Hard disk drives (HDDs) are becoming more expensive as demand from AI data centres strains supply lines. Western Digital, one of the world's largest HDD manufacturers, has announced it is 'pretty much sold out for calendar year 2026', according to a report by PCWorld.
The price hikes are already visible on consumer platforms like Amazon. A 2TB Seagate HDD, which cost around £50 in October, is now listed at £96.19. Similarly, a 2TB Western Digital model has surged by 136% to £102.50, as tracked by price monitoring site CamelCamelCamel.
While HDDs are rarely used in modern gaming consoles—which rely on faster SSDs—they remain common for storing large files and in home servers. However, SSD prices are also rising. A 2TB Crucial SSD jumped from £110 in November to £179.99 in January, partly due to shared components with RAM, which is also in high demand for AI.
Manufacturers are already operating at full capacity, and new factories are not expected to make a meaningful impact until 2028. Analysts suggest that now may be the cheapest time to buy storage devices before prices escalate further.
