The rise in drive prices is being driven by AI and even HDDs can't hide

AI-driven data-center demand has pushed 2 TB SSD prices from $120-$200 last year to $400 or more, while 256 GB SSDs have risen several-fold. HDDs are also up, with 4 TB models climbing from $120 to $240 and 8 TB units from $200 to $400, prompting consumers to favor spinning drives for bulk storage and backups.