Google To Defend Its AI Technology Against Patent Infringement Claims In A $7B Lawsuit

In a courtroom showdown scheduled to begin in Boston on Tuesday, Alphabet Inc’s GOOGL Google will defend itself against allegations of patent infringement.

What Happened: The trial centers on whether the processors powering Google’s AI technology violate patents held by Massachusetts-based computer scientist Joseph Bates, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Singular Computing, founded by Bates, argues that Google illegally employed its technology to support AI capabilities in flagship products such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Translate.

Singular has demanded up to $7 billion in compensation, an amount that would surpass the highest-ever patent infringement award in the U.S., according to a Google court filing. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.

Google’s Tensor Processing Units, which significantly boost the company’s AI capabilities, are accused of mimicking Bates’ technology and infringing on two patents, as outlined in Singular’s 2019 complaint.

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José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson expressed to Benzinga over an email, "Singular's patent claims are dubious and currently on appeal. They don't apply to our Tensor Processing Units, which we developed independently over many years. We look forward to setting the record straight in court."

Singular is yet to respond to the email sent by Benzinga.

Why It Matters: Google has been significantly bolstering its AI capabilities, making this lawsuit particularly pertinent. In October 2023, Google invested a substantial amount in Anthropic, an AI startup and a competitor of OpenAI. This move intensified the competition among tech giants and AI startups aiming for the next significant AI advancement.

Shortly after, in December 2023, Google launched Gemini AI, its most powerful AI model to date. The AI model was set to be available in Google products, including Pixel 8 smartphones, generative search, and Chrome in the “coming months,” while the most powerful version was due to be launched in 2024 following “extensive trust and safety checks.”

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Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from a Google spokesperson