Kingston Technology has secured its position as the leading third-party supplier of SSDs in the channel for the entirety of 2022, marking its sixth consecutive year at the top, according to TrendForce. The data reveals that Kingston contributed an impressive 28 percent to the 114 million units shipped last year, despite a global SSD market decline of 10.7% from the previous year. The resolution of IC shortages that affected the market in 2021 played a role in stabilizing the supply and demand dynamics in 2022.

Even with the challenges faced by the market, Kingston maintained its stronghold and witnessed growth in market share compared to 2021. In a market where the top five third-party suppliers collectively represented nearly 60% of total shipments in 2022, Kingston emerged as the undeniable leader, with the second-place supplier holding a mere 9 percent of the total channel market.

As the global economy grappled with challenges in 2023, particularly in the notebook and desktop shipments sector, module makers strategically navigated the hurdles of high-cost inventory by adopting competitive pricing in their shipping strategies. The third quarter of the year saw a rapid shift in market sentiment, driven by decisive production cuts from NAND Flash suppliers. This shift favored module manufacturers with lower-cost inventories, positioning them strategically in the market.

The demand for PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs continued to shape the market landscape, prompting module houses to transition steadily from SATA to PCIe. TrendForce anticipates that providing NVMe upgrades will not only enhance brand recognition but also contribute to sustained shipment growth. In response to these market trends, Kingston expanded its product range in 2022, introducing new value and high-performance drives, as well as offerings in the external and encrypted categories.

The launch of the NV2 client NVMe drive proved to be a significant success for Kingston in 2022, quickly becoming the best-selling drive in the company’s lineup with over 12 million units sold worldwide since its launch. Building on the success of the Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, the company refreshed the drive to include a heatsink option, catering to the needs of console and PC gamers. This underscores Kingston’s ongoing commitment to developing high-quality NVMe solutions.

Beyond product expansion, Kingston’s success is attributed to its customer-centric approach, offering top-tier sales support and access to in-house product experts and engineers. This approach has resulted in over three decades of reliability and support for customers. Kingston’s consistent #1 rank in the SSD market for the sixth consecutive year aligns with its track record in the DRAM division, where the company has been the largest third-party memory module supplier for an impressive 20 years in a row.

“It’s an honor to achieve this top ranking for another year”, said Kingston. “From the beginning, Kingston has remained steadfast in our commitment to serving our customers and channel partners across the globe, and it’s through these strong and enduring relationships that our SSD business has experienced remarkable growth. The recent findings from TrendForce serve as a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire team, and we are grateful for the recognition and success we share with them.”

Source: TrendForce