For much of 2023, prices for solid-state drives made for PCs went way down to record-low levels. It became much cheaper to upgrade your gaming rig, laptop, or another computer with internal SSDs. Prices for external SSDs went way down as well, as they became viable alternatives compared to buying external hard drives for data backups.
However, closer to the end of 2023, SSD prices started to stabilize and even go back up, although not quite to their previous highs. That was due to the fact that there was now a glut of SSDs available, and the major manufacturers of NAND flash memory decided to cut back on their production.
Now, a report from a South Korean news outlet may indicate prices of SSDs could be going back down in the near future. According to The Chosun Daily (via PC Gamer), the four biggest NAND flash memory makers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Kioxia, and Western Digital) have started to ramp up production in their factories.
The report says that back in 2023, Samsung and SK Hynix reduced their NAND memory production to as low as 20 percent. Western Digital also cut down its NAND memory factory output to below 50 percent of its capacity last year.
In 2024, the demand for these kinds of products has now increased, especially for high-end NAND memory that can be used in AI-themed data centers. So, the major NAND memory makers are increasing production again to meet that demand.
The story states:
Samsung’s NAND flash production capacity has climbed to around 70%, while SK Hynix is ramping up production of high-capacity NAND products, such as high-capacity eSSDs. Western Digital, the third-largest NAND flash producer, increased its production utilization rate to around 90%.
All of that increased production could mean that SSD prices may be going back down to the level we say in much of 2023 very soon, perhaps as soon as the holiday shopping season. That's good news for PC consumers who will likely want to buy internal and external SSDs as gifts for themselves and others.
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