Thieves steal Nvidia-labeled trailers expecting massive AI GPU payday, but score 40,000 pounds of sand instead
The two PlusAI trailers with Nvidia-partner markings were apparently left outside the startup's warehouse, making it a juicy target for criminals looking to make easy money on AI GPUs. However, they were deliberately left outside as the trailers only contained sand for simulating real-world truck loads.
PlusAI, an autonomous trucking startup, has been collaborating with Nvidia to develop its systems, and several of its trucks and trailers bear the logos of both companies. This may have caught the eye of thieves seeking to profit from AI GPUs, according to Wired. Two of the startup’s trailers were stolen and found at a different location, but the thieves were in for a surprise when they discovered that the stolen units contained 20,000 pounds of sand each.
The construction boom of AI data centers has resulted in soaring prices for PC components like RAM and GPUs, leading to a rise in petty theft involving these components. Enterprises and startups are being targeted, particularly as they build data centers and local AI servers with multi-million-dollar equipment and hardware. There have already been cargo heists of copper cable and other hardware worth $1.3 million, and some criminals are becoming more brazen, disrupting security escorts in order to steal AI GPUs from trucks.
While PlusAI is partnered with Nvidia, it also utilizes simulated cargo loads for real-world testing, enabling the company to model how a fully loaded semi-trailer would behave under various road conditions. The startup's truck cabs, likely fitted with advanced AI hardware, were stored securely inside its warehouse, while the trailers were left outside and secured with hand locks. According to a spokesperson for PlusAI, Lauren Kwan, the company's trailers were recovered with "40,000 pounds of sand intact."
The theft was inadvertently discovered by a top executive at PlusAI, who received a message from a friend who saw the trailers, described as "trucks," near his workplace. The executive, concerned about the location being only half a mile away from PlusAI's warehouse, alerted the police. The criminals, however, were left disappointed. They had hoped to score a large sum of money from the two truckloads of AI GPUs, but instead, they ended up with 20 tons of sand.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
