Summary
- HDD prices jumped in Q4 2025 by 4% quarter-over-quarter, as DRAM shortages and AI demand squeeze supply.
- AI data centers, China's push for domestic PCs, and SSD retention worries have revived HDD demand.
- Expect HDDs to cost roughly $50 more; consider buying soon as AI-driven hardware shortages persist.
A new report states that the traditional hard disk drive (HDD) market is experiencing a sharp price uptick, as the ongoing DRAM shortage continues and is expected to get worse.
According to a new report from DigiTimes that quotes Nikkei and cites data from TrendForce, HDD prices have increased 4% quarter-over-quarter in Q4 2025, amounting to the most notable increase in eight quarters. HDD suppliers expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future, says the report.
As the memory shortage continues, Laptops with only 8GB of RAM could soon be the new normal
If you're looking to buy a mid-range laptop anytime soon, you'll unfortunately need to accept a lower price-to-performance ratio.
The report goes on to cite the rapid expansion of AI data centers in the US and the resurgence of HDD demand in China's PC market, which is tied to government policies that emphasize domestically made PC products that, in turn, spur PC production -- and directly tied to this is HDD adoption.
Related to this shift are concerns surrounding SSD data retention and data deterioration, often referred to as bit rot, leading to a resurgence in HDD interest across the board. On the AI infrastructure side, storing huge amounts of data for model training has forced AI labs to use HDD-based storage in situations where speed isn't integral, which also contributes to the recent spike in HDD cost.
AI infrastructure is the culprit yet again
It's not just DRAM that's getting expensive and scarce
So what does this mean for the average PC parts consumer? The cost of an HDD will likely be slightly more expensive moving forward, running in the range of $50 more, according to some estimates.
It's important to note that this price increase is directly tied to the broader AI infrastructure boom. Along with DRAM memory, which has surged rapidly in price and scarcity over the past few months, AI data centers are consuming GPUs, power equipment, and of course, HDDs.
Adding to this, HDDs utilize DRAM for cache memory, complicating the supply situation further. So while HDDs are often viewed as legacy technology that's seldom used anymore, especially by PC parts enthusiasts, supply and prices are still notably impacted by the AI industry's never-ending thirst for more data storage.
It's unclear how long this trend will continue, but if you've been thinking about buying an HDD, it might be worth pulling the trigger sooner rather than later, especially as the AI boon shows no sign of slowing down.