Kioxia exec says the AI boom means the era of the cheap 1TB SSD is over —company's NAND supply is sold out for this year and likely through 2027

The biggest price hikes didn't just hit the best SSDs; they also affect the budget drives that we all love. According to South Korean media outlet Digital Daily, Shunsuke Nakato, Managing Director of Kioxia's Memory Business Unit, believes the era of affordable 1TB SSDs has ended, at least until the AI boom subsides.

"To be honest, this year's production volume is already sold out. The days of cheap 1TB SSDs for around 7,000 yen (approximately 60,000 South Korean won or about $45 USD) are over," said Nakato in a meeting held today at the Nine Tree Premier Locus Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Nakato's message is crystal-clear, as ravenous AI demand has reshaped the consumer storage market. We haven’t seen a 1TB SSD dip below $50 since late 2023 or early 2024. If you've been building PCs for a while, you would agree that 2023 was the golden year for picking up SSDs at bargain prices. During that period, 1TB drives routinely sold for under $50, with some budget models even hitting rock-bottom prices of $35.

SSD prices began to rise again in 2024, before skyrocketing in 2025. It's now reached a point where even the most affordable 1TB SATA SSD starts at around $73, a crushing price hike of over 50% compared to the lows of 2023.

Examining our curated list of best SSDs shows the extreme price hikes that have impacted 1TB SSDs across the entire spectrum, from legacy SATA drives to cutting-edge PCIe 5.0 models. The Corsair MP700 Pro XT 1TB, which launched at $159.99 in October, has risen 38% over the last few months. Some of the best PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 drives, such as the Samsung 990 Pro 1TB and WD SN700 1TB, have increased in price by 83% and 132%, respectively. Even the old-school SATA drives have gone up in price. For instance, the Samsung 870 Evo 1TB sells for 51% more than it did in November.

1TB SSD 2026 vs 2025 Prices Comparison

Unsurprisingly, NAND manufacturers stand to profit most from the ongoing shortage. Nakato confirmed that Kioxia has already sold out its entire production capacity for 2026 and anticipates this trend will continue through at least 2027. Kioxia’s distribution strategy stands out as remarkably unconventional.

Rather than auctioning its NAND to the highest bidder or operating on a first-come, first-served basis, Kioxia has chosen a “gentleman’s agreement” approach. based on trust and long-term relationships with its clients.

Nakato explained, "It's physically impossible to arbitrarily accelerate delivery or increase volume simply because orders are piling up." The executive also added, "Rather than simply prioritizing supply to the highest bidders, we mutually agree on annual supply plans with our long-term partners and distribute them accordingly."

Nakato believes that Kioxia’s Yokkaichi and Kitakami factories can meaningfully help with the global NAND supply shortage. The former reportedly uses AI and IoT technologies to collect approximately 50 TB of manufacturing data daily to maximize yield. Meanwhile, the Kitakami fab, barring any setbacks, should soon start full-scale production of Kioxia’s 8th-generation BiCS (BiCS8) flash.

The window for affordable SSDs closed a couple of months ago. If you’re planning to build a system in the near future or are seriously contemplating a storage upgrade, the time to act is now. It appears the rising prices on SSDs will continue their upward trend throughout 2026 and potentially into 2027.

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