Key Takeaways:
Samsung Electronics Co. and Kingston Technology Inc. are raising prices on solid-state drives by more than 10 percent, the second such increase in a month, a move that threatens to push storage costs higher for both consumers and data centers amid a memory chip shortage driven by the artificial intelligence boom.
The latest price adjustments are expected to ripple through the retail channel in the coming weeks as distributors pass on higher costs, according to market analyst firm TrendForce. The firm projects NAND flash contract prices will jump by 70 to 75 percent in the second quarter of 2026, a direct consequence of suppliers prioritizing high-margin enterprise products for AI servers over the consumer market.
The impact is already visible in popular products. A 1TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD, which sold for under $100 a year ago, now costs over $300 and is expected to approach $360 following the latest hike. High-capacity 8TB drives have already surpassed the $4,000 mark in some markets, making storage a significantly more expensive component for PC builders and enterprise operators. The price pressure is not isolated to Samsung and Kingston; competitors like Western Digital Corp., its subsidiary SanDisk, and Micron Technology Inc. are also experiencing strong demand and raising prices, according to market reports.
For PC builders and consumers, the sustained price increases mean higher costs for new systems and upgrades. For the hyperscale data center operators fueling the AI boom, it means billions more in capital expenditure to secure the high-capacity, high-performance storage that AI workloads demand. The trend benefits NAND manufacturers like Samsung and Micron, whose revenues and margins are set to expand, but squeezes component buyers and could eventually temper demand if prices climb too high. The situation has also created a secondary market for counterfeit drives, with reports of fake Samsung SSDs appearing in Europe.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
