In the US, unknown people stole two trailers belonging to the autonomous trucking company PlusAI, one of which had a bright NVIDIA logo. The thieves hoped to get hold of expensive GPU chips, but instead got 18 tons of sand.
In the US, unknown people stole two trailers belonging to the autonomous trucking company PlusAI, one of which had a bright NVIDIA logo. The thieves hoped to get hold of expensive GPU chips, but instead got 18 tons of sand.
The incident was reported by Business Insider, citing comments from PlusAI Vice President of Marketing Lauren Kwan and a statement from Fremont Police.
According to Lauren Kwan, the company uses sandbags to simulate the real weight of cargo during autonomous test runs. She suggests that the thieves were attracted by the brand logo of NVIDIA, whose chips are used in PlusAI’s autopilot systems.
The theft was discovered Thursday morning, but the trailers were recovered within hours. A friend of a PlusAI employee accidentally spotted them parked outside another company’s office, unaware of the theft. PlusAI employees confirmed the location and called police, after which Newark law enforcement officers seized the property.
“In the 10 years the company has been around, this has never happened before,” said Lauren Kwan. She added that the doors of the trailers were opened, but nothing inside was damaged. She said PlusAI is now considering increasing security measures. Fremont police confirmed that the case remains under investigation, and no suspects in the theft have been arrested.
According to analysts at Overhaul, a supply chain risk assessment company, data center equipment thefts have increased by 34% compared to 2024, and total losses in the industry have already exceeded $150 million.
