Share this article
Bram Cohen’s Chia Drives Hard Disk Demand in Europe: Report
Research by Context shows just under 200,000 enterprise-grade nearline storage devices of 10TB capacity were sold to end-users in Europe this April.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:08 p.m. Published Jun 9, 2021, 4:14 p.m.
The debut of the cryptocurrency Chia has generated a surge in demand for hard disk drives in the European market, according to a report.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
- The latest research by Context shows just under 200,000 enterprise-grade nearline storage devices of 10TB capacity, and more were sold to end-users in Europe this April, marking a 240% increase compared to April 2020, reports The Register.
- The Chia network was founded in 2018 by Bram Cohen, co-founder BitTorrent, one of the most influential protocols on the internet.
- That Chia relies on proof of space rather than proof of work is driving the rise in demand for drives and growth across the market, said the report.
- "It has taken everybody by surprise following the launch of Chia," Gurvan Meyer, senior enterprise analyst at Context, told the publication. "Even Western Digital and Seagate were not expecting high demand like this," said Meyer.
- The analyst said he expects the effect on the market to be long-lasting.
More For You
L1 tokens broadly underperformed in 2025 despite a backdrop of regulatory and institutional wins. Explore the key trends defining ten major blockchains below.
What to know:
2025 was defined by a stark divergence: structural progress collided with stagnant price action. Institutional milestones were reached and TVL increased across most major ecosystems, yet the majority of large-cap Layer-1 tokens finished the year with negative or flat returns.
This report analyzes the structural decoupling between network usage and token performance. We examine 10 major blockchain ecosystems, exploring protocol versus application revenues, key ecosystem narratives, mechanics driving institutional adoption, and the trends to watch as we head into 2026.
More For You
Aptos' APT declines amid slump in wider crypto markets
APT declined on heavy volume as the CoinDesk 20 index fell 2.8%.
What to know:
- APT dropped 2.8%
- Trading volume was 35% above monthly average.
- The elevated activity validated genuine repositioning despite APT's relative weakness against larger digital assets.
Top Stories
