Google Faces $1.67 Billion Patent Infringement Lawsuit Over AI Technology

Alphabet’s Google is currently embroiled in a significant legal battle in a federal court in Boston, facing a $1.67 billion lawsuit over alleged patent infringement. The case centers on claims by Singular Computing and its founder, Massachusetts-based computer scientist Joseph Bates. Bates accuses Google of copying his patented technology, which purportedly underpins the processors driving AI technology in various Google products.

Bates’ lawyer, Kerry Timbers, argued that Google replicated Bates’ computer-processing innovations to develop its own AI-supporting chips, particularly Google’s Tensor Processing Units. These units are integral to AI features in Google Search, Gmail, Google Translate, and other services. The contention is based on internal Google emails, which suggest significant interest in Bates’ ideas, including from Google’s current chief scientist, Jeff Dean.

On the other hand, Google’s defense, presented by lawyer Robert Van Nest, maintains that the company’s employees who designed its chips never interacted with Bates and developed their technology independently. Van Nest portrayed Bates as a "disappointed inventor," whose technology was rejected by multiple companies, including Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc, and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. He emphasized that Google’s chips fundamentally differ from what is described in Singular’s patents.

The lawsuit’s stakes are high, with Singular initially seeking up to $7 billion but now demanding $1.67 billion in damages. This legal battle occurs simultaneously with a U.S. appeals court hearing in Washington, considering whether to invalidate Singular’s patents in a separate case initiated by Google.