Data center gear is being hijacked in transit to the tune of hundreds of millions
Data center gear is being stolen in transit to the tune of hundreds of millions — grand-theft-GPU thieves hack accounts, perform hit-and-runs, and spoof GPS signals
Organized crime syndicates are hijacking shipments of data center equipment while they are in transit, according to a recent NBC report. This type of theft has been on the rise over the past few years, but rose sharply in recent months. In June 2026 alone, over $100 million worth of computing and related gear was stolen from vehicles. The Reno incident alone saw $38 million worth of equipment disappear. The stolen goods include servers, cabling, RAM modules, routers, and more.
Thieves gain access to online accounts of freight brokers and carriers, allowing them to look up cargo manifests and shipping schedules. They can then impersonate shipping companies, track shipments, or issue false ones. In some cases, they have even rammed escort cars to allow the truck to escape. The thieves use GPS beacon impersonation to make their actions appear legitimate.
The gear ends up being sold overseas to entities operating under tight AI export controls, such as China. Law enforcement thinks the gear is being shipped to countries like India, Uzbekistan, and Moldova. The syndicates are run like big corporations, with infiltrations at all levels of the supply chain. They know where the valuable goods are, how to get them, and where to sell them.
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.
