September 23, 2026
AI data centers are getting costlier: enterprise storage sales rose 33.6%
In Q2 2026, external enterprise storage vendors generated $10.3 billion: 33.6% more than a year earlier. IDC attributes the growth to the expansion of AI data centers and shortages of NAND and DRAM. Customers bought less capacity for more money.
The market grew by 3.9% over all of 2025. In Q1 2026, IDC recorded growth of 28.7%, and in Q2 it reached 33.6%.
Spending moved upmarket. Systems priced above $250 thousand generated $2.7 billion, 90.6% more year over year. Large customers are moving purchases forward to lock in budgets and configurations before another rise in component prices.
IDC does not expect a meaningful easing of NAND and DRAM shortages until 2028.
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