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**C1Q 2025 HDD Industry Update**
The hard disk drive (HDD) industry has reported its first quarter results for 2025. Unfortunately, the numbers are not impressive. Total HDD shipments in C1Q 2025 were down about 9.5% compared to the previous year’s fourth quarter. This decline is a correction to the upward trend that started four quarters ago.
The total exabytes shipped also decreased by approximately 4.4% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, HDD revenues (estimated at $5.2 billion) dropped by around 8.4%.
Western Digital, one of the largest HDD manufacturers, shipped 12.1 million units and an estimated 179.8 exabytes of storage capacity in C1Q 2025. Seagate, another major player, shipped 11.4 million units and 143.6 exabytes of storage.
Toshiba, a smaller company, shipped 5.2 million units and about 41.0 exabytes of storage.
The numbers show that both Western Digital and Seagate have reported some potential impact on their June quarter from the ongoing trade war. However, they generally believe that nearline storage demand will support short-term growth in storage and revenue.
It’s worth noting that all HDDs and most HDD components are manufactured outside of the USA. The companies are not immune to global economic trends and the ongoing pandemic.
In terms of market share, Toshiba had around 18% of the total units shipped, Seagate at 40%, and Western Digital at 42%.
The growth of capacity-oriented nearline drives for enterprise and hyperscale applications will lead to increased demand for components such as heads and media. By 2028, we can expect more components per drive, resulting in higher head and media demand.
This could ultimately lead to additional capital spending to support component growth by 2027.
In conclusion, while the HDD industry may have seen a decline in shipments, exabytes shipped, and revenue, it is expected that quarterly and yearly growth will resume.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomcoughlin/2025/05/03/c1q-2025-hdd-industry-update/
