Thieves in Newark, California, stole two trailers marked with logos for Nvidia and PlusAI. The trailers were supposed to be docked outside a PlusAI warehouse.
PlusAI employees told police that the thieves hooked their own cabs up to the trailers and drove away. They abandoned the vehicles nearby after breaking them open.
Police arrived at the scene to help recover the two trailers. The vehicles were emblazoned with logos for Nvidia and autonomous truck partner PlusAI.
PlusAI used simulated loads for testing
PlusAI employees explained why the thieves abandoned the cargo. Each trailer contained about 20,000 pounds of sand instead of valuable technology.
PlusAI spokesperson Lauren Kwan explained the purpose of the cargo. The company uses simulated loads in its trailers to assist with research and development testing.
Kwan confirmed that the trailers were recovered with 40,000 pounds of sand intact. The tech enabled truck cabs remained safely parked inside the warehouse and were not taken.
Cargo theft targets high-value tech
The thieves broke hand locks to access the trailers. Fremont Police Department spokesperson Amy Gee stated that the case remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The incident coincides with rising theft targeting high-value computer equipment and data center electronics.
Verisk CargoNet reports that metals and enterprise grade computer equipment are common targets across the US. Criminals have also targeted Tesla batteries and bitcoin mining machines this year.
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August brought reports of California thieves striking security escort vehicles to steal high-value tech loads. Millions of dollars of data center equipment from those incidents remains unrecovered.
Authorities have arrested suspects in some cargo theft cases. Many other crimes remain unsolved.
The sand trailers were safely returned to PlusAI by Thursday afternoon according to the Fremont Police Department.
