If you need more drive space to store your photos, you might need to act fast. AI data centers are buying out all the production capacity. Western Digital is reporting they have sold out their entire production capacity for 2026, and their top enterprise-level customers are already placing orders for 2027 and 2028. I’ve noticed that drive models from Seagate that I was shopping for just a week ago are no longer available, and prices are going up. The same thing has already happened with RAM, which has skyrocketed in price, as well as SSD drives. The same 4TB SSD I bought two years ago for $199 is now $799.
We’re into uncharted territory, and there is no way to know how long any shortages will last and how long prices will be inflated. I think it is a safe bet that it will last at least two years, based on the data I’m seeing and watching past events. I can’t tell you what purchasing choices you should make, but I will advise you that you should look at your needs for the next year or two and consider what you should do to make sure you have enough storage at a price you are comfortable paying.
Consumers like us accounted for just 5% of Western Digital’s revenue, so I don’t expect they will prioritize our needs when they have such giant orders in hand. We already saw a similar situation when Micron exited the consumer market with their widely-used Crucial RAM.
If you need a drive, here are two to consider:
These drives offer the best value per TB in the larger and smaller capacities. Make your best guesses as to what you will need, and plan accordingly.
— Rich
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