I mean, it says the thieves are sending the hardware to China. That can mean anything from gaming black market to state-sponsored funneling of hardware to Chinese AI companies. It might be less Robin Hood and more... I don't know, some Jackie Chan movie where Triads are operating in the US and working with a Chinese diplomat to help some mega-corp.

I'm sorry, but this is not going to folks trying to live their lives. They couldn't even use the specialized hardware.

I want that to be true, but from the article:

The first instinct is to assume that all of the gear would end up on the second-hand market. But in an additional twist to the story, the thieves already have overseas buyers ready before the heist actually takes place.

Law enforcement officials believe that the gear is slurped up by entities operating in countries under the U.S.' tight AI export controls, including China. Verified Carrier, a platform for vetting carriers, says that this year, it's seen suspicious activity linked with U.S. cargo theft in India, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Colombia, and Moldova. Scott Cornell of TAPA Americas estimates that six to seven out of 10 stolen cargo shipments (data center gear or otherwise) end up overseas.

See? The thieves are just thinking about money, not justice or social balance.

Give what back? Nothing was taken from people trying to live their lives. This stealing is of datacenter gear.