Thieves who stole two trailers bearing Nvidia and PlusAI logos from a Fremont, California, warehouse left with 40,000 pounds of sand instead of the high-value AI hardware they likely sought.
The trailers belonged to PlusAI, a Santa Clara-based company developing autonomous trucking technology in partnership with Nvidia. They were taken late Wednesday from the docks of PlusAI’s Fremont testing warehouse. Warehouse workers discovered the theft early Thursday and reported it to the Fremont Police Department just after 9:30 a.m.
Security footage showed two unidentified tractors circling the site, according to Lauren Kwan, PlusAI’s vice president of marketing. “Those were not our tractors,” she said. “Those were from the thieves.” The company’s own tech-enabled cabs, which house the autonomous driving systems, remained parked inside the warehouse and were untouched.
The trailers had been secured with hand locks that were forced open. Each contained about 20,000 pounds of sand that PlusAI uses as simulated freight loads during research and development testing of its SuperDrive autonomous system. “PlusAI uses simulated loads in its trailers to assist with research and development testing,” Kwan told WIRED. The sand was recovered intact.
The theft came to light more fully after PlusAI’s vice president of legal received a text Thursday morning from an acquaintance. The message included a photo and read: “I have been proud of you for your adventure and success at Plus. Just saw two of your trucks near my work place! :).” The trailers were parked outside an office in nearby Newark, about half a mile from the warehouse.
PlusAI confirmed the location, notified police, and Newark officers recovered both trailers the same day. Investigators said it appeared the thieves had opened the backs of the trailers, found nothing of value, and abandoned them. No arrests have been made, and the case remains under investigation, according to Amy Gee, public affairs manager for the Fremont Police Department.
Kwan said the prominent branding likely made the trailers a target. “The very apparent branding probably made them think there was very valuable equipment back there,” she said. One trailer featured joint PlusAI and Nvidia logos reflecting the companies’ collaboration on AI software and autonomous truck technology. Jocelyn Ren, a senior marketing manager at PlusAI, confirmed the sand served to simulate real freight during testing.
PlusAI, which employs about 200 people and is preparing for a commercial launch of factory-built autonomous trucks, has not experienced a similar incident in Kwan’s seven years with the company. “The whole day was bizarre,” she said. The episode fits a broader pattern of cargo thefts targeting electronics and AI components as demand for high-value chips has surged.
The Fremont warehouse serves as a key testing site for the company’s vehicles. Police recovered the trailers with the full load of sand still aboard and returned them to PlusAI by Thursday afternoon.
