Principal Engineer

Storage stocks Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC), Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) and Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) poised for gains as AI demand accelerates. The Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry is ranked #21 out of more than 247 Zacks industries, placing it in the top 9% of all tracked sectors. AI workloads, edge computing, enterprise cloud adoption and accelerating digital transformation are collectively driving demand for scalable, reliable and cost-efficient data storage solutions. Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) and Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) are among the prominent players positioned to benefit from these structural tailwinds. According to Gartner, worldwide IT spending is projected to reach $6.37 trillion in 2026, reflecting a 14.2% increase from 2025 levels, driven by data center systems and infrastructure-as-a-service spending. Spending on data center systems alone is expected to reach $822 billion in 2026, underscoring the scale of investment flowing into storage and compute infrastructure. HDDs remain the most economical and reliable solution for mass data storage, while demand for NVMe-based SSDs, object storage and QLC NAND platforms is accelerating alongside AI infrastructure buildout. The industry has risen 396.1% over the past year, significantly outpacing both the S&P 500's 20% gain and the broader technology sector's 26.7% advance in the same period. On a forward 12-month price-to-earnings basis, the industry is trading at 9.98X, well below the S&P 500's 20.34X and the sector's 20.82X, suggesting the group remains attractively valued relative to broader markets. Escalating trade tensions, supply chain disruptions and macroeconomic uncertainty continue to represent meaningful near-term headwinds for the sector. Sandisk, formed after Western Digital completed the separation of its HDD and Flash businesses, has seen its datacenter segment surge from roughly 12% of bits a year ago to 38% exiting fiscal 2026. The company recently began shipping its QLC Stargate platform and has signed new business models with eight customers, representing 50% of bits in fiscal 2027 and nearly two-thirds of bits in fiscal 2028. Sandisk reported fourth-quarter revenues of $8.97 billion, a 372% increase year over year, with datacenter revenues rising 103% sequentially to $2.98 billion, and the company is guiding fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenues of $10.3 to $10.8 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sandisk's fiscal 2027 bottom line stands at $213.30, and the stock has surged 2,847.5% over the past year, carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Super Micro Computer, headquartered in San Jose, California, reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues of $11.1 billion, a 93% year-over-year increase, with non-GAAP gross margin reaching 17.6%. The company received more than $60 billion in new orders during the fiscal fourth quarter and management expects more than 80% of future revenues to be tied to AI-related solutions. SMCI is guiding fiscal first-quarter revenues of $14.5 to $15.5 billion, supported by its Data Center Building Block Solutions and a global manufacturing capacity on track to surpass 6,000 racks per month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SMCI's fiscal 2027 earnings stands at $4.43, and the stock holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), though shares have declined 15% over the past year. Western Digital posted fiscal fourth-quarter revenues of $3.75 billion, up 44% year over year, with full fiscal 2026 revenues rising 36% to $12.9 billion, driven by strong nearline HDD demand. The company returned $3.1 billion to shareholders during fiscal 2026, including $1 billion in share repurchases and $54 million in dividends during the fourth quarter alone. WDC is guiding fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenues of $4.1 billion, plus or minus $100 million, implying approximately 45% year-over-year growth at the midpoint, and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) with a fiscal 2027 consensus earnings estimate of $20.03.

Western Digital has surged 465% over the past year, outpacing memory rivals Micron Technology and Sandisk, driven by booming demand for storage in AI data centres. The company's fiscal 2026 revenue jumped 36% to $12.9 billion, whilst adjusted earnings per share more than doubled to $10.22. The growth trajectory appears sustainable. Western Digital projects revenue of $4.1 billion for the current quarter, representing a 45% year-over-year increase, with earnings per share expected to rise 125%. Management reports it has already sold out HDD capacity for 2026 and is negotiating long-term supply agreements extending through 2031. AI data centres' insatiable demand for storage continues driving a shortage of both hard-disk drives and solid-state drives.

Western Digital and Seagate Technology have both outperformed the S&P 500 this year, driven by demand for data storage products in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Both companies specialise in solid-state and hard-disk drives. The firms are delivering similar results. Western Digital posted 44% year-over-year revenue growth in its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter, whilst Seagate achieved 48% growth with $3.6 billion in revenue. Their gross profit margins are also comparable, with Western Digital at 54.1% and Seagate at 52.3%. Both companies have forecast identical revenue of $4.1 billion, plus or minus $100 million, for their fiscal 2027 first quarter. Executives at both firms expressed confidence in sustained demand for mass capacity storage throughout 2027, though concerns remain about cyclical industry risks.