On Wednesday, authorities arrested former Google software program engineer Linwei Ding in Newark, California, on costs of stealing AI trade secrets and techniques from the corporate. The US Department of Justice alleges that Ding, a Chinese nationwide, dedicated the theft whereas secretly working with two China-based corporations.
According to the indictment, Ding, who was employed by Google in 2019 and had entry to confidential details about the corporate’s knowledge facilities, started importing tons of of recordsdata into a private Google Cloud account two years in the past.
The trade secrets and techniques Ding allegedly copied contained “detailed details about the structure and performance of GPU and TPU chips and techniques, the software program that enables the chips to speak and execute duties, and the software program that orchestrates hundreds of chips right into a supercomputer succesful of executing on the leading edge of machine studying and AI expertise,” in response to the indictment.
Shortly after the alleged theft started, Ding was supplied the place of chief expertise officer at an early-stage expertise firm in China that touted its use of AI expertise. The firm supplied him a month-to-month wage of about $14,800, plus an annual bonus and firm inventory. Ding reportedly traveled to China, participated in investor conferences, and sought to lift capital for the corporate.
Investigators reviewed surveillance digital camera footage that confirmed one other worker scanning Ding’s title badge on the entrance of the constructing the place Ding labored at Google, making him seem like he was working from his workplace when he was really touring.
Ding additionally based and served because the chief government of a separate China-based startup firm that aspired to coach “giant AI fashions powered by supercomputing chips,” in response to the indictment. Prosecutors say Ding didn’t disclose both affiliation to Google, which described him as a junior worker. He resigned from Google on December 26 of final 12 months.
The FBI served a search warrant at Ding’s dwelling in January, seizing his digital units and later executing an extra warrant for the contents of his private accounts. Authorities discovered greater than 500 distinctive recordsdata of confidential data that Ding allegedly stole from Google. The indictment says that Ding copied the recordsdata into the Apple Notes utility on his Google-issued Apple MacBook, then transformed the Apple Notes into PDF recordsdata and uploaded them to an exterior account to evade detection.
“We have strict safeguards to stop the theft of our confidential business data and trade secrets and techniques,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda advised Ars Technica. “After an investigation, we discovered that this worker stole quite a few paperwork, and we rapidly referred the case to legislation enforcement. We are grateful to the FBI for serving to shield our data and can proceed cooperating with them carefully.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland introduced the case in opposition to the 38-year-old at an American Bar Association convention in San Francisco. Ding faces 4 counts of federal trade secret theft, every carrying a possible sentence of as much as 10 years in jail.
