Intel Employee Steals Chip Secrets for AMD

By: Sara Smith
Published: Sep 14, 2008
Updated: Mar 17, 2010

A former Intel employee is charged with stealing top business secrets. The ex-design engineer took a new job at rival computer chip maker AMD. Advanced Micro Devices denies any wrongdoing.

A former employee working for Intel Corp has been charged in stealing company secrets. Ex-design engineer Biswahoman Pani is accused of stealing documents before taking a new job with AMD.

Advanced Micro Devices denies any wrongdoing. AMD is currently working and complying with officials.

Pani was a design engineer at an Intel plant in Boston. FBI officials filed the affidavit against the ex-designer in a Boston court. Officials found 13 files containing over 100 pages of top secret documentation at Pani's house in July.

Among some of the files discovered were Intel property drawings. Some of which were based on future Intel processors.

Intel was tipped off by another company employee. The employee ordered a log of Pani's network access after learning that he planned to work at rival chip maker AMD.

While reviewing the logs, Intel discovered that Pani copied the company files onto a corporate laptop. Log files unveiled dates when Pani was on vacation and logging into the network from a remote location.

"Intellectual property is a critical asset for Intel," said company spokeswoman Claudine Mangano in a statement. Mangano said Intel notified the Department of Justice and asked the FBI for help.

The investigation found no evidence that Advanced Micro Devices had encouraged or knew of Pani's espionage.

AMD issued a statement saying they are fully cooperating.