A Spinning Potato: It is 2024, and {hardware} producers are nonetheless competing to see who can produce the highest-capacity exhausting disk drives in the marketplace. Seagate lately launched its HAMR-powered Mozaic 3+ HDD platform, and Western Digital has responded with its first 32TB magnetic storage models.
Western Digital has introduced an sudden new capability for its enterprise-focused exhausting disk drives. The San Jose firm is now transport the primary samples of a brand new 32TB UltraSMR HDD unit, a nearline drive outfitted with a lot of WD’s superior know-how options. Choose clients are at present testing these drives of their infrastructure.
The 32TB exhausting disk drive is predicated on superior shingled magnetic recording (SMR), a considerably controversial know-how designed to extend storage density by barely overlapping magnetic tracks to retailer digital bits. In comparison with conventional perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR), SMR drives can expertise efficiency and reliability points. In 2020, WD confronted criticism for promoting SMR drives with out informing clients in regards to the cost-cutting measure.
The brand new 32TB drives incorporate among the newest recording applied sciences from WD, akin to energy-assisted magnetic recording (EAMR), which makes use of a laser diode to quickly warmth a tiny spot on the magnetic disk. Just like Seagate’s Warmth-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR), EAMR goals to supply a big enhance in areal density whereas sustaining reliability in information retention.
WD’s 32TB HDD additionally contains the Flash-based cache reminiscence answer OptiNAND, a proprietary error-correction know-how. In accordance with WD CEO David Goeckeler, the brand new models might be simply built-in and deployed in pre-existing hyperscale information facilities for cloud and enterprise ventures, because of their triple-stage actuators.
Like earlier UltraSMR drives, the brand new unit requires further administration in comparison with non-SMR drives from different producers. WD is clearly focusing on clients already utilizing its HDDs, providing a 20 % enhance in capability over different SMR implementations. It’s hoped that UltraSMR drives won’t have reliability points at this level.
Whereas WD is concentrated on UltraSMR know-how, Seagate launched its non-shingled magnetic drives earlier this 12 months. The Fremont-headquartered company is now promoting the primary models of its new 30TB Mozaic 3+ drives, which use post-PMR HAMR know-how to supply seemingly larger reliability in comparison with older HDD fashions.