Seagate to launch world's first high-capacity HDDs based on HAMR technology

Seagate launches high-capacity HAMR-based HDDs amid rivalry with Western Digital.

: Seagate is set to release the first high-capacity hard drives using HAMR technology. Two models, featuring 30TB and 32TB capacities, have been introduced using CMR and SMR techniques respectively. Initial shipments are expected shortly to major cloud providers. Over 500,000 Mozaic 3+ drives have confirmed HAMR reliability.

Seagate is on the verge of launching the first high-capacity hard disk drives based on heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology. Two models with capacities of 30TB and 32TB have been unveiled, utilizing conventional magnetic recording (CMR) and shingled magnetic recording (SMR) techniques, correspondingly.

These new drives boast a data density of 3TB per platter and exhibit impressive energy efficiency, offering three times more efficiency per terabyte compared to standard HDDs. Seagate has successfully concluded qualification tests with numerous customers in the mass capacity market, with initial shipments expected to a prominent cloud service provider imminently.

HAMR technology utilizes a laser diode to heat a minute area of the disk, allowing a higher density of digital bits to be recorded. Seagate confirmed that 90% of the components for the Exos M drives stem from previous generations, paving the way for future innovations aimed at achieving areal densities of 4TB per platter or more, while Western Digital has yet to adopt this technology.

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