In general, in the technology world, innovation tends to gradually increase the cost of hardware, but the comic SSD market has experienced historical price increases due to the impact of the AI ​​boom.

Many high-capacity NVMe SSDs are becoming as expensive as gold by weight as the shortage worsens. I looked at the numbers and found the following: tom’s hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/high-capacity-nvme-ssds-are-quickly-becoming-as-expensive-as-gold-by-weight-we-ran-the-figures-heres-what-we-found

NAND shortage and AI boom will cause SSD prices to rival gold in 2026
https://www.webpronews.com/ssd-prices-rival-gold-in-2026-due-to-nand-shortages-and-ai-boom/

In January 2026, a Reddit user was looking for a high-capacity SSD when he realized that the price of M.2 SSDs was higher than gold.I arrivedTom’s Hardware dug deeper into this report and conducted searches on various mail order platforms. We collected over 100 samples with conditions such as “PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 interface,” “capacity 4TB or more,” and “on sale or in stock.”

When we tallied up the average weight of these SSDs, we found that the average weight was 8.2g for the 8TB SSD and 8g for the 4TB SSD, confirming that there was no apparent weight difference between the capacities.

If we calculate the price per gram of gold as 148 dollars (approximately 23,400 yen), it will be approximately 1184 dollars (approximately 187,000 yen) for 8 g. A hardware survey found that the average price of an 8TB consumer SSD is $ 1,476 (about 233,100 yen), and the price per gram is significantly higher than gold. In addition, even with 4TB, some models are comparable to the price of gold.

Technology media WebProNews points out that the global memory shortage is changing due to the increased need for data centers due to the AI ​​boom. Data sets are required to perform AI learning and inference tasks, and it is required to store high-performance data for fast access.

WebProNews points out that while the price of SSDs will rise, the price of HDDs remains relatively flat, creating a price difference between the two storage types.there is.

Additionally, factories for NAND flash memory installed in SSDs are concentrated in regions such as South Korea and Taiwan, and a crisis of tension in these regions could further disrupt the supply of SSDs.

WebProNews said, “Ultimately, SSD prices in 2026 are a direct testament to the fragility of the technology. The sharp rise in SSD prices is not just limited to hardware, but is a harbinger of broader changes in how digital resources are evaluated and judged in an age dominated by AI.”

In addition, technology media Ars Technica has been reported by multiple media outlets.A communication about the end of production of “GeForce RTX 5070 Ti”I am particular about.

RAM shortage chaos spreads to GPUs, large SSDs, and even hard drives – Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/ram-shortage-chaos-expands-to-gpus-high-capacity-ssds-and-even-hard-drives/

NVIDIA has corrected this report, stating that although shipments are continuing, there is a shortage of stock due to tight memory supplies. However, Ars Technica suggested that since the same basic parts as the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti can be installed in a more expensive GPU, it would be a wise choice for NVIDIA to prioritize another GPU with a higher profit margin than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.