Western Digital intends to launch 36TB HAMR hard drives in 2027
Western Digital's 2027 HAMR Voyage: A Step-by-Step Journey
Hold onto your drives, folks, because Western Digital is gearing up to set sail on a promising journey with heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology. They've laid out their plans, and it's high stakes all the way to the finish line!
The Road to HAMR:
Western Digital, the data storage titan, will kick-start high-volume shipments of HAMR-enabled hard disk drives (HDDs) starting in 2027. But before embarking on this groundbreaking technology in full force, they're got some tidy business to take care of. In 2024, they're due to roll out their ePMR 2-based final generation of HDDs. And just a step behind, around 2025, they're planning to introduce a 36TB HDD boasting their UltraSMR technology, with a low-capacity CMR HDD featuring ePMR 2 technology playing supporting act.
The First Mates:
Western Digital's forthcoming HAMR drives will be available in three flavors – a conventional magnetic recording variant, a shingled track layout (SMR) model, and an UltraSMR version enriched with a slew of proprietary enhancements tailored for select partners. However, before venturing into the deep waters of HAMR-based products, they'll be offering the 36TB UltraSMR HDD, alongside a CMR HDD powered by energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR 2), early next year.
Qualifying a New Era:
Since HAMR is treading unexplored waters for both Western Digital and its partners, it's going to take some time before the new drives are completely qualified. Validation with cloud service providers is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, paving the way for large-scale production to commence in 2027. In fact, two hyperscale clients have already started evaluating prototype units, although Western Digital hasn't disclosed their specifics just yet.
The Lonely Island (For Now):
Western Digital's path towards HAMR has been a tumultuous one. While Seagate backed this approach early on, Western Digital initially showed interest in an alternative technique involving microwave energy in 2017. However, eventually, they shifted focus to energy-assisted perpendicular recording in 2019— a decision that would lay the foundation for their high-capacity products.
HAMR: The Big Leagues:
Western Digital aspires for HAMR technology to provide the potential to bump up HDD capacities to a staggering 80TB for CMR and a whopping 100TB for UltraSMR by 2030. That's a pretty ambitious capacity increase starting in 2027!
Seagate: The Early Arriver:
Seagate seems to have made a shrewd move by doubling down on HAMR. The company is already serving its partners with HAMR-based HDDs (even if not to everyone) and their product lineup already boasts a 36TB shingled HAMR hard drive. As of now, Toshiba remains the lone island yet to formally announce its HAMR transition timeline.
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** brothers and sisters in arms: HAMR is here to save our data!**
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- Western Digital's upcoming HAMR technology, a milestone in data-and-cloud computing, will be integrating into their HDDs, starting with the 36TB UltraSMR HDD in 2025.
- In the future, HAMR technology, a technological breakthrough, could potentially increase HDD capacities to as high as 80TB for CMR and 100TB for UltraSMR by 2030, revolutionizing data storage in the data-and-cloud computing landscape.
