Google settles AI-chip IP infringement case that sought $1.6 bn damages for undisclosed amount

On Wednesday, Google reached a settlement in a patent infringement lawsuit concerning the chips powering the company’s AI technology. The resolution was disclosed in a filing at a federal court in Massachusetts on the same day that closing arguments were scheduled to commence in the trial brought by Singular Computing. The lawsuit sought $1.67 billion in damages, accusing Google of misusing computer-processing innovations. Details of the settlement were not immediately disclosed, and both Google and Singular representatives confirmed the agreement without providing additional information. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the company maintains it did not violate Singular’s patent rights and expressed satisfaction in resolving the matter. Singular, founded by computer scientist Joseph Bates in Massachusetts, alleged that Google incorporated its technology into processing units supporting AI features in various Google services, including Search, Gmail, and Google Translate. The 2019 lawsuit contended that Google’s , introduced in 2016 for AI tasks such as speech recognition and content generation, copied Bates’ technology, violating two patents. Singular claimed that subsequent versions, introduced in 2017 and 2018, further infringed on its patent rights. During the trial, internal emails from Google’s now-chief scientist, Jeff Dean, were cited, indicating discussions about the suitability of Bates’ ideas for Google’s development. Google countered these claims by asserting that the employees designing the chips had not met Bates and independently created the technology. The company argued that its technology was fundamentally different from what was described in Singular’s patents. The settlement brings an end to the legal dispute between the two parties. (With inputs from agencies)