3 Data Memory Stocks Beating NVDA This Year
The artificial intelligence revolution has created a three-pronged bull market in the tech sector. First, you have the hyperscalers like Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) behind the massive data center buildout. Then you have the semiconductor giants like NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) which supply the chips that enable AI systems to be trained. And finally, there are the “picks and shovels” companies that make the necessary equipment, ensuring that data centers run properly.
This third prong of the bull market has been gaining attention lately, as the “picks and shovels” plays have been outperforming the hyperscaler and semiconductor stocks—delivering the critical infrastructure needed to scale artificial intelligence.
Why Memory Storage Has Become the Hottest Trade on Wall Street
Data centers are massive and hungry. Not only do they consume tremendous amounts of electricity and water, but they also have constantly growing data storage needs. Training large language models (LLMs) is an intensive process that requires terabytes upon terabytes of data. Naturally, there are physical limitations. LLMs might one day be able to learn from all written knowledge, but only if the information can be stored appropriately and accessed later. This is why memory storage stocks have become one of the most popular trades in the tech sector.
3 Catalysts Driving the Data Storage Surge
However, the recent stock rallies aren't driven solely by AI. These three factors also contribute to the surge:
- Cyclical Resurgence: Memory devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs) and NAND flash storage, faced a supply glut following the pandemic that drove prices down and cut into margins. Memory storage is a notoriously cyclical industry, and prices are rising once again as the supply glut dissipates and demand soars.
- Sector Rotation: The picks and shovels theme is becoming more prominent as large-cap tech valuations get stretched. Hyperscaler and semiconductor stocks are becoming expensive to own, so investors are looking to industries like data storage for more attractive valuations.
- Industry Alignment: As you’ll see in the next section, some companies in the data storage space have explored strategic initiatives that are already yielding big-time dividends. With data storage backlogs building (good luck getting orders filled in 2026!), the entire sector can benefit from major players becoming more streamlined.
These 3 Data Storage Stocks Are Crushing the Market in 2025
NVDA shares are up more than 40% year-to-date (YTD), which is certainly nothing to scoff at. However, these three data memory stocks have all outperformed that figure, some by a wide margin. But are enough tailwinds in place to keep the rally going in 2026?
Western Digital: Sandisk Spinoff Unlocked Efficiency
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) acquired Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) in 2016 but spun it off in February this year, separating its hard drive and flash memory businesses in one of the market's more successful breakups.
Western Digital’s HDDs don’t have the processing speed of solid-state drives (SSDs) or flash drives, but they offer the cost efficiency AI hyperscalers need.
The price-per-gigabyte for HDDs is more affordable than speedier competing systems, and when you’re scaling operations like the companies leading the AI gold rush, every gigabyte (and dollar) matters.
WDC shares are up more than 170% YTD, including a 115% rally in the last three months alone. One reason is the backlog, as executives mentioned during the fiscal Q1 2026 conference call on Oct. 30. The company’s most significant customers have provided detailed purchase orders extending through 2026, with some 2027 orders already on the books. The chart also shows bullish momentum, with shares trading well above the 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMAs).
Sandisk: Earnings Bump Sends Stock Into New Stratosphere
Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) has been a publicly traded company for only a handful of months, but its return to the market has been one of 2025’s greatest success stories.
SNDK shares are up an astonishing 480% in the last three months as demand for its NAND flash drives continues to build.
The company crushed its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report last week, posting earnings per share (EPS) nearly double analyst expectations.
Revenue also came in above expectations ($2.31 billion vs. projected $2.12 billion), representing year-over-year (YOY) growth of more than 22%. Sandisk’s order book is already filled through 2026, and the company expects more substantial margins next year through price hikes.
The strong earnings report triggered a wave of buying, and the stock is embedded with numerous bullish signals in its chart. However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has been above 70 for the better part of the last month, signaling the risk of a short-term pullback.
Pure Storage: Subscription Business Model Drives Growth
Pure Storage Inc. (NYSE: PSTG) might not have the impressive margins of Western Digital or Sandisk, but its business model generates recurring revenue amid soaring demand.
The company makes flash memory drives that are crucial to AI infrastructure, and its subscription-based model is growing rapidly (18% annual recurring revenue growth).
The company also boasts Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) and NVIDIA as two of its biggest recurring clients.
Pure Storage doesn’t report earnings until Dec. 2, but the stock is showing plenty of bullish momentum. Compared to WDC and SNDK, PSTG shares are "only" up 46% YTD. However, a Golden Cross formed before the company’s previous earnings release, and the stock later jumped 32% after the company posted exceptional results and raised guidance. Shares are now retesting the 50-day SMA, which could be a good buying opportunity before the next earnings release on Dec. 2.
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