Thieves in Newark, California, stole two trailers branded with Nvidia and PlusAI logos last week, apparently hoping to score a haul of high-value GPUs. Instead, they ended up with 20,000 pounds of sand in each trailer, according to a report from Wired.
The trailers were being used by Nvidia and PlusAI as part of their joint effort to test autonomous trucks. The sand served as a simulated load, a common practice in autonomous vehicle testing to replicate the weight and handling characteristics of real cargo. The theft was discovered when a PlusAI executive received a text message from a friend who had spotted the trailers parked outside the company's Newark office. PlusAI was able to recover both trailers and all the sand inside, as the thieves appear to have abandoned them. No arrests have been made.
The most valuable part of the setup, the tech-equipped trucks themselves, were parked inside a warehouse and left untouched. The thieves likely targeted the trailers based on the Nvidia branding, assuming they contained graphics cards, which have become increasingly expensive and sought after.
As AI hardware prices continue to rise to fuel data center growth, thefts of enterprise-grade computer and networking equipment have become more common. A report on Q2 2026 theft risk from Verisk CargoNet noted that organized groups are increasingly targeting these shipments, which can be worth millions of dollars but often move through the supply chain as ordinary dry freight. This creates a significant mismatch between their financial value and their ordinary transportation and security profile.
The incident highlights the growing demand for GPUs and other AI hardware, which has driven up prices and made such components a target for thieves. RAM prices have continued to climb since the start of 2026, and Nvidia graphics cards specifically have seen massive price jumps this year. With no new graphics cards expected from Nvidia anytime soon, the market for existing hardware remains tight.
While the thieves may have been disappointed by their sandy haul, the episode underscores the broader challenges facing the tech industry as it grapples with supply chain security and the soaring value of AI components. For Nvidia and PlusAI, the recovery of the trailers and sand means their autonomous truck testing can continue without significant disruption.