HDDs for the current and next decade.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/24650125

Because nothing says “fun” quite like having to restore a RAID that just saw 140TB fail.

Western Digital this week outlined its near-term and mid-term plans to increase hard drive capacities to around 60TB and beyond with optimizations that significantly increase HDD performance for the AI and cloud era. In addition, the company outlined its longer-term vision for hard disk drives’ evolution that includes a new laser technology for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), new platters with higher areal density, and HDD assemblies with up to 14 platters. As a result, WD will be able to offer drives beyond 140 TB in the 2030s.

Western Digital plans to volume produce its inaugural commercial hard drives featuring HAMR technology next year, with capacities rising from 40TB (CMR) or 44TB (SMR) in late 2026, with production ramping in 2027. These drives will use the company’s proven 11-platter platform with high-density media as well as HAMR heads with edge-emitting lasers that heat iron-platinum alloy (FePt) on top of platters to its Curie temperature — the point at which its magnetic properties change — and reducing its magnetic coercivity before writing data.

  • FirmDistribution@lemmy.worldEnglish
    981·
    16 hours ago

    with optimizations that significantly increase HDD performance for the AI and cloud era

    Can somebody do anything with a normal consumer in mind these days? 😭

    • rumba@lemmy.zipEnglish
      6·
      8 hours ago

      Normal consumers can install jellyfin. At some point they’ll make downloading a crime, they wouldn’t hurt people to have a decent collection of stuff ready for that day.

    • mycodesucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      22·
      12 hours ago

      No, and it’s by design.

      You’re gonna lease a tablet and use cloud-based storage services and like it.

      The dystopia is here.

      • Kushan@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        7 hours ago

        It’s about the storage I have in my server right now - using 15 drives ☠️

    • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.worldEnglish
      63·
      16 hours ago

      Not until somebody shuts off the investor money faucet for AI. Then they’ll come crawling back — although inevitably not until after they go whining to all the world’s governments about wanting a bailout.

      But hey, look at the bright side. We’ve already had the cryptocurrency mining boom and bust, and “AI” boom and soon to be bust. There’s still time for some idiot to invent the next tech scam fad which will conveniently require a shitload of hardware for no recognizably useful purpose.

      • cecilkorik@piefed.caEnglish
        7·
        9 hours ago

        Then they’ll come crawling back — although inevitably not until after they go whining to all the world’s governments about wanting a bailout.

        And don’t forget the part where, whether they get a bailout or not, they’ll still have to double the prices of everything to make up for all the money they lost on that stupid AI bubble exploding in their face (which all of us are somehow to blame for, obviously, which is why we have to pay them back for it)