Core Viewpoint - The unprecedented "AI computing power race" is driving a "storage supercycle," significantly boosting demand for enterprise-grade storage hard drives, leading to substantial stock price increases for major data storage companies like Seagate, SanDisk, and Western Digital, which have outperformed the broader market this year [1][2][4]. Group 1: Stock Performance and Market Trends - Seagate and Western Digital's stock prices have surged over 200% this year, reaching historical highs, driven by increased capital expenditures from cloud computing giants for AI data centers [2][8]. - The S&P 500 index has seen Seagate and Western Digital rank as the second and third highest gainers, significantly outperforming other tech giants [7]. - The storage sector index has risen over 11% this year, reaching record highs, indicating strong market sentiment towards storage companies [7][8]. Group 2: AI Infrastructure Investment - Major tech companies, including Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, have announced significant increases in their annual capital expenditure plans for AI infrastructure, with global AI infrastructure spending projected to reach $3-4 trillion by 2030 [2][8]. - The demand for enterprise-grade HDDs and SSDs is expected to grow exponentially due to the increasing AI workloads and data generation from large-scale cloud customers [14][15]. Group 3: Supply and Demand Dynamics - The ongoing expansion of AI computing demand is leading to a tight supply of storage products, with Western Digital and Seagate benefiting from long-term contracts with major clients [4][10]. - The storage chip market is experiencing unprecedented price increases, with analysts predicting that the current "supercycle" could last until 2027 [11][16]. - The shift towards higher-capacity enterprise-grade hard drives is being accelerated by the need to meet the growing storage demands associated with AI applications [10][14]. Group 4: Analyst Ratings and Future Outlook - Analysts from various financial institutions have upgraded their ratings and price targets for Western Digital and Seagate, reflecting strong demand and positive market conditions [15][16]. - The overall sentiment in the market is bullish, with expectations that the storage sector will continue to see growth driven by AI infrastructure investments [9][15].