this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2025
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Hard drives on backorder for two years as AI data centers trigger HDD shortage — delays forcing rapid transition to QLC SSDs (www.tomshardware.com)
submitted 1 day ago by TheImpressiveX@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

It doesn't need to have anything to do with SSDs. The point is there is a hardware shortage of something that most computers have and laptop manufactures can use that as an excuse to raise prices. Also just because most laptops come with M.2 SSDs doesn't mean all of them would. There may be some that use 2.5" HDDs.

EDIT: After looking through the article this also affects SSDs.

That means if a firm wants to buy large-capacity hard drives, the backbone of nearline storage, it has to wait 24 months due to long lead times. As the news cycle suggests, AI money doesn't wait for anyone, so hyperscalers are now switching to QLC NAND-based SSDs to avoid these backorders. Picking QLC over TLC allows them to maintain costs while achieving sufficient endurance for cold storage.

However, hoarding QLC NAND creates its own shortage, since every cloud provider in North America and China is now lining up to buy it. This could lead to SSD prices rising worldwide, as most value-oriented models use QLC to save costs. In fact, DigiTimes claims that production capacity for QLC is completely booked through 2026 at some NAND manufacturers.