One consequence of the AI boom is that tons of infrastructure is needed to power and run all the massive data centres, and naturally, all that infrastructure is worth a lot of money. And it seems like cargo thieves have caught on to this fact.
As reported by Business Insider, investigators with Illinois' Cook County Sheriff's Office reportedly found a pair of trailers containing over $1.3 million worth of data center supplies in a truck yard.
The Sheriff's department apparently received a tip that over $300,000 worth of copper wire spools were stuffed away in containers, and upon investigation, the officers found significantly more supplies as a result.
That copper was reportedly stolen in Pine Hill, Alabama, and then transported away from the scene of the crime. Investigators say the yard owner claims that the owner of the truck delivered another load a week prior, and that this additional truck—from Jacksonville, Florida—had $1 million worth of product in it (it's not clear exactly what that equipment is).
It's also not yet clear how the thieves planned on selling the product, or to whom, but all of it winding up in the same place is certainly suspect. As noted by Business Insider, the US Department of Homeland Security estimates up to $35 billion in losses every year due to cargo thieves. $1.3 million is a drop in the ocean, relatively speaking, but it could signal more copper and other metal theft from data centers in the future. If there's money to be made, thieves will likely see that.
Investigators uncovered $1.3 million in stolen data center supplies in a Chicago truck yard, spotlighting cargo theft's impact on supply chains and retail. https://t.co/vqzmxgBEQwJune 29, 2026
The boom in AI has increased the demand for AI hardware, but much of the machinery involved in AI data centers will be tracked and logged via serial numbers. Thieves who get their hands on fancy machines likely can't provide the paperwork necessary to satisfy a buyer, but copper and other such resources don't have the same tagging systems.
Copper cabling is a must-have for AI data centers, in order to cope with their massive electricity demands, but it's also pretty expensive compared to less effective but considerably cheaper aluminium or steel cabling. This is all to say that AI is a lucrative business, both for those making it and those stealing from those who make it.
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