this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
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Investigators recovered two stolen trailers carrying $1.3 million in data center supplies, including copper wire and infrastructure equipment.

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[–] ptz@dubvee.org 295 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] Cascio@lemmy.world 60 points 1 month ago

The comment I came in to make sure existed. Thank you for doing the good work.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 204 points 1 month ago (2 children)

What "thieves"? No one saw any "thieves". You can't prove anything.

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure the copper just did that

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[–] shittydwarf@piefed.ca 168 points 1 month ago (7 children)

This is very unfortunate. There is a tremendous amount of copper in these data centers, thieves would be able to steal so much copper from data center job sites. It's frightening to think about it

[–] cogman@lemmy.world 99 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Not just copper. These server racks are so unfortunately loaded up with parts and components worth a lot of money on the open market. Very unfortunately they have enterprise grade SSDs worth thousands and AI accellerater cards worth 10s of thousands.

And these poor starving companies very unfortunately don't have the funds to hire a lot of security staff. It's sadly usually just one guy.

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[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Honestly, logistical problems with the weight are gonna be one of the first hurdles. It's way more than you would even think.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 1 month ago

Some say that even if every meth head in the city showed up there would be copper left over.

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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 140 points 1 month ago

Nature is healing

[–] mczolly@piefed.social 111 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

It's not stealing, they are just training their copper prediction model

[–] NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 35 points 1 month ago

They're increasing GDP! Raising the price of copper by increasing demand

[–] Hueristic_Autistic@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Congrats you've made me laugh during my morning shit. 🥇

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[–] Janx@piefed.social 68 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (16 children)

Aren't these data centers built on our land, right next to our homes, using our water and electricity, funded by selling our data (that we didn't consent to), and the profits all go to giant corporations, not us? Fuck 'em. I hope they all get raided and stripped bare...

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[–] OrganicMustard@lemmy.world 66 points 1 month ago (2 children)

If you see someone stealing RAM, no you didn't

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 59 points 1 month ago (7 children)

Young entrepreneurs just pulling at those little bootstraps, Regan would be proud of their ambition in advancing their station.

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[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 53 points 1 month ago (4 children)
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[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 47 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh my god, that's terrible! Where are these construction sites so that people can avoid them?

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[–] te_abstract_art@lemmy.world 45 points 1 month ago

Oh no, the corporations which stole immeasurable quantities of our data to train their for-profit AI models are having their building materials stolen. My heart bleeds.

[–] cenariodantesco@lemmy.world 45 points 1 month ago

uplifting news

[–] MushuChupacabra@piefed.world 37 points 1 month ago

Easy Mode Above Ground Copper Mines

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Don't tell them there's copper and other precious metals they can steal in AI datacenters. Also, most definitely DO NOT tell them most AI datacenters are completely unstaffed and easily accessible.

[–] TehWorld@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Copper by weight is cheap as hell. RAM & NVME drives are a WAY better ROI. It wouldn’t even be worth carrying the whole server.

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[–] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago
[–] nanometer1625@thelemmy.club 32 points 1 month ago

I've read science fiction books in which humans scavenged the machines' supplies like rodents scavenging from a kitchen, and now it's reality.

[–] dragginupagain@lemmy.today 31 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (10 children)

Clickbait circlejerk slop. Every construction site is a target for thieves. This is just low effort clickbait made to pander to the anti-datacenter circlejerk, you could at least have linked instead to the business insider article this is ripping off.

[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)
  • The data center bubble is driving the up cost of copper, copper futures and copper scrap to meme stock levels.
  • Higher copper scrap prices are driving up the amount of copper theft to meme crime levels.
  • Thus data centers have a direct causal relationship with copper theft.
  • So no, it's not an "anti-data center" circle jerk.
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[–] XLE@piefed.social 31 points 1 month ago (2 children)

What's gonna be looted next, Flock cameras?!

[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Steal what you can carry and torch the rest.

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[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 29 points 1 month ago

Finally, a positive benefit to failed capitalism!

[–] LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago
[–] BigMacHole@thelemmy.club 26 points 1 month ago

This is TERRIBLE! WHY can't they Target SCHOOLS or Homeless shelters INSTEAD?

-Republican Voters!

[–] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago

Thank you for your service to the people doing this.

[–] darthsundhaft@piefed.social 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Remember guys, snitches get stitches.

[–] Cort@lemmy.world 37 points 1 month ago

Snitches don't get free second-hand enterprise switches

[–] Hueristic_Autistic@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Imagine starting to work from the inside and weld things wrong, install wiring just, "good enough," knowing full well one of the plugs will start a fire, shit inside the cement and make shit laced walls.

Construction workers can still get paid and inspection workers can be in on it too. It happens over and over again and eventually it becomes something that's not cost feasible to keep trying to rebuild knowing there will be a failure.

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[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago

Stop. Don’t. Come back.

[–] FergleFFergleson@infosec.pub 22 points 1 month ago

Remember, if you see someone stealing from a data center.... no, you didn't.

[–] Superorbit@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 month ago

Can't steal from thieves

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Never thought I'd say this, but good.

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[–] bluesheep@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Be a modern day Robin Hood; steal copper from an AI data center

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Okay, so tech companies steal your info when you login, they can pluck software off your devices whenever they choose, AI will steal your face and your art should anyone put it online, oh and they get corporate welfare?... Anyone stealing from them, shooting CEOs, cutting down flock cameras, or shooting at Trump seems like the good guys in comparison.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 month ago

Robin Hoods in action.

[–] tunetardis@piefed.ca 19 points 1 month ago

While the AI revolution threatens to kill countless jobs, leaving potentially millions of Americans in the lurch, maybe all those future jobless Americans can turn to the booming data center theft industry. Maybe AI is a job creator?

Ah yes, my retirement plan from the tech sector…

[–] swizzle9144@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That copper is already in circulation!

https://sh.itjust.works/post/63079773

[–] Marija@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Copper theft has always followed expensive infrastructure. AI data centers are just the newest high-value targets.

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