Nvidia GPUs worth 11.4 million dollars stolen in a truck heist in the US

A major theft of high-end Nvidia accelerators, valued at a staggering 11.4 million dollars, is currently under investigation in the United States. Six pallets loaded with powerful graphics processors were dispatched from Oakland, California, bound for Texas. However, the cargo never reached its final destination, and the transport truck vanished entirely along with its contents.

• A shipment of six pallets of Nvidia accelerators worth $11.4 million disappeared on the way from Oakland to Texas.
• A truck featuring the logo of a food transport company arrived to pick up the cargo, after which contact with the driver was lost.
• Experts attribute the rise in such heists to the immense global demand and high value of AI hardware abroad.
• Similar thefts have previously occurred in California and Brazil, while another attempt resulted in thieves stealing sand.

Details of the bold heist in California

The dispatch took place on August 29, carrying a high-value batch of graphics processors intended for delivery to Fort Worth, Texas. Interestingly, the vehicle that arrived to pick up the cargo bore the logo of a company specializing in food transportation. Initially, everything proceeded according to plan, but somewhere along the route, all communication with the driver was completely lost.

Authorities in Oakland were only notified about the missing cargo on September 13. As of November 6, law enforcement officials had not yet been able to apprehend any suspects or locate the stolen vehicle. Such sophisticated crimes highlight vulnerabilities in high-tech supply chains, especially when transporting scarce and expensive electronic components.

Why Nvidia hardware remains a prime target for criminals

Experts point to the immense global demand for Nvidia AI accelerators as the primary motive behind these recurring thefts. According to Olaf Groth, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, certain GPUs can sell for roughly double their domestic price outside of the United States.

As an illustration, he noted that equipment valued at around $550,000 on the US market can fetch one million dollars or even more abroad. This massive price disparity turns expensive tech shipments into extremely lucrative targets for organized crime syndicates willing to execute high-risk operations to acquire scarce hardware.

Previous incidents and curious botched attempts

This is far from the first time Nvidia products have been targeted by thieves. Last year, law enforcement investigated multiple crimes involving the theft of Nvidia equipment totaling over $7.5 million in the California cities of Fremont and Union City. Criminal networks have repeatedly tried to intercept valuable tech shipments through various fraudulent schemes.

In another bizarre incident earlier this year, criminals attempted to hijack two cargo trailers bearing Nvidia logos, expecting to find expensive accelerators inside. Instead, the trailers were filled with approximately 18 tons of sand, prompting the frustrated thieves to abandon them. Meanwhile, international cases, such as the theft of RTX 5090 cards in Brazil, show that inside jobs remain a persistent threat to tech logistics.