The eSSD market nearly doubled in the second quarter alone as AI data center investment expanded. Sales at the top five companies rose 103.6% from the previous quarter, with Samsung Electronics retaining the top spot.
The entry-blade solid-state drive (eSSD) market surged in the second quarter as investment in data centers using artificial intelligence (AI) expanded, with sales at the world's top five companies rising 103.6% from the previous quarter to $37.59 billion. Demand was boosted by cloud infrastructure build-outs and the spread of generative AI, while higher product prices also expanded the market.
Samsung Electronics retained the top spot, recording second-quarter eSSD sales of $14.354 billion and a 35.1% share. The company's performance was reportedly driven by increased shipments of 176-layer QLC products and a higher proportion of high-performance PCIe 5.0 products.
SK hynix, including Solidigm, retained second place with sales of $8.631 billion, although its share fell to 21.1%. The company was reported to have strengthened supplies of ultra-high-capacity products, supported by expanded TLC shipments by its parent company and Solidigm's QLC expertise.
Micron's second-quarter eSSD sales rose 126.3% from the previous quarter to $6.983 billion, lifting its share to 17.1%. Increased shipments of high-capacity products based on 232-layer QLC, together with a concentration of production on eSSD and HBM, provided significant support for growth.
Kioxia ranked fourth with $4.64 billion, while SanDisk ranked fifth with $2.98 billion. The start of full-scale shipments following certification by North American cloud customers, along with a higher proportion of sales to server brands, contributed to the results.