智通财经网·2025-11-10 01:26Core Viewpoint - The profitability of overseas storage manufacturers continues to improve, while some domestic storage module companies are rapidly turning losses into profits. The profit release is expected to accelerate in the second half of 2025, benefiting from the rising prices in the storage market driven by demand from AI and multi-modal applications [1][4]. Demand Side - The demand for storage is significantly increasing in the AI era, shifting from mobile and internet companies to generative AI. Flash storage demand in data centers is projected to grow from 600EB in 2020 to 2.4ZB by 2028. The Sora2 model's deep learning capabilities require substantial storage, consuming nearly 100MB for a 10-second 4K video, which is hundreds to thousands of times more than text storage needs. By 2026, global NAND Flash bit demand is expected to exceed 200EB, with AI driving increased storage needs across various data types [2][3]. Technology Side - Storage manufacturers are set to release HBM4 products in bulk by 2026, with companies like Micron expected to sell out their HBM capacity. Various companies are developing advanced storage solutions, such as CUBE and 3D DRAM, to meet innovation trends. New architectures like CBA are being adopted to enhance performance, and NAND stacking architectures are being proposed to address memory wall issues in data centers and edge AI applications [2][3]. Supply Side - Due to the higher profitability of HBM products, storage manufacturers are actively controlling production capacity to maintain price increases. Capital expenditures are focused on high-end products, with no significant plans for expanding NAND Flash production. Consequently, NAND Flash capital expenditure is expected to remain low in 2026, and new production lines will take time to come online, leading to a supply-demand gap [3][4]. Price Trends - In October, prices for various storage models accelerated, with month-on-month increases ranging from 40% to 100%. The demand from AI servers has prompted storage manufacturers to announce price hikes, with some Taiwanese and mainland module manufacturers following suit, resulting in an overall industry inventory buildup [3][4]. Future Outlook - Unlike the temporary price increases seen in 2024 due to production cuts and price hikes, the current storage industry cycle is primarily driven by the explosion of storage demand in the AI era, coupled with limited supply-side capacity. The supply-demand gap is expected to widen further in the first half of 2026, with price increases likely to continue [3][4].