On April 10th, Western Digital sent a letter to its partners, announcing that its hard drives are experiencing or will soon face price hikes across the board, urging everyone to prepare accordingly.
In the letter, Scott Davis, Senior Vice President of Western Digital's Channel and Regional OEM Sales, stated that demand for their entire lineup of HDD mechanical hard drives and SSD solid-state drives has exceeded expectations, leading to a severe shortage. Coupled with the tight supply chain across the industry, they have no choice but to continue raising prices.
Western Digital stated that this price increase affects all HDD and SSD product lines, with some already taking effect immediately, and prices will be adjusted continuously based on actual circumstances.
The company also reminded its partners that it's difficult for them to fully meet unplanned demand and orders. They urged partners to provide feedback promptly if there are any changes, otherwise, they cannot guarantee delivery times.
Western Digital has not disclosed specific price increases, but sources suggest that HDD prices will rise by at least 5% and up to 10%.
Regarding SSDs, there is no specific statement, but according to a recent report by TrendForce, global NAND flash prices have already risen by 23-28% in the first quarter, and are expected to rise by another 13-18% in the second quarter. Therefore, the price increase for SSDs is likely to be much higher than that for HDDs.
In the global flash memory market, Western Digital/Kioxia ranks third, behind Samsung and SK Hynix, but ahead of Micron, giving it significant pricing power.
