"Increase in Storage Demand Due to COVID-19... Continued Growth in HDD and SSD Markets"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] As the importance of data centers continues to be emphasized due to the impact of COVID-19, the demand for storage space has increased, leading to a steady growth outlook for the hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state drive (SSD) markets.

On the 19th, market research firm IDC projected that the global HDD market shipment volume will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5% from 2020 to 2025, with the average storage capacity per drive estimated to increase by 25.5% during the same period. Edward Burns, IDC's HDD and storage technology research lead, explained, "While the customer HDD market had been shrinking in the long term due to the growth of SSDs, the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily increased demand for some HDDs, such as those used in mobile devices."

For SSDs, shipment volume by unit is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% during the same period, with capacity increasing by 33.0%, and revenue rising at an annual rate of 9.2%, reaching $51.5 billion by 2025. IDC analyzed that the overall demand for storage devices has significantly increased due to the rise in demand for enterprise server systems, personal computers, and home appliances influenced by COVID-19. In particular, IDC noted that SSD shipment forecasts have expanded further as companies have substantially increased investments in cloud and server infrastructure.

IDC stated, "SSD prices are highly volatile and are expected to rise in the short term," adding, "With the continuous development of NAND flash technology, more cost-effective solutions capable of meeting the growing SSD demand will be secured."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.