process, Ding concealed his affiliations and travels to China from Google. He even asked a colleague to help him create the illusion of continued presence at work in the U.S. After an 11-day trial, he was found guilty on fourteen counts, including economic espionage and trade secret theft, with potential sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years for each count. Sentencing details have yet to be announced.