The digital storage market is experiencing rapid advancements due to increasing data demands, driven by innovations in speed, capacity, security, and efficiency across various sectors. The factors driving the growth of the data center and consumer storage market in India include: the rapid ongoing digitalization across the segments; expansion of data centers; increasing adoption of cloud computing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); government’s initiatives to promote digitalization; surge in data generation from IoT devices and online services; growing use of AI technologies large datasets; and India’s growing reliance on mobile Internet.
Highlights of the digital storage market
• Revenue in the Storage market is projected to reach US$0.91bn in 2024.
• Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 9.77%, resulting in a market volume of US$1.45bn by 2029.
The latest technology & market trends in the digital storage market!
Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Director & Country Manager – India Sales, Micron Technology, shares, “Today, the consumers need faster, lighter devices that last long on battery & need to multitask. The Gen 5 NVMe SSD and DDR5 DRAM is a must on gaming or high- performance category devices. On the datacenter side, customers require highest capacity SSDs with best performance/endurance but still providing best value. The customer does not want to get stuck with multiple SKUs for multiple types of workloads which is why a new segment of 30TB, or higher capacity TLC SSDs is being created to serve the next gen requirements. The Gen AI and next gen workloads require highest capacity, highest performance possible to achieve much more in shortest time possible which is why Gen 5 Enterprise class NVMe SSDs are being expedited.”
“Some of the latest technology and market trends shaping the sector are: the India Data Center Storage Market is expected to reach USD 2.53 billion in 2024, with projections of growing to USD 5.77 billion by 2030, reflecting a 14.68% CAGR, driven by cloud computing demands and robust investment from domestic entities. With the rise of edge computing which involves processing data closer to its source, edge storage has emerged to enhance real-time decision-making and improve operational efficiency. Software-Defined Storage (SDS) storage management is becoming the norm due to the higher flexibility, scalability and cost-efficiency it offers; AI integration in storage is getting common as it ensures better predictive analytics for capacity planning, automated data management and advanced security measure against threats. For optimizing performance and managing costs, employing hybrid solutions, combinations of the speed of SSDs with the capacity of HDDs, is another important trend. And the rise of Storage as a Service (StaaS) reflects a shift towards flexible cloud solutions that ensure easy access and sharing of files regardless of location,” cites Mr. Khalid Wani, Senior Director – India Sales, Western Digital.
Mr. Sameer Bhatia, Director of Asia Pacific Consumer Business Group and Country Manager for India & SAARC at Seagate Technology, opines, “The digital storage market continues to evolve rapidly in 2024, driven by the advancements in technology, shifting market demands, and the growing needs for data management across various sectors. Key trends shaping the digital storage landscape include – Data storage for AI and big data: The proliferation of AI and machine learning is fuelling the demand for specialised storage solutions capable of handling large-scale datasets and managing vast amounts of unstructured data such as text, images, videos and logs. This has driven the development of AI-optimised storage systems along with a growing need for secure, auditable and compliant storage solutions to support data-intensive applications. High-capacity storage solutions: To meet the growing demand for high-capacity storage, especially for cloud providers and data centres building storage architectures optimized for AI inference, technologies like Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) are being adopted. These technologies enable hard drive to store more data at a lower cost, though with trade-offs in performance and data access speed. Green and sustainable storage solutions: As environmental concerns grow, there is a strong emphasis on improving the energy efficient on storage solutions. With data centres scaling up to meet increasing digital demands, energy efficiency has become a top priority. Data centres are increasingly adopting renewable energy sources, improving cooling technologies and deploying more energy-efficient hardware.”
Mr. Rajesh Khurana, Country Manager – Consumer Business, South Asia & Africa, BIWIN Storage Technology Company Ltd, states, “Advanced flash technologies, like 3D NAND, stack memory cells vertically to boost storage density and lower costs. The transition from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based storage is accelerating with many organizations concentrating on enhancing cloud storage performance, security, and cost-effectiveness. AI is being employed to optimize storage management, strengthen data protection, and improve disaster recovery solutions. These innovations are driving the future of digital storage, making it more efficient, reliable, and scalable. Biwin is in a very favorable position to monetize those emerging trends. DDR5 (the latest type of DRAMs) are estimated to become mainstream memory in near future. The other trends are adoption of Gen 5 SSDs is set to increase much faster; the growing adoption of Storage as a Service (STaaS) will allow businesses to pay for storage on a consumption basis, much like cloud services, a model which offers flexibility and cost savings, particularly for organizations with fluctuating storage needs; AI for IT Operations (AIOps) is poised to revolutionize storage management making storage more efficient and resilient and optimize data protection and disaster recovery; and energy-efficient hardware designs are set to play a key role.”
Mr. Tejashwar Singh, India Sales Head, Kingston Technology, informs, “With a few simple additions to the PC, one can enhance the workflow, productivity, and speed to the next level. Replacing HDDs with SSDs and increasing the memory with the latest DRAM, have become the easiest ways to enhance the workflow, productivity, and speed to the next level. The surge in using AI which needs rapid access and high capacity is driving the demand for higher-capacity SSDs. At the same time, the adoption of NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is rising, offering significantly lower latency and greater throughput compared to traditional storage interfaces. Together, these trends are crucial for meeting the performance demands of AI workloads, ensuring efficient data management and faster processing speeds.”
“The generational trend taking shape is a significant increase in global storage needs driven by AI. It is clearly visible already at the upstream side in data accumulation, model training and tuning. On the client side, the adoption will be gradual as the use cases take concrete shape, but will surely require more local storage in time. From a technical perspective, we are seeing an increasing adoption of PCIe 5.0 based solutions for high end gaming,” briefs Mr. M.A. Mannan, Country Head – South Asia, Corsair Memory Inc.
Mr. Fissal Oubida, GM – Middle East, Africa, CIS & Indian Subcontinent, Lexar Co Ltd, elaborates, “With content creators, gamers, and professionals working with large files, there has been a significant demand for high-capacity SSDs, memory cards, and other flash storage devices. Flash memory solutions are seeing breakthroughs in read/write speeds, allowing users to transfer large files quickly and experience enhanced performance. In the flash memory space, we see integration of advanced encryption standards and data protection features. The growing trend of gaming demands large capacities, faster load times and seamless performance and the Lexar’s DDR5, DDR4 RAM, and high-performance SSDs are designed specifically to meet these needs. The digital storage market is embracing emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and the IoT which demand fast, reliable, and scalable storage solutions to process and store vast amounts of data. Then there is an increasing emphasis on creating energy-efficient storage solutions that reduce power consumption, particularly in data centers and mobile devices. Lexar in-line with the latest trends continues to provide memory solutions that scale up in capacity without compromising performance.”
“The digital storage market is rapidly evolving and NVMe SSDs are becoming popular, support by 3D NAND technology for higher density and lower costs, while QLC NAND is making SSDs more affordable and accessible to wider markets,” says Ms. Anny Hsu, Sr. Territory Manager, Sale & Marketing, Biostar Microtech International Corp.
Current storage solutions portfolios (HDDs and SSDs) of brands and their focus segments
Mr. Rajesh Gupta of Micron Technology views, “In Datacenter Micron has an industry leading portfolio of SATA SSDs – 5400, NVMe SSDs, 7450/7500/9400 /6500/XTR (Gen 4),9550 Gen 5 NVMe SSD. In the consumer category, we have SATA SSDs BX500 (Entry level), MX500 (Mainstream), Gen 3 NVMe SSDs – P3,Gen 4 NVMe SSDs – P3 Plus (Entry) / P310 (Mainstream). For gaming & highest performance, we have Gen4/Gen5 SSDs – T500 (Gen4) /T700 (Gen 5) / T705 (Gen 5). Besides, we have an award-winning External SSDs range including X6/X9/X9 Pro/X10 Pro Portable SSDs. Micron has been well accepted and commands a large share in SATA SSDs with it most comprehensive portfolio of SATA SSDs available in the industry. Micron has seen strong growth in the NVMe segment rapidly in both the Gen 4 and Gen 5 NVMe SSD category. The target segment within Datacenter is catered by Micron 5400 series SSDs for legacy storage requirements wherein servers still support SAS/SATA drives only or SATA advantages like low power usage and overall lower TCO of server warrants SATA SSD usage. Additionally for AI, Analytics & cloud use case, wherein highest performance is desired, Micron 9550/9400 is the widely adopted drive. For data lakes and large repositories Micron 6500, which is the only SSD having highest capacity of 30TB but still based on the latest TLC 3D NAND, is the most optimized offering. For all other mainstream Gen 4 NVMe requirements the flagship Micron 7450/7500 series SSDs are being positioned. Our consumer segment targets gaming, influencers, content creators & high-performance workstation requirements through latest Gen 5 NVMe SSDs& external SSDs. T500 has been specially designed for PS4 & related use cases.”
“We develop and launch several portable SSD solutions under the SanDisk and WD brands. We recently introduced the 8TB SanDisk Desk Drive, our highest capacity yet on an external desktop solid-state drive (SSD). The WD_BLACK portfolio, designed specifically for gamers, delivers the performance and reliability required for gaming enthusiasts. We also introduced a portable HDD, across the WD, WD_BLACK, and SanDisk Professional product lineups, boasting the world’s highest storage capacity in a 2.5” portable HDD – the WD My Passport portable HDD line, and SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD in 6TB capacities. For enterprises and businesses, we offer the WD Purple portfolio, which is specially curated to meet the unique storage needs of surveillance systems and other enterprise applications. Recently, Western Digital (WDC) has set a new benchmark in data storage
with the launch of the world’s highest capacity ePMR hard drives, aimed at hyperscalers, cloud service providers, and enterprise data centres. The company’s latest offerings include 32TB UltraSMR drives and 26TB CMR HDDs, specifically designed to meet the growing demands of data-driven industries, especially in the context of AI advancements,” explains Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital.
Mr. Sameer Bhatia of Seagate Technology details, “Seagate’s storage solutions portfolio spans abroad range of hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs), tailored to meet the diverse needs of various industries, use cases, and customer. Our offering delivers flexible, high-performance storage solutions that cater to market of all sizes, from consumers to large-scale enterprises and cloud providers. As Seagate continues to leverage its leadership in areal density innovation, we have introduced the Mozaic 3+ platform, setting a new standard for storage capacity. This platform powers our flagship Exos 30TB+ product family, offering industry-leading capacity points of 30TB and beyond. As enterprises navigate exponential data growth, our solutions enable them to store data both on-site and cloud, unlocking significant gains in storage capacity, cost efficiency and carbon footprint reduction. Looking ahead, Seagate Mozaic 3+will also support a wide range of applications. As data demand continues to rise across industries such as AI, cloud computing, Seagate remains well-positioned to deliver cutting-edge storage solutions that meet the evolving needs of its diverse customer base.”
Mr. Rajesh Khurana of BIWIN Storage feels, “BIWIN has its state-of-the-art facility which houses all the latest production equipment for assembly, packaging, testing and mass production. From the core to the intelligent edge, BIWIN offers the wide range of flash storage solutions to the world’s top-tier global OEMs, ODMs, large industries, and others. Our product portfolio includes SSDs, Pen drives and Micro SD Cards and Drams. Here is a brief list of the brands and the storage solutions Biwin manufactures and provides: Acer Brand – DRAMs, SSD (NVMe/SATA/M2), USB and camera cards; Predator Brand: Gaming DRAMs, Gaming SSD; HP – SSD (NVMe/SATA/M2); and Lenovo – SSD (NVMe /SATA). For embedded computing, Biwin makes eMMC, eMCP, ePOP, uMCP, BGA SSD, UFS, DDR, LPDDR and small capacity storage. For industrial control Biwin makes fast and reliable SSDs (SATA 2.5”, SATA M.2, NVMe M.2, mSATA) and memory (DDR4, DDR5, memory cards, DOM Series and more). For consumers, BIWIN products earn top global press reviews for SATA 2.5”, PCIe M.2, SATA M.2, and portable SSDs, as well as DDR4, DDR5 memories and memory cards. We witnessed a significant rise in the demand for our products which resulted in our increased sales.”
“For enterprise and datacenters, Kingston offers high-performance SSDs – Datacenter SSDs designed for cloud environments and critical workloads. We recently launched our Kingston NV3 NVMe SSD (Mainstream) in the consumer space. This is our affordable and fast upgrade solution for laptops and desktops. Powered by a Gen 4×4 NVMe controller, it delivers read/write speeds of up to 6,000/5,000MB/s. Its compact M.2 2280 design allows for storage expansion up to 4TB while saving space for other components. The Kingston KC3000 SSD (High Performance for Content Creators and Professionals) M.2 SSD delivers next-level performance using the latest Gen 4×4 NVMe controller and 3D TLC NAND. It’s specifically designed for content creators and professionals. Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD (Extreme Gamers) provides extreme performance in high capacities, specifically tailored for hardcore gaming enthusiasts and PC builders seeking the absolute pinnacle of storage speed. Kingston XS1000 External SSD (Multi-Device Streaming Solution): The Kingston XS1000 is designed for users who need to stream and share files across multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and gaming consoles like PS5. Kingston XS2000 External SSD (Content Creator’s Companion) is tailored for content creators who need to capture, transfer, and edit high-quality video quickly. Its ultra-fast transfer speeds ensure an efficient workflow, making it ideal for on-location shooting and quick backups,” discloses Mr. Tejashwar Singh of Kingston Technology.
Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair briefs, “Corsair focuses on 2 segments: internal NVMe M.2 storage, and external USB storage using NAND. We have experienced a steady growth in both the segments. We just cater to the niche segment and we have fared predominantly in this segment.”
“Our current portfolio focuses on flash-based storage solutions, primarily SSDs, as we do not offer HDDs. Our NVMe SSDs, like the Lexar NM790 and NM710, deliver ultra-fast read/write speeds and are designed to enhance gaming performance and handle large files seamlessly. For users upgrading from traditional hard drives, our NS100 and NS200 SATA SSDs provide a significant boost in speed, boot times, and system responsiveness. Our portable SSDs, such as the SL660 BLAZE Gaming Portable SSD and SL500 Portable SSD, cater to on-the-go professionals, gamers, and creators with their rugged durability and fast transfer speeds. Over the past year, Lexar has seen remarkable growth and expansion,” comments Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar.
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar tells, “Biostar SSD lineup including SATA and NVMe options, emphasizing speed, durability and energy efficiency.”
USPs of storage brands
Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital, “Western Digital’s products offer superior data security, durability, and speed, ensuring data integrity and efficient data transfer. Recently, Western Digital announced the launch of the world’s highest capacity UltraSMR HDD with up to 32TB leveraging the time-tested, reliable energy-assisted PMR (ePMR) recording technology for hyperscalers, CSPs and enterprises. It is specifically designed to meet the growing demands of data-driven industries, especially in the context of AI advancements. The newest 26TB CMR and 32TB UltraSMR drives utilize multiple technological innovations to enable data centers to maximize their storage efficiency.”
“Seagate Mozaic 3+ is a groundbreaking hard drive platform that incorporates Seagate’s unique HAMR implementation with a collection of other breakthrough nanoscale technologies, marking the culmination of decades of R&D and reinforcing Seagate’s leadership in areal density. In the AI-driven era, where data is critical to success, businesses and enterprises must scale their data storage infrastructure to manage vast data volumes while meeting goals for cost-efficiency and sustainability. Upgrading the data infrastructure is no longer optional – it is essential for addressing the challenges of scale, TCO and sustainability. With hard drives account for 90% of exabytes stored in the world’s largest data centres today, advancements in areal density are crucial in addressing these challenges. Data centre growth is not just about adding drives but maximizing efficiency. While adding more drives increases capacity, it also drives up capital investment, operational costs and resource consumption. A more efficient approach is to use denser hard drives, which deliver greater storage within the same space with lower power consumption – helping companies achieve sustainability goals and reduce operational costs. Seagate Mozaic 3+ platform offers a compelling solution, enabling businesses to dramatically increase storage capacity without expanding their physical footprint. For instance, upgrading from 10TB of 1.42TB-per-platter PMR drives to Seagate’s 3TB-per-platter Mozaic 3+ platform Mozaic 3+ 30TB hard drives in data centre results in 3 times the capacity within the same footprint, 2.6 times better power efficiency per TB and 3.5 times reduction in embodied carbon per TB. At scale, this translates into significantly greater data capacity with much lower impact on space, power and overall cost,” specifies Mr. Sameer Bhatia of Seagate Technology.
“Our solutions and segment focus are as follows – B2C (Consumer segment): we provide storage solutions to the world’s leading brands such as Lenovo, HP, Acer and Predator for their consumer products. We distribute through the well-established distributor – Fortune Marketing – to expand our reach and availability. B2B (Commercial segment): Biwin provides various manufacturers of mobile phones, education devices, tablets, gaming machines, smart wearables, UAV, Action camera, In-vehicle, DVR/NVR, server, OTT box, router etc with a full range of embedded flash based storage solutions from consumer grade to industrial grade (eMMC, UFS, LPDDR, eMCP, ePOP, uMCP, BGA SSD and DDR),” shares Mr. Rajesh Khurana of BIWIN Storage.
Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar elaborates, “Lexar is committed to delivering high-performance storage solutions that meet the diverse requirements of professionals, gamers, and content creators. Our products are meticulously designed with a focus on speed, efficiency, and durability, providing exceptional read and write speeds, low latency, and reliability across various applications. Recently, we launched the Lexar Professional 1800x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD Series, featuring a read speed of 280 MB/s and a write speed of 210 MB/s, making it ideal for 4K video recording and rapid burst shooting. This card minimizes internal buffers, thereby enhancing file transfer efficiency for content creators.”
Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair cites, “Corsair targets 2 main applications – gamers and creators. For gamers, our solutions come in form factors that are optimized for PCs, laptops, as well as gaming console storage expansion for PS5 and portable handhelds. Creators value our focus on consistently high performance and have successfully used the MP600 PRO XT and MP700 PRO in their workflows.”
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar briefs, “Biostar SSD is known for reliability, performance and good after service support.”
SSDs Vs. HDDs
Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital comments, “SSDs and HDDs cater to distinct demands in the evolving digital storage landscape, with SSDs renowned for speed and efficiency and HDDs for capacity and cost-effectiveness. While SSDs are gaining traction due to their high-speed flash technology and durability, HDDs continue to dominate where large, budget-friendly storage solutions are essential, especially for long-term data retention and archival purposes. With advancements like HelioSeal technology and triple-stage actuators, HDDs now offer capacities up to 32TB, levels that SSDs have yet to achieve at an affordable price point. This positions HDDs as indispensable for data centers and industries that require extensive storage without breaking the budget. In the future, SSDs will expand into areas where performance is prioritized, but HDDs will remain vital for high-capacity storage as cost-efficient alternatives.”
“A common misconception about SSDs and HDDs is that SSDs will take over HDDs. While flash storage excels in high-performance and speed-critical applications, this does not diminish the vital role of hard drives. Consider the following advantages:
1. Hard drives have maintained a >6:1 price per TB advantage over SSDs
2. Hard drives have 9x better CapEx efficiency than NAND industry for exabyte-scale production
3. Hard drives consume4x less operating power and have 10x lower embodied carbon per TB vs SSDs
In the AI era, data is the currency of business and hard drives are the vaults that store this valuable resources. Hard drives are indispensable in AI storage clusters due to their scalability, cost-efficiency and sustainability. As more AI models and applications scale rapidly, data growth is accelerating. IDC projects a 394ZB increase in global data by 2028, doubling in size over the next 5 years. This projection does not account for the potential growth driven by multimodal large-language models (LLMs). Seagate’s analysis of IDC’s Cloud Infrastructure Index 2023 reveals that hard drives store 90% of exabytes in the world’s largest data centres. Additionally, 90% of enterprise exabyte workloads such as AI data retention, analytics, and backup – require high capacity but relatively moderate data processing times. These workloads are best suited for hard drives, thanks to their superior cost-per-terabyte advantage. Recent advancements in hard drive areal density have further enhanced both AI performance and energy efficiency. These advancements have tripled storage capacity in the same footprint or deliver 2.6 times better power efficiency and 3.5 times reduction in embodied carbon per terabyte. Such improvements make hard drives not only essential but capital-efficient for managing AI exabytes in data centres, while supporting diverse workloads across industries. Ultimately, this is not a zero-sum game. In data centres, hard drives and flash have always worked in synergy, with hard drive leading in capacity and cost efficiency. Together, they form a balanced, sustainable and efficient data storage ecosystem that will continue to evolve to meet the demands of future,” opines Mr. Sameer Bhatia of Seagate Technology.
“SSDs are rapidly replacing HDDs due to their faster speed, greater reliability, and energy efficiency. Unlike HDDs, which use spinning disks and read/write heads, SSDs have no moving parts, enabling quicker data access, transfer rates, making them more durable and less prone to mechanical failures. However, HDDs are more cost-effective for applications requiring massive storage, such as data centers, backup systems, and network-attached storage (NAS),” adds Mr. Rajesh Khurana of BIWIN Storage.
Mr. Rajesh Gupta of Micron Technology opines, “SSDs have several advantages against HDDs. SSDs offer higher performance, lower latency, lower power consumption, lighter, reliable (no moving parts)etc but usually lost in $/GB. Micron has over the years reduced this gap for 15K/10K RPM kind of HDDs and now the next target is nearline drives which do have cost advantages but struggle with rebuild times, performance, power consumption and storage density at solution level.
The HDDS would be relevant in this 16TB or higher category only till the adoption of 60TB or higher capacity SSDs catches on.”
Mr. Tejashwar Singh of Kingston Technology shares, “Today, people are looking to upgrade from HDDs to SSDs due to the several benefits SSDs offer which include: The consistent moving parts and the heat generated in HDDs cause breakdown over a period of short time. As SSDs don’t have such moving parts, they maintain lower temperature, and less prone to mechanical failures, crashes, and data loss. SSDs offer shorter boot times and higher data transfer rates making them ideal for running programs that access large amounts of data. Moreover, SSDs are the best for storing gaming apps, operating systems, and heavy files. SSDs ensure professional gaming experience by seamlessly handling huge amounts of data consistently. Also SSDs are more energy efficient and shock resistant as compared to HDDs.”
“While SSDs are poised to significantly replace HDDs due to their superior speed, durability, and energy efficiency, HDDs will continue to play a vital role in specific applications, particularly for large-capacity storage needs such as data archiving. While SSDs will dominate performance-driven, high-speed tasks, the HDDs will remain relevant for users requiring economical solutions for bulk storage. At Lexar, we are committed to advancing SSD technology to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” reveals Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar.
Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair says, “We will see SSDs continue to take the place of magnetic drives in the client space as they deliver higher performance in smaller spaces and at lower power consumptions.”
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar feels, “SSDs are steadily replacing HDDs in many consumer devices such as laptops and gaming PCs. HDDs remain essential for cost-effective, high-capacity storage needs. So, we think SSDs and HDDs coexist in the future market.”
How brands to meet the needs of the fast growing gaming segment!
Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital remarks, “Our WD_BLACK portfolio is specially designed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing gaming ecosystem whether it’s PC, console, or handheld device. WD_BLACK portfolio includes products like WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD, WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD for PS5 consoles, WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD, and WD_BLACK P10 Game Drive, to name a few products. Our extensive range of gaming storage solutions are designed for every gamer, across diverse devices.”
Mr. Rajesh Gupta of Micron Technology shares, “Micron plans to focus on gaming market with Crucial Pro and Over-clocking DIMMs to delight end users with plug and play performance and no fuss. Micron also plans to establish itself as a leader in Gen 5 consumer NVMe SSD space with industry leading products and unmatched performance like T705/T700 and best in class thermal management. Crucial has launched T500 to focus on the PS5 segment for industry leading performance and thermal management and seamless compatibility.”
“Delivering premium products for serious gamers and overclocking enthusiasts looking for the ultimate experience, our mission is to provide best-in-class memory modules and solid-state drives that enhance overall system performance and gameplay. Our Acer SSD FA200, a cutting-edge PCLe 4.0 SSD, has gained immense popularity, especially among content creators and gamers. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, Acer FA200 SSD provides seamless performance,” reveals Mr. Rajesh Khurana of • BIWIN Storage.
Mr. Tejashwar Singh of Kingston Technology elaborates, “The Kingston FURY Renegade SSD uses PCIe 4.0 NVMe technology to deliver exceptional speeds of up to 7,300MB/s making it ideal for gaming setups that require fast load times, smooth streaming, and overall system responsiveness. It significantly reduces wait times for large game files to load, providing a seamless gaming experience for users. The recently launched Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is for users looking for high capacity 4×4 NVMe PCIe performance in a compact form factor. It is a robust next-gen storage solution powered by a Gen 4×4 NVMe controller. The Kingston NV3 delivers read/write speeds of up to 6,000/5,000MB/s, ensuring a faster system capable of handling a variety of workloads, from editing to gaming. The drive optimizes system performance and delivers value without compromise. Its compact single-sided M.2 2280 (22x80mm) design allows for storage expansion up to 4TB, while saving space for other components.”
Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar details, “The Lexar’s ARES RGB DDR5 memory is engineered for high-performance gaming with impressive speeds and low latency. The THOR DDR5 memory further enhances gaming performance with high bandwidth and improved power efficiency.
The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC UHS-II Card offers exceptional read speeds of up to 280 MB/s and write speeds of 180 MB/s is perfect for gamers using handheld devices, drones and mobile devices as it allows for quick file transfers and the storage of high-quality video recordings without lag, ensuring an uninterrupted gaming experience. Finally, the NM1090 SSD provides gamers with lightning-fast loading times and improved game performance. With its NVMe interface, this SSD delivers high read and write speeds, significantly reducing game loading times and enhancing overall system performance. Overall, Lexar’s gaming storage solutions combine speed, efficiency, and aesthetic appeal, meeting the unique demands of gamers and enhancing their overall gaming experience.”
“For gamers, our solutions come in form factors that are optimized for PCs, laptops, as well as gaming console storage expansion for PS5 and portable handhelds,” briefs Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair.
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar states, “For the gaming market, Biostar SSDs provide with high read/write speeds, reduced load times.”
Distribution networks of brands and their strategies to train and motivate partners
Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital briefs, “Western Digital has a wide channel network and we highly value our channel partners. We have established a comprehensive rewards and incentive program to support and motivate them, for meeting or exceeding sales targets. Additionally, training and certification programs are provided to enhance partners’ skills and expertise. We offer volume-based incentives, along with exclusive programs for top-tier partners, further encourage increased sales and outstanding performance.”
“Channel partners are vital to Seagate, driving mutual business growth and success through shared goals and incentives. Seagate’s supply channel structure is strategically designed to foster profitable, sustainable partnerships by providing the tools, resources and support needed to maximize ROI. To train and motivate our channel partners, Seagate emphasizes continuous learning and engagement. The Seagate SkyHawk Partner App is a great example, enabling real-time communication and providing partners with instant access to essential information like storage requirements, investment calculators and online warranty service bookings. This ensures they stay informed and are well-equipped to meet customer needs. Seagate is committed to building a strong and versatile partner ecosystem that thrives in the evolving digital landscape. We continuously refine our partner strategies using key performance indicators, such as partner engagement in training sessions and events, sales performance and network growth, ensuring mutual success for Seagate and our partners,” expresses Mr. Sameer Bhatia of Seagate Technology.
“Micron’s distribution network is organized into two broad categories: industrial channel and commercial channel. Micron is the brand for consumer-focused memory and storage products, including SSDs and Crucial brand for DRAMs. For the ‘Crucial’ branded consumer products, we have built a large network of resellers, VARs, and system integrators across all four regions covering multiple cities in India. Resellers and VAR/SI do a commendable job of making Micron & Crucial branded memory, SSD, and storage products widely available through retail outlets and e-commerce markets. Micron has an extensive network for industrial distribution covering Industrial Electronics, Automotive sector, Networking, Surveillance, and a wide variety of embedded segments covering ODMs, EMS and IDHs throughout India. Micron channel structure is designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivering our products to the market. Training the channel partners and motivating them is an essential and critical element of Micron’s channel management philosophy. To train and motivate our channel partners, we implement a comprehensive programs and activities through-out the year in a consistent manner. To the partners Micron offers regular training programs, sales & marketing support, and post sales. Next, we maintain regular communication with our partners through newsletters, webinars, and meetings. This ensures that they are always informed about our latest developments and can provide feedback on their experiences and challenges,” details Mr. Rajesh Gupta of Micron Technology.
Mr. Rajesh Khurana of BIWIN Storage expresses, “Biwin’s national distributor, Fortune Marketing has 24 branches, 21 warehouses and has over 6,000 active partners across various domains pan-India. Fortune Marketing implements comprehensive training programs providing product knowledge, sales techniques, operational procedures and all the relevant training through workshops, webinars, and e-learning modules and has established incentive schemes to motivate its channel partners. For Predator series, Biwin works with renowned distributor KBC Computech Pvt Ltd.”
Mr. Tejashwar Singh of Kingston Technology shares, “Kingston staunchly believes in growing with channel partners, and provides compelling business opportunities to our partners. On an ongoing basis there are customized training sessions for our channel partners to educate them about new products and share useful first-hand information about the industry trends. To keep them motivated, we keep on conducting various promotional offers focused particularly for our partners.”
“Lexar’s supply chain is built on a collaborative approach with authorized distributors, ensuring that genuine Lexar products are available through reliable channels. In India, we work closely with our partners to maintain consistent supply and quality, leveraging our extensive network to cater to diverse markets. As part of our commitment to after-sales service, we plan to launch localized support channels in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, providing comprehensive service to enhance customer loyalty and partner confidence,” clarifies Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar.
Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair affirms, “Corsair’s distribution model involves working with two key distributors, Supertron and Acro, each of whom sells to their dedicated channel partners across the country. Our products cater to niche segments, with end users specifically seeking out our specialized specifications. In the corporate sector, Corsair products easily pass stringent testing requirements.”
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar says, “We offer sales promotions and marketing support to motivate our partners.”
Future plans and aims of storage brands
Mr. Khalid Wani of Western Digital says, “Western Digital’s focus is on empowering partners through comprehensive training, technical resources, and marketing support, enabling them to seize growth opportunities. Backed by a dedicated channel team and an efficient partner portal, we’re committed to addressing challenges, offering technical assistance, and exploring new avenues for growth. By equipping partners with the right products, tools, and support, we collaborate to deliver exceptional storage solutions, drive innovation, and create value for businesses around the globe.”
“The global surge in AI adoption is driving demand for storage architectures optimised for AI inference. India, as one of the fastest adopters, is experiencing rapid AI integration and exponential data growth. We believe areal density innovation, measured by capacity per disk, offers a game-changing solution for Indian enterprises, enabling them to manage their growing digital footprint sustainably while keeping operational costs and carbon emissions in check. With the launch of Seagate Mozaic 3+, Seagate is not just providing storage but empowering enterprises to efficiently store, manage and scale vast volumes of data essential for AI model training and other critical operations. Seagate Mozaic 3+ platform underscores the indispensable role of hard drives in the AI-driven future. Seagate is committed to continuing to advance innovation in areal density to deliver higher capacity per disk, improving data reliability and performance, and minimizing environmental impact – ultimately helping enterprise drive innovation and achieve long-term success in the age of AI. Additionally, we will also strengthen our partnerships with our Indian channel partners, driving mutual growth and ensuring our storage solutions reach the widest possible market,” concludes Mr. Sameer Bhatia of Seagate Technology reveals.
Mr. Rajesh Gupta of Micron Technology ascertains, “For the coming year, our focus is to help drive several new technology adoptions in our market such as Gen 5 SSDs, DDR-5, a new range of new Gaming products and portable SSDs. Over next 3 years we would like to help equip the relevant channel partners with AI based opportunities. Micron itself has been heavily using AI and smart manufacturing within the entire organization. The AI/ML technologies have been integrated well in the marketing & sales department as well. The way sales/marketing team searches using AI/ML driven Enterprise search or create/summarize documents using AI tools and creates images/collaterals/plans etc has been revamped using AI tools. The data science tools are helping find the right target segment and in deciding which strategies would be most effective in each of the type of distribution channel. Micron plans to grow the opportunities in the smallest form factor category in NVMe SSDs with Gen 4 M.2 22×30 form factor being launched for the first time to cater to handheld consoles/tablets/ultra slim laptops etc. Crucial has launched specific SKUs specially designed for upgrading PS5 including T500 with ease & high capacities up to 4TB. Micron also plans to focus on the highest density market in the data center with Micron 6500 ION while still giving the flexibility to deploy for workloads demanding high performance/endurance. Micron plans to launch industry leading monolithic 96/128GB RDIMMs that allow users to have 16% lower latency, highest capacity, 28% faster performance for AI workloads while still offering lowest TCO as it is >24% energy efficient and is based on simplest monolithic design (1 beta process node technology) when compared to 3DS offerings by other industry players.”
Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair informs, “The interface speeds for both external and internal solutions will continue to increase, with PCIe 6.0 currently at the development stage and external USB4 starting to become available in consumer solutions.”
Mr. Rajesh Khurana of BIWIN Storage briefs, “So far we have been providing cutting-edge storage solutions other brands and companies as an OEM and ODM provider. Shortly, we will be launching our own consumer brand (BIWIN) besides strengthening expanding our OEM and ODM services and increasing our market penetration. We are also currently on the look out for new channel partners for the soon to be launched BIWIN consumer brand.”
“We’re not focused on chasing numbers; instead, we believe that the quality of our products speaks for itself. This approach has allowed Corsair SSDs to thrive in the competitive stage. We intend to maintain this strategy and, in three years, aim to be recognized as a brand synonymous with speed and performance you can trust,” reveals Mr. M.A. Mannan of Corsair.
Ms. Anny Hsu of Biostar states, “In the coming new year, we aim to expand our SSD market share in India market. In three years, we envision being a leading storage brand in India market, recognized for both performance and reliability.”
“In 2025, Lexar plans to significantly expand its presence in India by introducing a range of advanced memory storage solutions designed for professionals, gamers, and content creators. Our SSDs, utilizing PCIe connectivity and the NVMe interface, are engineered to deliver superior performance, particularly for demanding applications like gaming and content creation. Additionally, our DDR4 and DDR5 gaming DRAMs cater to the increasing need for fast, multitasking systems. We are also committed to supporting creators with our latest microSDXC and SDXC cards, which offer high speeds, durability, and secure data handling—ideal for photographers and videographers. Our USB 3.0 and 3.2 flash drives provide faster data transfer, enhancing productivity for everyday users. Looking ahead to the next three years, we aim to further expand our product portfolio in India, strengthen our distribution channels, and continue building on our reputation as a trusted leader in memory solutions,” comments Mr. Fissal Oubida of Lexar.
To Sum Up
Overall the storage segment looks very promising with an expected annual growth rate of around 10% offering great opportunities for both the vendors and partners. While SSDs are expected to replace the HDDs in most consumer and office devices where speed is more critical than the capacity. Then SSDs have already become indispensable for professional gaming. However, where very large storages are needed, HDDs will continue to exist. The new innovations are expected to make SSDs and HDDs cheaper and hold more data. AI is set to play a key role while operating and managing the future memory devices.
Covered By: NCN MAGAZINE / Digital Storage
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