LI Network
Published on: January 25, 2024 at 13:15 IST
Google has reached a settlement in a patent infringement lawsuit related to the chips powering the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology, as disclosed in a filing in a Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday.
The settlement coincided with the scheduled closing arguments in the trial brought by Singular Computing, seeking $1.67 billion in damages for Google’s alleged misuse of its computer-processing innovations.
While specific details of the settlement remain undisclosed, both Google and Singular confirmed the resolution without providing further information. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda emphasized that the company did not violate Singular’s patent rights and expressed satisfaction in resolving the matter.
Singular, founded by computer scientist Joseph Bates based in Massachusetts, claimed that Google incorporated his technology into processing units supporting AI features in Google Search, Gmail, Google Translate, and other services.
The 2019 lawsuit argued that Google’s Tensor Processing Units, introduced in 2016 for AI functions like speech recognition and ad recommendation, copied Bates’ technology and infringed on two patents. Singular contended that subsequent unit versions, introduced in 2017 and 2018, violated its patent rights.
Internal emails presented during the trial’s opening statements revealed Google’s now-chief scientist, Jeff Dean, discussing how Bates’ ideas aligned with the company’s development.
Google countered by asserting that the employees responsible for chip design had not met Bates and independently created the technology, emphasizing the fundamental differences from Singular’s patents.