By Nate Wolf

The S&P 500 just hit 7000 for the first time on Wednesday. Investors can thank soaring demand for hard drives, memory chips, and other artificial-intelligence components.

It took just 302 trading days -- since Nov. 11, 2024 -- for the S&P 500 to rise to 7000 from a closing high above 6000, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

In that period, data-storage duo Western Digital and Seagate Technology were the best and third-best performers in the large-cap index, climbing 396% and 265%, respectively. Memory-chip maker Micron Technology came in second with a 278% gain.

The trio's contributions to the S&P 500 reflect just how much the wider market has depended on AI spending in the last year. As hyperscalers, enterprises, and even governments invest in data centers and AI-enabled electronics, various component suppliers have emerged as winners.

In this case, AI has spurred demand for both hard drives to store data and memory chips to to ensure fast access to that data. Western Digital, Seagate, and Micron -- alongside peers like Sandisk and Samsung Electronics -- have kept supply tight, boosting prices and profit margins.

Other participants in the AI supply chain also have benefited from the relentless AI investments. Chip-equipment manufacturer Lam Research was the S&P's fifth-best performer on the ride to 7000 from 6,000 jumping 213%.

The heating and air-conditioning company Comfort Systems USA ranked ninth, climbing 149% in that time. It has profited from providing HVAC solutions for data centers. Both Comfort Systems and Western Digital joined the S&P 500 after it hit the 6000-point milestone in 2024.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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January 28, 2026 10:10 ET (15:10 GMT)

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