AI RAM Shortage Contributes to Rising SSD Costs

I thought the WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD in my gaming rig was a bit of a splurge at $173 back in 2024, but now that same SSD is priced at a staggering $649—more than what I spent on most of my PC components combined. Since November 2025, the price of my WD Black drive has nearly quadrupled, and consumer SSDs are experiencing similar spikes, reminiscent of the RAM market:

* The 4TB variant of the popular Samsung 990 Pro SSD, once priced at $320, is now approaching $1,000.
* External SanDisk SSDs saw a whopping 200 percent price increase at a major retailer in March.
* Sony has announced a halt on orders for its SD and CFexpress cards.
* Modular PC brand Framework has alerted its customers to expect further price hikes as it depletes its current storage stock.
* Even traditional hard drives are feeling the pinch—by February, Western Digital and Seagate were reportedly nearly out of their entire inventory for 2026.

Price trends from PC Part Picker indicate that NVMe SSD prices began to rise in December 2025, with costs for 256GB to 4TB SSDs now double or triple what they were just a few months ago, and the upward trend shows no signs of stopping. Similar to the RAM situation, demand from the AI sector is consuming supply from a limited number of manufacturers, leading to a significant drop in available inventory for consumers. According to research, the same few brands dominating the RAM market also control the global NAND market—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.

NAND flash memory, which powers SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards, is much faster and more energy-efficient than traditional HDDs, making it highly desirable for both AI companies and consumers. However, HDDs remain a more economical option for storing large datasets, which could explain the rising prices in that segment as well. For example, the 2TB Seagate Barracuda 3.5-inch HDD in my PC was $47 a few years back, but now it’s priced at $90.

All three leading NAND manufacturers are reaping substantial profits from the AI surge, profits that the consumer market simply can’t match. Micron even exited the consumer RAM and SSD market last year, sparking speculation that Samsung might follow suit. As of March, Micron reported that it’s “seeing NAND demand significantly in excess of our available supply for the foreseeable future,” with its NAND revenue soaring 169 percent year-over-year.