An Argentine engineer says he stole secrets from two leading U.S. computer chip makers and gave the information to China, Iran and Cuba, The New York Times reported Monday.
The engineer, Bill Gaede, said the information included designs and instructions on how to make 386, 486 and Pentium chips that power most personal computers, the newspaper said.Gaede said he stole the information from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., where he worked from 1983 to 1993, and Intel Corp., where he worked in 1993 and 1994. He said he was first motivated by a love of communism but later stole for personal gain.
The information he passed to Cuba was given to the Soviet Union and East Germany in the last years of the Cold War, Gaede said. At one point, he said he surrendered to federal authorities and cooperated with the FBI.
The newspaper said much of the detail Gaede provided was corroborated, but that his account of his involvement with foreign governments and the FBI could not be confirmed. The FBI declined comment.
None of the nations cited by Gaede have sophisticated chip manufacturing operations, so it's not expected the stolen information would damage U.S. companies anytime soon, the Times said.
Gaede, 42, lacked a valid visa but obtained highly sensitive jobs at the two leading semiconductor makers, the newspaper said. No charges have been filed against him.
Advanced Micro Devices confirmed Gaede had stolen "a significant amount" of intellectual property and given it to Cuba. An Intel spokesman declined comment.
Gaede now lives in Buenos Aires, the newspaper said.