The Ai Ram Shortage Is Also Driving Up Ssd Prices

I thought nan WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD successful my gaming PC was pricey erstwhile I bought it for $173 successful 2024, but now that aforesaid SSD costs $649, much than what I paid for astir of nan parts successful my PC combined. The value connected my WD Black thrust astir quadrupled since November 2025, and user SSDs crossed nan committee are seeing akin increases, much for illustration pinch RAM:

According to value trends from PC Part Picker, NVMe SSD prices began ticking upward successful December 2025, pinch prices connected 256GB to 4TB SSDs now double aliases triple what they were conscionable a fewer months ago, and continuing to climb.

Like pinch RAM, request from nan AI manufacture is swallowing up proviso from a constricted number of manufacturers, starring to a drastic simplification successful nan inventory that’s disposable to consumers. According to Counterpoint Research, nan aforesaid fewer brands pinch nan biggest RAM marketplace share besides control nan world NAND market — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.

NAND flash is nan type of representation utilized for SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. It’s importantly faster and much energy-efficient than mechanical HDDs. As a result, NAND retention is much appealing for AI companies and consumers alike.

Even so, HDDs are much cost-effective for storing ample amounts of data, for illustration nan immense datasets needed for AI, which could explicate why HDD prices are also connected nan rise. For instance, nan 2TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5-inch HDD I person successful my PC was $47 erstwhile I bought it a fewer years ago, but now costs $90.

All 3 starring NAND brands person been pulling successful immense profits from nan AI boom, profits nan user marketplace can’t compete with. Micron moreover left nan user RAM and SSD market past year, which briefly sparked rumors that Samsung mightiness do nan aforesaid thing. As of March, Micron says it’s “seeing NAND request importantly successful excess of our disposable proviso for nan foreseeable future,” arsenic its NAND gross has grown 169 percent year-over-year.