Solusi Penyimpanan Berbasis AI: Pemimpin Perangkat Keras Mana yang Siap Tumbuh di 2026?

The Convergence of AI and Storage Demand

The storage landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift. As artificial intelligence workloads intensify and data generation accelerates, manufacturers of computer storage devices are facing unprecedented opportunities. The catalyst isn’t just one factor—it’s a convergence: cloud infrastructure expansion, IoT proliferation, autonomous systems, and generative AI adoption all amplify the need for intelligent, high-capacity storage solutions.

Traditional approaches to data management are becoming insufficient. Organizations are adopting virtualization technologies and edge computing architectures to handle the deluge of information flowing from connected devices. Meanwhile, companies are deploying AI for IT Operations (AIOps) to intelligently manage these expanding storage ecosystems. The result is clear: robust demand for both HDD and Flash-based solutions across enterprise and consumer segments.

Three Storage Leaders Gaining Traction

Three companies stand out for their ability to capitalize on these trends. All three currently carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) designation: Western Digital Corp. (WDC), Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX), and Teradata Corp. (TDC). Each represents a different angle on the storage-AI intersection.

Seagate’s Data Center Dominance

Seagate is experiencing substantial momentum from cloud deployments and accelerating adoption of high-capacity HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) drives. The company’s data center business generates the majority of its revenue, and production capacity for nearline storage is heavily booked through 2026, with visibility extending into 2027 via long-term contracts.

For fiscal Q2 2026, Seagate projects revenue of $2.7 billion (±$100 million), representing 16% year-over-year growth. A key advantage lies in its aerial density roadmap, which delivers sustained cost-per-gigabyte benefits compared to competing storage technologies. Enterprise customers increasingly recognize HAMR drives as the optimal solution for AI-driven storage requirements.

Recently, Seagate strengthened its market position through a September 2025 partnership with Acronis. The collaboration delivers Acronis Archival Storage, an S3-compatible solution combining Seagate’s Lyve Cloud infrastructure with enterprise-grade security and compliance features—targeting MSPs and regulated organizations managing growing AI data volumes.

For the current fiscal year (ending June 2026), Seagate shows expected revenue growth of 19% and earnings growth of 39%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 2.2% over the past 30 days.

Western Digital’s Multi-Vector Growth

Western Digital is executing well against intensified cloud and AI demand. The cloud segment comprises 89% of total revenue and surged 31% in the last quarter, driven primarily by demand for high-capacity nearline HDDs.

The company has doubled shipments of ePMR-based products, moving from 26TB CMR configurations to 32TB UltraSMR drives. HAMR drive production ramp is scheduled for H1 2027. WDC projects fiscal Q2 2026 revenues of $2.9 billion (±$100 million), marking 20% growth year-over-year, underpinned by sustained data center demand and wider adoption of higher-capacity drives.

Beyond traditional storage, Western Digital is benefiting from Gen AI’s influence on consumer behavior. The proliferation of AI-driven applications is expected to trigger a refresh cycle in client and consumer devices—smartphones, gaming systems, PCs, and consumer electronics—all requiring expanded content storage capabilities. eSSD adoption is accelerating due to superior speed, reliability, and efficiency relative to HDDs, directly benefiting from AI workload requirements.

Looking forward, agentic AI deployment represents an emerging opportunity. These autonomous systems require continuous data access, positioning WDC’s platform business favorably among native AI firms and SaaS providers. For the current year (ending June 2026), Western Digital shows expected revenue growth of -12.1% and earnings growth of 54.8%. Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 15.3% over the last 60 days—the most significant upward revision among the three.

Teradata’s Enterprise AI Infrastructure Play

Teradata operates in a distinct but complementary segment: the data platform layer that powers enterprise AI systems. The company benefits from structural ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) growth acceleration, cost optimization initiatives, and operational efficiency gains driving meaningful free cash flow expansion.

Agentic AI represents a pivotal opportunity for TDC. These always-on, autonomous AI systems require continuous query execution and massive data processing capabilities. Teradata’s platform not only manages the critical enterprise datasets powering these systems but also delivers the performance characteristics these architectures demand.

Teradata’s product innovation cycle has intensified. QueryGrid provides a distributed analytics fabric; Enterprise Vector Store enables vector-based processing for Retrieval-Augmented Generation; AgentBuilder simplifies agentic workflow development; and ClearScape Analytics now features unified ModelOps capabilities. The ask.ai feature introduces natural language interfaces, while enhanced ModelOps provides no-code functionality enabling faster AI expansion while maintaining governance compliance.

Strategic acquisitions like Stemma strengthen data discovery and exploration capabilities, expanding Teradata’s competitive moat in the analytics and AI infrastructure market. These developments collectively position TDC for sustained clientele and revenue expansion.

For next year, Teradata shows expected revenue growth of -0.6% and earnings growth of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for next-year earnings has improved 0.4% over the last 30 days.

The Investment Thesis

The three companies address different layers of the AI-storage stack: Seagate and Western Digital compete in physical storage hardware, while Teradata operates at the data platform level. Collectively, they represent exposure to multiple expressions of the storage-AI megatrend. Cloud infrastructure expansion, edge computing deployment, and agentic AI adoption create durable, multi-year demand drivers across all three businesses.

Each stock maintains Zacks Rank #1 status, indicating strong fundamental support among research analysts. Investors seeking exposure to computer storage devices benefiting from AI acceleration have multiple entry points across this ecosystem.