Data center heists are getting bolder, and the latest one hit Nvidia for $11.4 million

Data center equipment is increasingly becoming a prime target for cargo thieves, particularly as the AI boom drives explosive growth in these facilities. Thefts of GPUs and other related gear are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, resulting in significant financial losses. According to the Bay Area News Group, police suspect a sophisticated group stole $11.4 million worth of Nvidia equipment destined to travel from Oakland to Fort Worth, Texas.

The shipment, which included six pallets, was initially loaded in Oakland on August 29 as scheduled, but the theft was only discovered in early September. Police attempted to track the vehicle but lost its trail in San Bernardino County after it made several long stops. This heist follows several others throughout 2025, with Nvidia suffering over $7.5 million in losses in Fremont and Union City alone.

In June 2026, authorities recovered $1.3 million worth of equipment in Chicago using GPS trackers. However, some thieves have started countering such technology by manipulating GPS signals and using other techniques to avoid detection. In some cases, thieves target private escort vehicles that follow shipments, slamming into them to steal the cargo.

Police have noted an increase in such incidents recently. Thieves also employ common hacking and phishing tactics to impersonate legitimate shipping companies. Shippers are now investing more in monitoring services and deploying surveillance cameras to deter and identify suspicious individuals and license plates. Despite these measures, any truck with Nvidia's logo is now considered a potential target, even if it doesn't contain valuable cargo.

In September, thieves stole Nvidia-branded trailers expecting to find GPUs or other equipment, but instead found 20,000 pounds of sand. The sand was being used by another company, PlusAI, for research and development purposes. The recent $11.4 million heist demonstrates that shippers are trying to disguise their cargo to avoid being targeted, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.