Over the past four months, mechanical hard drive prices have risen by an average of 46%.

Over the past four months, mechanical hard drive prices have risen by an average of 46%.

Amid the global wave of AI infrastructure expansion, demand for storage has far outstripped current supply capacity. This has not only led to shortages and steep price hikes for memory chips like DRAM and NAND Flash, but also caused severe supply shortages for traditional mechanical hard drives (HDDs).

According to a recent study by German media outlet ComputerBase, HDD prices have surged sharply since September last year, with some popular models seeing increases exceeding 60%.

ComputerBase analyzed price trends for 12 mainstream HDDs (based on European retail prices), revealing an average price hike of 46% over the past four months.

Among them, Seagate's IronWolf NAS series, Toshiba's Cloud Scale Capacity, Western Digital's WD Red, and Seagate's Barracuda series have all seen price increases ranging from 23% to 66%.

This trend is equally evident in the U.S. market. A 4TB Seagate IronWolf drive, priced at $70 in early 2023, now costs $99. Similarly, the 8TB model, which sold for as low as $130 several years ago, now retails for $199. The equivalent 8TB Western Digital Red Plus currently costs $175. Seagate's iconic BarraCuda 24TB drive, once available for as low as $239 during promotions, now commands a price of $499 on Amazon.

Analysts attribute the HDD price surge primarily to AI demand consuming vast quantities of DRAM and NAND Flash, driving prices excessively high. This not only compels some manufacturers to procure more enterprise-grade high-capacity HDDs for storing “cold data,” but also squeezes HDD supply for the consumer market. It further forces DIY enthusiasts in the PC market to revert to DDR4 DRAM and relatively lower-capacity HDDs.