- Seagate prototypes obtain 7TB per platter, the very best density for HDD analysis
- Ten-platter drives allow experimental HDDs to achieve 70TB whole capability
- HAMR makes use of localized heating to write down knowledge on smaller magnetic bits
Seagate Expertise has introduced plans to commercialize a 3.5-inch HDD with a complete storage capability of 70TB.
This follows research-level prototypes reaching 7TB per platter, the very best areal density reported for an HDD prototype.
The corporate offered these outcomes at a symposium organized by the Japan HDD Affiliation and a seminar hosted by the Nationwide Institute for Supplies Science.
Expertise behind ultra-high capability
In accordance with Seagate, this achievement is a essential step towards reaching 10TB per platter by 2028.
The prototype drives depend on a mix of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and shingled magnetic recording (SMR).
HAMR makes use of localized heating to write down knowledge on smaller magnetic bits, whereas SMR partially overlaps tracks to extend storage density.
These improvements construct on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR), which has been used for roughly twenty years to enhance areal density however is now reaching sensible limits.
Extra supporting applied sciences embrace granular ferromagnets made out of iron-platinum, glass substrates for platters, and multi-sensor magnetic heads with two learn heads.
Collectively, these improvements permit prototypes to achieve densities close to 8TB per platter, with projections suggesting as much as 10TB per platter as soon as HAMR and SMR are absolutely optimized.
Seagate’s growth roadmap exhibits regular enhancements in platter density over the previous decade.
Capacities elevated from 3TB per platter in 2018 to 6TB in 2024, largely pushed by successive generations of HAMR know-how.
On the identical time, growing the variety of platters in high-capacity drives has contributed to whole storage progress.
Ten-platter drives are actually frequent for experimental ultra-high capability HDDs, positioning them to turn into the largest HDDs commercially accessible by the late 2020s.
Combining these improvements with optimized learn/write applied sciences additionally makes these drives among the many quickest HDDs at the moment in growth.
HAMR know-how has steadily elevated areal density from 1.3 Tbit/sq inch in 2017 to three.7 Tbit/sq inch by the primary half of 2025 when mixed with SMR.
Projections point out that 10TB per platter drives are theoretically possible inside just a few years.
Past that time, reaching 15TB per platter would require breakthroughs equivalent to full bit-patterned media to isolate magnetic bits utterly.
Seagate’s analysis signifies a sensible, though nonetheless experimental, path towards the very best HDDs when it comes to capability.
Whereas 70TB drives might now seem achievable by late 2025 or early 2026, the timeline for commercially accessible 10TB per platter drives stays unsure.
By way of PC Watch (initially in Japanese)
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