Are QLC SSDs Ready to Kill Hard Drives in Data Centers?

Published on: March 20, 2025 | 5 minute read | by Krisa Cortez

Are we approaching the end of the HDD Era? Meta seems to think so. The tech giant has been advocating for Quad-Level Cell (QLC) SSDs as a viable alternative to traditional HDDs in data centers.

Data centers that, for decades, have had hard disk drives (HDDs) as a backbone of their data center storage solutions due to its massive capacity at a low cost. But as cloud computing, AI, and bigger data clusters demand faster, more efficient storage, the industry faces a dilemma: Can QLC SSDs finally replace HDDs once and for all? And are enterprises ready to make the switch if QLC SSDs truly deliver on their promise of cost-effective, high-density, and power-efficient storage?

Allow us to break down the case for and against QLC SSDs. Let's see whether the days of spinning disks are finally numbered.

The Case for QLC SSDs: Why They Could Replace HDDs

QLC SSD technology is said to be reaching its peak. With this happening so rapidly, more enterprises are beginning to seriously assess its potential to disrupt the longstanding dominance of traditional hard drives in data centers. It has no longer remained a niche solution. QLC is emerging as a strong contender in environments that prioritize scalability, energy efficiency, and long-term cost savings. While still facing questions around endurance and price, its advantages in read-intensive workloads are impossible to ignore. Improved total cost of ownership to sustainability gains? Who would not want these and more? The following sections explore why QLC SSDs could soon become the new standard in modern data center infrastructure.

The Cost Factor: QLC vs. HDD Over Time

The biggest argument for keeping HDDs in data centers is their lower upfront cost per terabyte.

QLC SSDs are rapidly closing the price gap however. This is especially true when considering total cost of ownership (TCO). QLC drives are also able to consume significantly less power and have lower cooling requirements which adds to the huge savings in operational costs. Consider this case with how Meta’s been pushing for QLC enterprise SSDs and how they can reduce TCO while improving efficiency. The results are telling.

Performance: Speed Matters in the AI Era

This is a major deal breaker. Fact is, the HDDs are becoming simply too slow for modern data center workloads that require fast and real-time data access. QLC SSDs provide dramatically faster read speeds that are more compatible when running AI or being used in machine learning and analytics. In AI applications, storage read performance is more important than write endurance so that makes QLC a perfect fit in this scenario.

Density & Scalability: Stacking Up Against HDDs

QLC SSDs allow for higher storage density compared to HDDs. They take up less physical space. Meta and Pure Storage have developed 600TB QLC SSD arrays as well, and these showcase just how flash storage can scale more efficiently than racks of HDDs. Less rack space = lower data center footprint = reduced costs. This is most undeniable.

Energy Efficiency: The Sustainability Factor

HDDs require spinning platters that translate to constant mechanical movement and higher energy consumption. QLC SSDs use no moving parts which lead to 50%+ power savings over HDDs in large-scale deployments. If sustainability is your key enterprise goal, QLC SSDs are positioning themselves as the greener storage solution for you.

The Challenges: Why HDDs Are Still Holding On

Despite the rising momentum behind QLC SSD adoption, HDDs continue to hold their ground in many enterprise environments and are not going down without a fight. The reasons aren't just technological in their case. They’re also economic and organizational. From concerns over write endurance to longstanding infrastructure dependencies, there are just so many practical and financial hurdles that have slowed the transition to all-flash storage. This section explores the key factors that are keeping traditional spinning disks alive and definitely still kicking in today’s data centers.

Endurance: The Write Cycle Problem

The main Achilles’ heel of QLC SSDs is lower write endurance. Surprising for something that’s being slated as the future of technology. While TLC SSDs can handle thousands of write cycles per cell, QLC SSDs degrade much faster. Is this a dealbreaker? For write-intensive applications, well, it might be. But for read-heavy workloads like cloud enterprise data storage, AI, and archival data, the QLC’s endurance is good enough.

The Price Paradox: Is QLC Really Cheaper?

While QLC is cheaper than TLC, HDDs still hold the advantage in absolute price per terabyte. For now. QLC SSDs are tempting with the offer long-term savings in power and cooling, but it’s also evident that enterprises are hesitant to make the upfront investment. Perhaps they will QLC when the QLC crosses the price threshold? When will that be? Some analysts predict within the next 3-5 years.

Market Inertia: Enterprises Are Slow to Change

IT infrastructure is built around decades of reliance on HDDs. Many legacy applications and backup systems are optimized for spinning disks, and this might make the transition difficult. The transition to QLC requires not just new hardware after all. It requires new storage architectures, which can slow the adoption of this technology.

Verdict: Are QLC SSDs Finally Ready to Take Over?

Our short answer: No. Not yet anyway, but we’re getting there and close. QLC SSDs are already proving their worth in specific applications like AI, cloud storage, and archival data. Meta’s push for QLC also helps it along. The so-called hyperscalers will drive adoption and force the rest of the industry to follow, no doubt.

However, our beloved HDDs won’t disappear overnight. Until QLC SSDs improve their write endurance and reach HDD-like pricing, spinning disks will still have a role to play, especially in long-term cold enterprise storage.

But make no mistake: The writing is on the wall. Within the next decade or so, QLC SSDs could finally spell the end of HDDs in data centers.

Final Thoughts: Should Your Data Center Make the Switch?

For enterprises evaluating their enterprise data storage strategy, the question isn’t just “Should we move to QLC?” but rather “Which workloads are best suited for QLC today?” If your data center relies heavily on read-intensive applications, AI, or cloud-based storage, then QLC SSDs are already a smart investment, and we at Unix Surplus support this to its core. If you’re still dependent on HDD capacity for write-heavy tasks or long-term backups, however, then QLC might not be ready for that just yet. A little more time in the oven, so to speak. But as pricing continues to drop and endurance improves, it’s clear that QLC SSDs are the future. Yes, sadly, the days of HDDs are indeed numbered at this point.