Thieves apparently hoping to score valuable AI hardware stole two Nvidia-branded trailers belonging to autonomous trucking startup PlusAI — only to discover they were filled with sand.
PlusAI works with Nvidia to develop autonomous trucking technology, and some of its vehicles display both companies’ logos. With AI GPUs now worth huge amounts of money, the branding may have made the trailers look like valuable targets.
But the trailers weren’t carrying GPUs. PlusAI uses simulated cargo during real-world testing to recreate the weight and handling of fully loaded trucks. Each stolen trailer contained around 20,000 pounds of sand.
The theft was discovered after an acquaintance of a PlusAI executive spotted the trailers about half a mile from the company’s warehouse. Police were contacted, and both trailers were recovered with all 40,000 pounds of sand still inside.
While the trailers were stored outside, PlusAI’s truck cabs — which potentially contained advanced AI equipment — were kept securely inside the warehouse.
The incident comes as increasingly expensive AI hardware has become a target for cargo thieves, with GPUs, copper cables and other data-center equipment attracting criminals looking for high-value shipments.