Market evolution: Storage drives (CN 847170) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report analyses the evolution of European Union (EU) external trade in storage units for automatic data-processing machines (Combined Nomenclature code 847170) over the decade from 2015 to 2025. This product category, which encompasses hard disk drives, central storage units, and other storage devices, has undergone significant structural changes. The period is characterised by a clear divergence between a sustained increase in trade value and a pronounced decline in traded physical volumes, reflecting deep technological and geopolitical shifts in the global market. The EU's trade deficit in this sector has widened substantially, accompanied by a notable reconfiguration of supply chains.

1. Diverging Trends: Soaring Unit Values Amidst Declining Physical Volumes

The most striking feature of the 2015-2025 period is the persistent decoupling between the monetary value of EU trade in storage units and its physical volume. While import and export values have generally trended upwards, the quantities measured in both tonnes and number of items have fallen sharply, indicating a fundamental market transformation.

Import Value Resilience Against Quantity Collapse

EU imports of storage units increased in value by 34.0% between 2015 and 2025, rising from EUR 7.38 billion to EUR 9.89 billion. This growth occurred despite a dramatic 62.9% decline in the physical quantity imported, which fell from 54,024 tonnes to 20,022 tonnes over the same period. This dynamic is mirrored in the data for the number of items, which decreased by 45.0% (Imports over time).

Export Trends Reflect Similar Value-Volume Split

EU exports followed a comparable pattern. The value of exports grew by 14.4% (from EUR 3.76 billion to EUR 4.30 billion), while the quantity in tonnes plummeted by 50.1% (from 18,172 tonnes to 9,075 tonnes). The number of items exported also fell by 30.7% (Exports over time).

The Unit Price Inflation: A Story of Technological Premium

The divergence between value and volume is explained by a massive increase in unit prices. The average price per tonne for imports surged by 261.7%, while the price per item increased by 143.8%. For exports, the price per tonne rose by 129.2%, and the price per item by 65.1%. This price escalation strongly suggests a compositional shift towards higher-value, more advanced storage solutions, such as solid-state drives (SSDs) and enterprise-grade systems, which command a significant premium over traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) and legacy media.

2. Reconfiguring the Map: Shifting Partners and Geopolitical Headwinds

The geographical landscape of the EU's storage unit trade underwent substantial realignment, influenced by evolving production hubs and geopolitical events. Trade concentration also changed, reflecting a diversification of import sources.

The Ascent of Thailand and the Relative Decline of China

The most significant shift among import partners was the rise of Thailand. Thailand's share of EU imports grew from EUR 1.92 billion in 2015 to EUR 3.20 billion in 2025, a 66.8% increase, making it the leading supplier by value. In contrast, imports from China, the second-largest partner, declined by 31.5% over the same period. Other Asian partners like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan also saw substantial growth (Top import partners).

The United Kingdom: A Disrupted Export Market

The trade relationship with the United Kingdom was severely impacted following its departure from the EU's single market. UK imports from the EU fell by 75.1% (from EUR 545 million to EUR 136 million). Conversely, EU imports from the UK also declined sharply. This disruption is a major factor behind the widening of the EU's overall trade deficit, which expanded from EUR -3.62 billion in 2015 to EUR -5.59 billion in 2025 (Trade balance).

Diversification and Concentration

Import concentration, measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) on value, decreased slightly from 1,756 in 2015 to 1,635 in 2025, indicating a moderate diversification of supply sources away from the previously dominant players. Export concentration also decreased, suggesting a broader spread of export destinations (Concentration analysis).

3. The EU's Evolving Position: Shrinking Production and Growing Specialisation

Within the EU, domestic production of storage units contracted significantly, while trade patterns revealed a growing specialisation among certain member states, often linked to their roles in the broader digital and manufacturing ecosystems.

Contraction of EU Domestic Production

Available production data shows a stark decline. The quantity of storage units produced within the EU (in number of items) fell by 42.7%, from approximately 14.0 million units in 2015 to 8.0 million in 2025. The production value collapsed by an even steeper 57.8%, from EUR 4.26 billion to EUR 1.80 billion (Production volumes). This decline underscores a major shift in the global manufacturing footprint of this product category away from the EU.

The Netherlands: Europe's Emerging Trade Hub

Among EU member states, the Netherlands solidified its role as a key hub for storage unit trade. Dutch imports grew by 55.3% to become the largest within the EU (EUR 3.27 billion), and its exports surged by 86.8% to reach EUR 1.77 billion. This suggests the Netherlands is increasingly serving as an entry and re-export point for the European market.

Specialisation and Economic Dependency

Analysis of revealed comparative advantage shows a high degree of specialisation in a few member states. Ireland is by far the most specialised, with an RCA of 12.83, reflecting its role as a major base for technology multinationals involved in storage system integration and high-value manufacturing. Czechia, Hungary, and the Netherlands also show significant specialisation (Export specialisation).

Conclusion

The EU market for storage drives (CN 847170) between 2015 and 2025 was shaped by three interconnected narratives: technological evolution, geopolitical reconfiguration, and structural adjustment. The market saw a decisive shift from high-volume, lower-value traditional storage media to lower-volume, higher-value advanced solutions. This is reflected in the soaring unit prices and collapsing physical trade volumes. Geographically, supply chains reoriented towards Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations, while trade with the UK was severely disrupted by Brexit, contributing to a wider EU trade deficit. Internally, the EU's production base contracted, and its remaining trade became more concentrated in specialised hubs like the Netherlands and Ireland. The EU's growing net import reliance, rising from 61% to 73% of apparent consumption, highlights its increasing dependency on non-EU sources for this critical component of the digital economy (Net import reliance).