[2026 In‑Depth Hardware Market Analysis] Part 2. SSD Market Seizure: The eSSD Black Hole and the Shackled Yangtze Memory (YMTC)
1. Oligopoly fragility and the SanDisk stock roller coaster The NAND flash market is an oligopoly. Until autumn 2025 SSD prices were stable, but after big tech’s October announcements prices spiked wildly as enterprise eSSD orders surged from Q4 onward. This volatility showed up in Western Digital’s (SanDisk’s parent) stock: expectations of booming eSSD revenue sent the stock up briefly, then consumer market weakness reports sent it crashing—an example of how fragile an oligopolistic balance can be. 2. The 1TB NVMe price floor collapses and used‑market premiums Mainstream 1TB TLC NVMe prices moved to crisis levels. Models that cost mid‑₩100,000s in mid‑2025 now trade at ₩360,000–₩390,000 in Feb 2026. 4TB drives have crossed the ₩1,000,000 mark. Limited wafer allocation to profitable enterprise eSSD production drastically cut consumer TLC output. New‑product inflation created grotesque used‑market premiums. A grade‑A used 1TB TLC that once sold for around ₩50,000 now lists at ₩250...