Used Enterprise 3.5" HDD Pricing - Why Still High When RAM Dropped?

[Socrates]

Hey folks,

Sorry if this has been discussed already but I've been out of the loop for a bit. I've been wanting to upgrade my home server and have been watching prices for the last year or so.
So RAM prices have finally come back down to earth which is great, but I'm looking at 20TB enterprise drives and they're still stupid expensive. Like last year I was seeing them around $200-250 range, now they're over $500. What gives?
I get that AI stuff drove everything up for a while, but if RAM corrected why are enterprise HDDs still so high? Are the hyperscalers just buying everything up still? Is this a supply thing or are manufacturers just keeping prices high because they can?

I'm trying to figure out if I should just wait this out or if these prices are the new normal. Running a TrueNAS box that's getting pretty full and really want to throw in some 20TB drives but not at these prices.

Anyone have insight into what's actually happening in the enterprise storage market? Will we see prices drop like RAM did or am I just wishful thinking at this point?


Thanks

 

[etorix]

If anything, what's surprising is that RAM prices are going down…

It's not only AI at this stage. Iranian retaliatory strikes have damaged the Ras Laffan plant in Qatar which produced a quarter of the world supply of electronics-grade helium, among other things. Recovery may take 3 to 5 years… after the end of the fighting.

Helium Crisis Tightens Grip On Global Chip Supply Chain

Helium gas powering the world’s most advanced semiconductor processes is suddenly in short supply, threatening to slow down production of the chips driving the AI boom

www.forbes.com