There is no way around it: the price of HDDs is also increasing rapidly

The global industry of hard drives (HDDs) is also experiencing a period of unprecedented pressure, with contract values ​​rising more sharply than in recent years and signs that the imbalance between supply and demand could deepen in 2026.

Reports published this week and published by DigiTimes confirm a price movement that had been predicted by specialized consultancies and which is now clearly materializing in market data.

Demand growth and supply imbalance

HDDs are traditionally used for store huge amounts of data in Data Centersmainly for loads that require large storage capacity with low costs per byte.

With the accelerated expansion of artificial intelligence-driven infrastructure, cloud companies and cloud service providers are absorbing ever-increasing volumes of high-capacity drives. This has put pressure on production and increased the price of HDDs in contracts between manufacturers and buyers.

According to a recent analysis, HDD contracts closed the fourth quarter of 2025 with a increase of around 4% compared to the previous quarterthe biggest jump recorded in the last two years and potentially the beginning of a broader trend of readjustments.

Data Centers and AI as a driving force

What drives this scenario is the exponential growth of AI workloads and associated storage.

Systems that perform deep learning model training and inference consume massive amounts of data (often measured in PetaBytes or even ExaBytes) that need to be stored, accessed, and managed. High-capacity HDDs still offer the best cost per gigabyte for many of these uses, which has led large data centers to prioritize these devices.

This pressure is not restricted to a specific region. While North American providers expand their AI operationsstimulus policies and local production efforts have also increased the adoption of HDDs in other markets, such as China, reinforcing global demand for these components.

Delivery delays and impact on the chain

In addition to increases in contract prices, manufacturers and distributors face delivery times that extend significantly.

TrendForce reports indicate that deadlines for high-capacity drives may exceed one year in some cases, reflecting the difficulty of the production chain in keeping up with the speed of demand growth.

Such an increase in deadlines exposes a limited production capacity and even something greater: companies may revisit their acquisition strategies, with advance contracts and greater investments in reserved stocks.

Although HDDs still dominate as storage solutions, large-scale cold and warm storagescarcity and rising prices have provoked reflections on technological alternatives.

High-capacity SSDs based on QLC flash are gaining attention as potential replacements in certain segments, despite higher traditional costs.

Industry sources point out that this migration may be encouraged by the increased adoption of SSDs in storage tiers where performance and fast access to data are more valued, gradually reducing dependence on HDDs in some specific applications.

HDD production capacity has not kept up with escalating demand driven by AI applications, resulting in exceptionally long lead times and unprecedented price increases

Current perspectives for consumers and businesses

For companies that rely on large-scale storage, this dynamic can mean budget revisions and purchasing planning.

Price increases in basic technological infrastructure components tend to be reflected in the costs of cloud services, corporate solutions and even final products, although the direct impact on consumers may still take time to appear in a broad way.

Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to evaluate capacity expansion and modernization of production lines, but the combination of high investments required, long manufacturing cycles and priorities focused on higher margin markets could prolong pressure on prices for months or even years.

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Look beyond the numbers

The notable increase in HDD values ​​signals a shift in the perception of storage technology: solutions considered mature and stable are subject to the same volatile dynamics that previously marked segments such as RAM and flash.

The shift underscores how technological evolution, driven by AI, is reconfiguring entire segments of the supply chain and redefining hardware procurement strategies on a global scale.

This move could set the stage for innovations or rearrangements in the storage market, encouraging companies to reevaluate their priorities among cost, performance and availability — a balance that will be central in the next phase of global digital expansion.

Fonte: DigiTimes Asia