AI's Insatiable Storage Demand Sparks HDD Shortage And SSDs Could Be Next

We're seeing a similar plot line with AI demand compared to the crypto craze that enraptured the market a few years ago. First, GPUs became scarce and in high demand, with high prices not far behind. Next, even CPUs entered the fray, and now it's happening to storage media. Due to the large amount of data required by AI workloads, storage shortages have reared their ugly head.

"TrendForce’s latest investigations reveal that the massive data volumes generated by AI are straining the global infrastructure of data center storage. Nearline HDDs, traditionally the backbone of large-scale data storage, are now facing severe supply shortages, pushing high-performance yet higher-cost SSDs into the market spotlight," TrendForce states in a new report.

While more expensive SSDs typically were not the first choice, due to shortages of more affordable storage, they're next in the demand line. QLC SSDs in particular seem ...