‘It’s so much easier to steal this than to rob a bank’: $100,000,000+ worth of AI data center freight reportedly stolen since June
Over $100 million worth of AI data center equipment has been stolen since June, with thieves conducting sophisticated highway robberies to intercept high-value server shipments across the United States. According to an NBC News report, criminals are targeting freight destined for the rapidly expanding data center infrastructure projects proliferating nationwide.
One notable incident involved a $13 million shipment of server equipment traveling through the Mojave Desert, where a security escort was deliberately rammed by a coordinated vehicle in what authorities describe as an organized heist. The apparent profitability and relative ease of these thefts has attracted criminal networks, with sources comparing the equipment to “pure gold bars” and noting that stealing data center freight is “so much easier to steal this than to rob a bank.”
The incidents underscore critical vulnerabilities in supply chains supporting explosive AI infrastructure growth. As data centers proliferate nationwide to meet AI computing demands, millions of dollars in equipment—including servers and networking hardware—have become lucrative targets for theft operations. The thefts highlight both the valuable nature of modern computing infrastructure and the security challenges posed by rapid scaling of data center deployments, particularly along vulnerable highway routes. Law enforcement and industry officials are working to address security gaps in transporting these high-value shipments.