Rising SSD prices are a prediction you may be familiar with lately, and we're hearing it again, this time from a manufacturer. Phison, which makes controllers for SSDs (and SSDs, as well as other storage devices like USB drives), estimates that SSD prices will increase by about 10% in the coming months, Tom's Hardware reported. Whether or not that happens, we'll just have to wait and see, but Phison president KS Pua has indicated that NAND flash manufacturers will increase memory prices by 10% in Q2021 XNUMX. The reasons relate to booming PC sales, as well as pandemic-related supply difficulties and component shortages that are affecting the tech industry as a whole. This is also due to the new Chia cryptocurrency that has just been released, increasing the demand for drives as it relies on storage rather than the power-hungry GPUs (or ASICs) that crypto mining traditionally requires ( the idea is that this is a much greener digital currency).
Driving panic?
We heard about the drive buying panic (involving both SSD and HDD) thanks to Chia in Asia last month, and this latest nugget from Phison only reinforces that perspective. That being said, with Chia now actually launched, the cryptocurrency has taken a rapid plunge, which could throw question marks over the impact it could have on reality. Still, it could just be an early turnaround, and Chia could be about to take off in earnest anytime soon, given the current enthusiasm for all things crypto, that wouldn't be a surprise. If so, then additional demand and pressure on drive manufacturers will indeed be felt as Phison and others predict. Phison also revealed that SSD drivers for it are expected to be in short supply not only this year, but also through 2022 and 2023, which is an awfully long road, which itself will likely affect the SSD drive. market. LaComparacion has the support of its audience. TechRadar does not endorse any cryptocurrency or blockchain-based services, and readers should not construe TechRadar content as investment advice. Our journalists only hold small amounts of cryptocurrency (valued at less than €100), which are required for portfolio and stock reviews, and do not hold shares in any currency of the publicly traded cryptocurrency company.