Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding was sentenced to nearly one year in federal prison after being convicted of stealing confidential technology linked to Google’s artificial intelligence or AI infrastructure.
Ding was sentenced on Tuesday, September 1, by US District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco to 12 months minus one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, KQED reported.
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Who is Linwei Ding?
Linwei Ding, or Leon Ding, is a Chinese national and former Google software engineer who worked on technology used in Google’s AI supercomputing infrastructure. He came to the United States in 2010 to pursue a master’s degree and later worked for several Silicon Valley technology companies before joining Google in 2019. Ding became a lawful permanent resident in 2021.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Google had hired Ding as a software engineer in 2019, giving him access to confidential information concerning the hardware and software infrastructure used by Google’s supercomputing data centres.
What Was Ding Accused Of Stealing?
The case centred on Google’s proprietary technology for building and operating large-scale AI computing systems. The DOJ stated that the stolen information covered Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, software enabling chips to communicate and perform tasks, and software that coordinates thousands of chips into a supercomputer capable of training and running advanced AI models.
The information also included details concerning Google’s custom designed SmartNIC, a networking component used in Google’s AI supercomputers and cloud networking products.
How Did Ding Steal The Information?
The original indictment alleged that Ding began transferring Google’s confidential information to a personal Google Cloud account on May 21, 2022. The DOJ stated that Ding continued making uploads until May 2, 2023.
The 2025 superseding indictment expanded the allegation, saying that Ding had uploaded more than 1,000 unique confidential files from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account.
At the trial, prosecutors presented evidence concerning more than 2,000 pages of confidential information that Ding had taken from Google’s network. The DOJ also stated that in December 2023, less than two weeks before leaving Google, Ding downloaded the stolen material onto his personal computer.
Links to Chinese companies
Prosecutors alleged that Ding pursued business opportunities in China while still working at Google. Around June 2022, he was reportedly in talks to become CTO of an early-stage Chinese technology company.
Prosecutors said the stolen technology could have given Ding and companies linked to him an unfair advantage in the AI sector. They also alleged that he tried to hide his activities from Google. According to KQED, while pitching his own venture in China, Ding arranged for an intern to use his Google ID badge to make it appear he was working from the company’s office.
January 2026 conviction overturned
A San Francisco jury convicted Ding in January 2026 on seven counts each of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets after an 11-day trial. In August, however, US District Judge Vince Chhabria threw out the seven economic espionage convictions, saying prosecutors had not shown that Ding knew his actions would benefit the Chinese government.
The seven trade secret convictions remained in place, Reuters reported.
September 1 sentencing
On September 1, Chhabria sentenced Ding to 12 months minus one day in federal prison, saying the standard sentencing range of zero to six months did not fully reflect the seriousness of his actions. The judge described the theft as a systematic and brazen attempt to take Google’s property.
Ding was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release, pay more than $189,000 in restitution and a $25,000 fine, KQED reported.
Ding’s defence
Ding’s lawyers had asked for three months of home confinement instead of prison, arguing that he had already faced major professional and personal consequences and was the primary caregiver for his eight-year-old son.
Chhabria rejected the request, saying a non-custodial sentence would not adequately reflect the offence or deter similar conduct.
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