• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Japan Earthquake Could Affect HDD Industry

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,300 (7.53/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Over a week after, and still reeling with one of the biggest disasters in its history, Japan is home to major manufacturing plants of hard drive-grade substrate makers such as Furukawa Denko and Kobe Steel; as well as HDD OEM Showa Denko, all of which have faced temporary shutdowns after the quake. The three have all reported damage to facilities, injuries of employees and have shut down their operations pending further evaluation. This could have its repercussions on the hard drive industry, which is beginning to face serious competition from the solid-state drive (SSD) industry, in the lower-mainstream segments.

Showa Denko-made HDDs amount for 25% of global market, but its facilities are distributed between Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. Showa Denko supplies to Seagate and Western Digital, two major companies in the HDD business, though since the two have their own manufacturing facilities, shortage of Showa Denko-sourced hard drives may not have an immediate impact, notes DigiTimes. On the other hand is HDD component manufacturers such as Furukawa Denko and Kobe Steel, which produce HDD-use substrates using aluminum mainly for desktop PCs; TDK, Showa Denko and Fuji Electric, which make fine components such as read/write heads and the magnetic discs.



TDK's facilities are unaffected by the quake as they are outside the disaster zone, the Japan-based magnetic-storage veteran owns about 30% of the global magnetic read/write head market. But on the other hand, Showa Denko's facilities are struck by disaster and have shut down. This company owns about 25% of the market, supplying around 22 million discs each month. HDD metal substrate supply is dominated by Japanese players, most of the substrate and motor makers including Hoya, Nihon Densan and Konica Minolta do not have plants in the disaster zones, and they only have seen limited impact from the earthquake. Kobe Steel, and Furukawa Denko, have suspended their plants in disaster zones.

Japan's rolling power-cuts in the wake of disabled atomic power plants is another factor at play here, it affects production at facilities otherwise unaffected by the disaster. Overall, it is observed that while there is little short term impact on the HDD industry, it could be a long term setback for major HDD companies to compete against the SSD industry.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
784 (0.14/day)
Location
Seattle
Processor Intel Xeon x5660 (4.2ghz)
Motherboard Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
Cooling Corsair H100
Memory 24gb (6x 4gb DDR3 1600) Kingston Hyperx
Video Card(s) XFX Black r290x 4gb ddr5 OC
Storage 6x 2tb 64mb WD drives, Patriot Pyro sandforce2 drive ,intel 180gb ssd
Display(s) HP w2558hc
Case Corsair Carbine 500r
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Pro Fatality
Power Supply XFX 750 watt
Mouse Thermaltake Theron ee Sports+
Keyboard Corsair Vengence k70 RGB Cherry Red
Software Windows 8.1 x64
so the earthquake was an evil plot to destroy hard drives and tape media so ssd could reign dominance?

j/k
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
1,359 (0.25/day)
Processor Core i7 920
Motherboard Asus P6T v2
Cooling Noctua D-14
Memory OCZ Gold 1600
Video Card(s) Powercolor PCS+ 5870
Storage Samsung SpinPoint F3 1 TB
Display(s) Samsung LE-B530 37" TV
Case Lian Li PC-B25F
Audio Device(s) N/A
Power Supply Thermaltake Toughpower 700w
Software Windows 7 64-bit
The situation in Japan is affecting all industries dependent on Japanese supplies, which in the technology sector alone, entails a vast number of companies. This may not be apparent in the short term, but once on-site stock runs out, delay is inevitable.

As a technologically advanced society and in view of the recent series of manmade and natural disasters, we might easily underestimate Japan's situation, but I know of no other country that has simultaneously had to deal with the effects of an earthquake, a tsunami and a failing nuclear plant.

http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html
 

TheMailMan78

Big Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
22,599 (3.52/day)
Location
'Merica. The Great SOUTH!
System Name TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
Processor RYZEN 1700X / Intel i7 2600k @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4 / Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155
Cooling MasterLiquid PRO 280 / Scythe Katana 4
Memory ADATA RGB 16GB DDR4 2666 16-16-16-39 / G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 1866: 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s) MSI 1080 "Duke" with 8Gb of RAM. Boost Clock 1847 MHz / ASUS 780ti
Storage 256Gb M4 SSD / 128Gb Agelity 4 SSD , 500Gb WD (7200)
Display(s) LG 29" Class 21:9 UltraWide® IPS LED Monitor 2560 x 1080 / Dell 27"
Case Cooler Master MASTERBOX 5t / Cooler Master 922 HAF
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec / SupremeFX X-Fi with Bose Companion 2 speakers.
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-750PX 750W Platinum / SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
Mouse SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Benchmark Scores Benching is for bitches.
I wonder if the aluminum plants in the US would be able to export fast enough to make up the difference. Lord knows we have enough.
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
1,453 (0.27/day)
System Name 2K Gamer
Processor AMD 8370 @ 4.5GHZ
Motherboard ASUS Pro Gaming / Aura 970
Cooling Corsair H60 AIO
Memory 16GB G. Skill RipJaw @ 1600MHZ
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP! GTX 1070
Storage Samsung 600 Gig HDD (Raid 0 @ 7,500) / WD 1TB Blue @ 7,200 / PNY 128 GB SSD For Linux
Display(s) 27'' ASUS 144MHZ G-SYNC Read 1400p Gaming Monitor / 23'' LG LCD Flatron W2361VG 1080p @ 50,000:1
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Onboard 7.1 HD Realtek
Power Supply 750w Corsair HX
Mouse Cougar Gaming Mouse
Keyboard Saitek Eclipse
Software Windows 10 64bit Education Edition
it's ashame what happen in Japan. HAARP to blame, anyone?
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
697 (0.11/day)
Location
Zagreb, Croatia
Processor C2D E8400@3.9GHz (488x8, 1.4v :( )
Motherboard Abit IP35-E
Cooling Thermaltake Sonic Tower+120mm fan
Memory 2GB kingmax ddr1066@976MHz 5-5-5-15
Video Card(s) Radeon X1800GTO @700/1400MHz with Accelero S1+Glacialtech fancard
Storage 2xSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 793s... just you laugh...
Case some Aplus case
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC888
Power Supply Chieftec 450W
Software Win7 x64
I wonder if the aluminum plants in the US would be able to export fast enough to make up the difference. Lord knows we have enough.

it's not the raw material that's the problem, it's the precision of manufacture i think. something that runs at 7200k rpm (let alone 15000k) needs to be pretty damn balanced not to shatter itself.
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.91/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
i cant think of anything to say that wouldnt really be appropriate, given that the japs have a lot worse to deal with right now, than HDD prices.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
668 (0.10/day)
Location
QLD, Australia
Processor Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard Asus ROG X670E GENE MATX
Cooling Phanteks Glacier One 280MPH AIO
Memory G.Skill 48GB (2x24GB) F5-8000J4048F24GX2-TZ5RK Trident Z5 RGB 8000MHz DDR5
Video Card(s) ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC Edition 24GB GDDR6
Storage Crucial T700 Gen5 2TB NVMe | Crucial P5 Plus Gen4 2TB NVMe | Crucial P5 Plus Gen4 1TB NVMe
Display(s) AOC U3277PWQU 32in 4K
Case Phanteks Enthoo Evolv mATX TG
Audio Device(s) Onboard SPDIF --> Logitech Z-5500
Power Supply Seasonic ATX 3.0 VERTEX-GX-1000
Mouse Razer Mamba Chroma
Keyboard Razer Cynosa V2 Chroma
Software Arch Linux
i cant think of anything to say that wouldnt really be appropriate, given that the japs have a lot worse to deal with right now, than HDD prices.

Totally agree.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
1,555 (0.26/day)
Location
Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
System Name Toaster!
Processor Intel Core i7 10700KF @ 3.8/5.1GHZ
Motherboard ASUS Prime Z490-P Motherboard
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler.
Memory G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64GB (4x16GB) 3600MHz CL16 DDR4
Video Card(s) ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC 24GB
Storage Samsung 970 PRO M.2 NVMe SSD 1TB
Display(s) Asus ROG PG43UQ 4K UHD 144Hz G-Sync HDR 43in + 2 x ASUS VG258Q FHD 144Hz Freesync 25in Monitor
Case Corsair Obsidian 900D
Audio Device(s) EPOS Sennheiser GSX 1000 V2 amplifier + EPOS Gaming GSP 601 Headset
Power Supply Corsair AX1000 Titanium Modular
Mouse Razer Deathadder
Keyboard Corsair K70.
Software ALL HAIL WINDOWS 10.
Benchmark Scores Old system: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/6805248
Makes you wonder. What if something even bigger happened to China? We rely on China for a lot of resources.
 
T

Taskforce

Guest
Makes you wonder. What if something even bigger happened to China? We rely on China for a lot of resources.

Almost wish it would, that way the US could cut its shameful dependency and made in China wouldn't have to be on some of the simplest of products, like a tooth brush and the shirt on your back.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Messages
1,583 (0.21/day)
Location
Poland,Slask
System Name HAL
Processor Core i5 2500K
Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro Rev3.1
Cooling stock
Memory 2x4GB Kingston 1600Mhz Blu
Video Card(s) Asus 560Ti DirectCuII TOP
Storage Kingston 120 3K SSD,WD Black WD1502FAEX
Display(s) LG 1440x900
Case Chieftec Mesh Midi
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750V2
Software w8
Almost wish it would, that way the US could cut its shameful dependency and made in China wouldn't have to be on some of the simplest of products, like a tooth brush and the shirt on your back.

Nothing like complaining you have something cheap. If you'd have to pay 3x the price of a tooth brush you would whine then...

And wtf is wrong with you " almost wish it would ". About 10k ppl died in Japan.

I don't think the quake will affect the market that much, sure for a moment now but not on the long road. It's that unresolved nuclear reactor situation I'm worried about.
 

HTC

Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
4,664 (0.76/day)
Location
Portugal
System Name HTC's System
Processor Ryzen 5 5800X3D
Motherboard Asrock Taichi X370
Cooling NH-C14, with the AM4 mounting kit
Memory G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse 6600 8 GB
Storage 1 Samsung NVMe 960 EVO 250 GB + 1 3.5" Seagate IronWolf Pro 6TB 7200RPM 256MB SATA III
Display(s) LG 27UD58
Case Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX 850M 80+ Gold
Mouse Razer Deathadder Elite
Software Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS
Almost wish it would, that way the US could cut its shameful dependency and made in China wouldn't have to be on some of the simplest of products, like a tooth brush and the shirt on your back.

That's a poor choice of words, dude!
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.91/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
before this gets out of hand, can people please calm down?


Yes, this is only a minor concern compared to whats happening in japan, but its no reason to attack each other over it, poor choice of words or not.
 

newfellow

New Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
314 (0.06/day)
System Name ID
Processor Q9450 ~3.74Ghz
Motherboard ASUS-P5E
Cooling Air
Memory G.Skill CL4-8GB
Video Card(s) ATI/Geforce 5850/9800
Storage A-lot
Display(s) BenQ G2400WT
Case 900
Audio Device(s) Shitty ASUS FX;P
Power Supply OCZ GXS 850W
Software -
Benchmark Scores too many machines to spec
so the earthquake was an evil plot to destroy hard drives and tape media so ssd could reign dominance?

j/k

I honestly think this kind of scenarios will come to be reality to people. Not only HDD market it's an perfect excuse to raise prices, raise different hardware on top of others and hell I am
not even paranoia I just can see it some way reflecting market like 'we want to bring new technology, but it's barely as good as the old one, people will pay'.

There's just no better timing to hit than now with an excuse.
(I honestly think it's shameless how corps use these events. Hell, considering there's people dying and we wonder about how it affects out USB stick.)
 
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
108 (0.02/day)
Location
Germany
Ten days ago I've bought a new CPU (2600K) and new RAM - now I'm still waiting for the UD5 Gigabyte-Mainboard to arrive in stocks here in Germany. Production seems to be delayed. This sucks. Even if Gigabyte does produce in Taiwan, many components are from Japan. Still, the market for mainboards is affected from the Intel-Failure, too.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Messages
1,583 (0.21/day)
Location
Poland,Slask
System Name HAL
Processor Core i5 2500K
Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro Rev3.1
Cooling stock
Memory 2x4GB Kingston 1600Mhz Blu
Video Card(s) Asus 560Ti DirectCuII TOP
Storage Kingston 120 3K SSD,WD Black WD1502FAEX
Display(s) LG 1440x900
Case Chieftec Mesh Midi
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750V2
Software w8

newfellow

New Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
314 (0.06/day)
System Name ID
Processor Q9450 ~3.74Ghz
Motherboard ASUS-P5E
Cooling Air
Memory G.Skill CL4-8GB
Video Card(s) ATI/Geforce 5850/9800
Storage A-lot
Display(s) BenQ G2400WT
Case 900
Audio Device(s) Shitty ASUS FX;P
Power Supply OCZ GXS 850W
Software -
Benchmark Scores too many machines to spec
Top