Thanks a lot, AI: Hard drives are already sold out for the entire year, says Western Digital
Looking to buy a new hard drive? Get ready to pay even more this year.
According to Western Digital, one of the world's biggest hard drive manufacturers, the company has already sold out of its storage capacity for 2026 with more than 10 months still left in the year.
"We're pretty much sold out for calendar 2026," said Western Digital CEO Irving Tan on the company's recent quarterly earnings call.
Tan shared that most of the storage space has been allocated to its "top seven customers." Three of these companies already have agreements with Western Digital for 2027 and even 2028.
Furthermore, the incentive for these hardware companies to prioritize the average consumer is also dwindling. According to Western Digital, thanks to a surge in demand from its enterprise customers, the consumer market now accounts for just 5 percent of the company's revenue.
AI companies have been eating up computer hardware as industry growth accelerates. Prices for products ranging from computer processors to video game consoles have skyrocketed due to these AI companies cannibalizing supply chains.
The tech industry has already been experiencing a shortage of memory due to demand from AI companies. PC makers have been forced to raise RAM prices on a near-regular basis as shortages persist. Video game console makers, like Sony, have even reportedly considered pushing the next PlayStation launch beyond the planned 2027 release in hopes that AI-related hardware shortages would be resolved by then.
With this latest news from Western Digital, it appears the ever-increasing demands from AI companies for memory and storage will continue to grow, with no end in sight. Unless, of course, investors decide to pull back from AI over fears that AI's promises may not come to fruition. But, for now at least, the shortages – and price hikes for consumers – will continue.