February 16, 2026
Diskageddon: AI ate our drives
Thanks a lot, AI: Hard drives are sold out for the year, says WD
AI grabbed all the hard drives; everyone else gets scraps
TLDR: Western Digital says its hard‑drive capacity for 2026 is already sold out, mostly to giant AI buyers. Commenters are split between calling it an AI bubble, backing “picks and shovels” hardware plays, and raging that regular consumers can’t afford RAM or drives — prices are likely to rise.
Western Digital just told investors it’s already sold out of its hard‑drive capacity for 2026 — in February — with most of it locked up by its “top seven” mega customers. Translation: AI giants bought the store, while everyday shoppers make up just 5% of WD’s revenue. In the comments, panic and snark erupted. One user sighed, “Yes, AI is nice, but I also like to buy RAM and drives,” as folks joked about stockpiling storage like it’s toilet paper.
Then came the drama. Skeptics called it an “AI ponzi scheme,” predicting the bubble will burst and leave hardware makers holding the bag. The finance‑brain crowd countered with the “picks and shovels” angle: if AI is gold rush fever, maybe the winners are the companies selling the gear, not the miners. Meanwhile, salty coders took aim at their peers, quipping about the “plagiarism machine” doing their work and fueling an unsustainable hardware binge.
With memory already short and prices rising — and even game consoles reportedly juggling launch dates — commenters say the consumer has been benched while AI teams buy everything in sight. Expect memes, rage, and a lot of wallet pain. Full story via Mashable and WD’s earnings call receipts.
Key Points
- •Western Digital says its hard drive capacity for calendar 2026 is already sold out.
- •Most 2026 capacity is allocated to Western Digital’s top seven customers; three have deals extending into 2027–2028.
- •Consumer sales now comprise about 5% of Western Digital’s revenue amid stronger enterprise demand.
- •AI-driven demand is cited as a factor behind broader hardware price increases and component shortages.
- •Ongoing memory shortages have prompted PC makers to raise RAM prices, and reports indicate Sony has considered delaying a future PlayStation due to these constraints.