Thieves Target Nvidia-Branded PlusAI Trailers, Get 40,000 Pounds of Sand

Cargo thieves in the San Francisco Bay Area targeted two semi-trailers emblazoned with prominent logos for autonomous trucking startup PlusAI and chipmaker Nvidia, only to abandon the haul after discovering the cargo was 40,000 pounds of sand.

As reported by Wired (https://www.wired.com/story/thieves-stole-nvidia-trailers-they-got-20-tons-of-sand/), the theft was discovered Thursday morning after an acquaintance texted a PlusAI executive about seeing two company trucks parked near their office in Newark, California. The location was approximately half a mile from PlusAI's warehouse facility, where the trailers were supposed to be docked.

Perpetrators had broken the hand locks on the stationary trailers parked outside the warehouse, hooked up their own cabs, and hauled the units away. However, PlusAI's proprietary truck cabs—which house the primary driver controls and autonomous driving compute systems—were parked securely inside the warehouse and were untouched.

When police and company staff arrived to inspect the abandoned trailers, they found the cargo hold held no enterprise hardware. "PlusAI uses simulated loads in its trailers to assist with research and development testing," PlusAI spokesperson Lauren Kwan said, confirming that the equipment was recovered with "40,000 pounds of sand intact." Each trailer contained roughly 20,000 pounds of sand used as ballast during autonomous road testing.

The trailers carried prominent branding for both PlusAI and Nvidia, which collaborate on AI software and autonomous trucking technology. High-profile branding for chipmakers has made logistics shipments an increasing target for organized cargo theft.

Amy Gee, a spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department, said the incident remains under investigation and no arrests have been made. Police confirmed the trailers were returned to PlusAI by Thursday afternoon.

The incident occurs alongside an increase in thefts targeting high-value enterprise computer hardware, data center components, and power infrastructure. According to cargo analytics and risk assessment firm Verisk CargoNet, enterprise-grade computing gear, networking equipment, and industrial metals rank among the most frequent targets nationwide. Recent California incidents highlighted by Wired have also targeted Tesla battery units, cryptocurrency mining hardware, and data center transit shipments.