The big picture: Data center equipment has become a prime target for merchandise thieves as the AI boom has boosted the construction of these facilities. As shipments of GPUs and other equipment repeatedly disappear, new reports suggest that thieves are becoming more ambitious and sophisticated as heists become more lucrative.
Police suspect sophisticated thieves stole $11.4 million worth of Nvidia equipment supposed to be shipped from Oakland to Fort Worth, Texas, according to the Bay Area News Group. No arrests have been announced so far.
A vehicle containing six pallets was picked up in Oakland on August 29 as planned, but no one realized the shipment was missing until early September. Police tried to track him down, but lost track of the vehicle in San Bernardino County after making several stops lasting several hours.
This theft follows several thefts over the past year involving Nvidia and other companies involved in building AI data centers. By 2025, the investigations in Fremont and Union City alone resulted in more than $7.5 million in losses for Nvidia.
Meanwhile, in June 2026, authorities recovered equipment worth $1.3 million in Chicago. GPS trackers helped police find stolen goods, but some thieves began to respond using GPS manipulation and other methods.
In some cases, thieves will target private escort vehicles that follow shipments. Police say such incidents are becoming more and more common.
In other cases, thieves may use common hacking and phishing methods to impersonate legitimate shipping companies. In response, shippers are investing more in surveillance services and even deploying Flock cameras to monitor suspicious people and license plates.
It appears that any truck displaying the Nvidia logo could be targeted, whether it’s carrying anything of value or not. In September, thieves stole Nvidia-branded trailers hoping to find GPUs or other equipment, but discovered 20,000 pounds of sand. It turned out that the other company whose logo was on the trucks, PlusAI, was using the sand to simulate loads for research and development purposes.
Details of the $11.4 million heist indicate that shippers attempted to hide their cargo in response to the thefts, although the tactic failed in this case. The thieves still stole the pallets, even after a vehicle with a food company logo picked them up.
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