'AI and high-speed SSDs are fueling India's gaming revolution': Sandisk VP on AI and gaming

India’s gaming market is on an unprecedented growth trajectory, driven by affordable smartphones, increasing internet penetration, and a young, tech-savvy population. This surge is creating a booming demand for high-performance storage, according to Taninder Sijher, VP of Systems Design Engineering at Sandisk. In an exclusive interview with Business Today, Sijher explained how artificial intelligence and next-generation gaming are reshaping storage requirements and user expectations across the country.

India’s Gaming Boom

"India’s gaming boom is being driven by multiple factors, including affordable smartphones, growing internet access, easy access to game titles, and a young, tech-savvy population," Sijher stated. He highlighted that the rise of eSports and streaming platforms is not limited to metros; Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are increasingly contributing to this trend.

Gamers in India are engaging with larger, more immersive games than ever before, often streaming their gameplay or sharing content online. "This explosion in gaming has placed storage at the forefront of the user experience," Sijher explained.

Why Storage Matters More Than Ever

With modern games expanding in size due to enhanced graphics, frequent updates, and additional content, storage is no longer just about capacity. "Storage is a performance enabler," Sijher emphasised. "With the demand for ultra-fast load times increasing, gamers demand storage solutions that are high-capacity, high-performance, and reliable."

The rise of real-time game recording, editing, and streaming has further intensified the need for robust storage. Gamers today not only play games but also create and share content seamlessly across platforms. Sandisk’s solutions are designed to support these ecosystems, from casual mobile players to console and PC gamers. "As AI drives smarter, more demanding gaming experiences, our role is to ensure that storage keeps pace — enabling seamless and responsive play," Sijher said.

SSD Adoption Trends in India

Despite being a price-sensitive market, Indian gamers are increasingly investing in high-performance storage solutions. Sijher pointed to a significant trend in SSD adoption as evidence. "According to the CMR India Consumer SSD Market Review Report for Q3 2024, the Indian market saw a 37% QoQ growth in internal SSD shipments," he revealed. "Gamers are well-informed; for example, they are aware that a high-performance SSD, such as the WD_BLACK SN8100, is a must for their next-gen rig to get the best out of their gameplay."

This trend reflects a larger shift in the gaming ecosystem, where players are willing to spend on PCs and accessories that enhance their performance. High-speed SSDs are increasingly seen as essential for competitive gaming and content creation workflows.

AI Drives Smarter Storage

Artificial intelligence is also reshaping storage demands. As AI workloads become more sophisticated, storage solutions must adapt to handle complex, data-intensive applications. Sijher pointed to Sandisk’s latest enterprise-grade innovation: the 256TB NVMe SSD.

"This SSD is designed for AI-driven, data-intensive workloads like data ingest, preparation, and fast AI data lakes with high-performance speeds and power efficiency, while improving TCO for high-capacity applications in hyperscale cloud," Sijher explained. "With lower latency, higher bandwidth, and greater reliability, hyperscale flash storage is needed for today’s most demanding AI workloads."

Tailored Storage Solutions for Users

Storage expectations are evolving rapidly, and one-size-fits-all solutions no longer suffice. "Across user groups, there is a growing demand for speed, capacity, durability, portability, and seamless workflow integration," Sijher explained.

Content creators face a different set of challenges: managing 4K and 8K video, RAW photos, and large project files without slowing down their workflow. Sandisk's options, like Creator Series and the WD Blue SN5100 NVMe SSD provide high-speed, portable storage solutions tailored for creators and professionals handling AI-enabled workflows.

Looking Ahead: Future Technologies and Trends

Looking to the future, Sijher is particularly excited about breakthroughs in high-capacity, high-performance, and power-efficient SSDs. "From a technological point of view, I am excited about HBF technology and how it can revolutionize edge AI," he said.

High-capacity enterprise solutions such as the UltraQLC 256TB NVMe SSD are also setting new benchmarks for hyperscale flash storage. "With lower latency, higher bandwidth, and greater reliability, it delivers the performance needed for today’s most demanding AI workloads," Sijher noted.

He anticipates continued innovation across the storage industry as AI adoption grows. "We will see continued innovation in the storage industry, and this is what excites me," he said.