--- title: "Thieves Are Absolutely Loving All of These New Data Center Projects" description: "Enormous AI data center facilities are filled to the brim with extremely sought-after equipment, attracting plenty of thieves." date: "2026-07-01" modified: "2026-07-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/data-center-steal-millions-cargo" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Thieves Are Absolutely Loving All of These New Data Center Projects ![A comic composite photo illustration featuring a masked intruder with a crowbar inside a data center.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* An enormous amount of resources and money go into the construction of a data center. The enormous facilities are filled to the brim with extremely sought-after gear, from hard-to-get-by AI chips to cooling equipment. And for thieves eyeing these construction projects, there's another worthwhile target as well: oodles of copper, a metal that has risen considerably in price over the last few years. As [*Business Insider* reports](), investigators are trying to chase down cargo thieves who stole a pair of trailers that were carrying $1.3 million worth of data center supplies, including $300,000 worth of copper wire spools. The bounty was recovered in the Chicago area by law enforcement last week after the trailer with the copper was first reported stolen in Alabama. A separate trailer holding an estimated $1 million worth of data center infrastructure supplies had also mysteriously gone missing in Jacksonville, Florida, suggesting it was a coordinated effort to bring both to Illinois. A separate incident saw almost $5 million worth of copper and electronics vanish while in transit, as the [*Canadian Press* reported]() earlier this month. The enormous rush to construct sprawling AI data center facilities has been a boon for cargo thieves, criminals who intercept products and valuable materials while they're in transit. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, cargo theft accounts for roughly $35 billion in losses a year. In other words, while the [public backlash]() to data centers cropping up in people's backyards across the country has grown into a major bipartisan issue that could affect the upcoming midterm elections, thieves are [likely welcoming the major influx of valuables being transported]() — especially considering how [much the price of electronics]() has shot up. Cargo theft in the age of AI has turned into a sophisticated and coordinated effort. "The bad guys are good at marketing," risk assessment firm Verisk CargoNet head of operations Keith Lewis told the *Canadian Press*. "It’s so much more strategic now, so much more targeted," he added. "They know what’s hot and they know what’s selling." According to CargoNet, supply chain crime spiked 60 percent last year in Canada and the US, to almost $725 million. "With the emergence of AI data centres, you have a lot of components for those AI data centres being stolen: server racks, RAM, copper," Lewis continued. "The price goes up because the demand goes up." **More on data centers:** [*Anybody Who Thinks Orbital Data Centers are a Good Idea Is Suffering from AI Psychosis, Experts Argue*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()