A former engineer at Google is facing serious charges from the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly stealing sensitive technology to aid China's development of artificial intelligence. Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, a Chinese software developer who worked at Google, faces 14 charges such as seven for economic espionage and seven for theft of trade secrets.

The latest charges against Ding, announced Tuesday, allege that he took proprietary tech related to Google's AI training chips, including those used for its Gemini model. This isn't the first time Ding has faced charges - he was initially indicted in March and pleaded not guilty. Ding could face severe penalties if found guilty, which is up to 15 years in prison for each espionage charge and an additional 10 years for each count of trade secret theft.

As per U.S. authorities, Linwei Ding joined Google in 2019, where he was accused of secretly stealing information about Alphabet Inc.'s AI projects and chip technology. In 2023, Ding reportedly founded a startup in China and applied to a government-backed talent program in Shanghai, which encourages overseas experts to return to China by offering financial incentives to transfer technical knowledge.

The indictment claims Ding kept his startup hidden from Google and allegedly asked a colleague to scan his office badge, creating the impression that he was still working at the company while managing his own business. Ding left Google on December 26, 2023, and is said to have booked a one-way flight to China shortly after. Prosecutors believe Ding's startup intended to provide AI infrastructure services to Chinese universities and state-run organisations.

Ding’s case has raised concerns about technological espionage, particularly between the US and China. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to take decisive action against such activities, focusing on safeguarding critical technologies from foreign influence. This incident comes shortly after another high-profile case in which a former Federal Reserve adviser was accused of conspiring to leak sensitive information to China.

The US government claims that Ding intended to benefit China in developing its AI infrastructure to match global standards. His startup’s internal documents reportedly outlined this objective.

The case, filed under USA v. Ding, is being heard in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, located in San Francisco. Ding could face significant prison time if found guilty, highlighting the escalating tension in the technological competition between the US and China.