Given the skyrocketing prices for PC components like RAM and GPUs, it’s no wonder that we’re seeing more instances of scamming and thieving involving these items. In most scenarios, unsuspecting victims find their purchases swapped out for worthless garbage. But in this case, some thieves in California probably got their just deserts.
Sometime last week, these thieves made off with two trailers emblazoned with the NVIDIA and PlusAI logos, only to abandon the vehicles. This is because instead of AI GPUs or other electronics, the trailers were loaded with 20,000 pounds of sand each. That’s a total of 40,000 pounds of sand, or 20 tons.
Now, to be fair, it’s not unreasonable to assume that a vehicle sporting the NVIDIA logo would be carrying some kind of high-value hardware. However, the trailers actually belong to PlusAI, a startup that deals in autonomous driving technology. The two firms are currently collaborating on AI software, and these sand-equipped trailers are part of real-world tests that provide insight on how a fully loaded vehicle would react to different road conditions. According to PlusAI spokesperson Lauren Kwan, the company uses simulated loads in its trailers to assist with research and development testing.
While the trailers themselves may not have anything valuable in them, the truck cabs were probably fitted with advanced AI hardware. However, these were parked inside the company’s warehouse, so even if the thieves had been aware of this fact, gaining access would have been a whole other matter. In comparison, the trailers were left outside and secured with hand locks, which had been broken.
The theft was discovered by a top executive at the latter company, who received an unexpected congratulatory message from an acquaintance. In the message, this acquaintance mentioned seeing two of the startup’s “trucks” near their workplace in Newark, which was about 800m away from PlusAI’s Fremont warehouse. This prompted the company to alert the authorities, leading to the recovery of the vehicles. At the moment, the case is under investigation, with no arrests made so far.
For now, it seems that the perpetrators are still on the loose. If anything, this may only teach them to be more discerning when it comes to targets. And if they didn’t hate sand before, then they may despise it now. After all, it’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets in the way of a major payday.
(Source: WIRED)
