Western Digital earlier this week released its fiscal Q4 results and revealed that it will soon test 28TB hard drives developed for data centers (DPC).
WD said it will take full advantage of energy-efficient perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) and the latest version of “tiled” magnetic recording (UltraSMR) technology to further increase the storage capacity of the hardware.
In an interview with analysts and investors, WD CEO David Goeckeler said the following.
- We are about to begin qualification of our 28TB UltraSMR hardware. This state-of-the-art product builds on the success of ePMR and UltraSMR technologies and delivers the performance and reliability that customers around the world trust.
- We will be delivering this drive product to customers soon after completing the qualification and expansion.
WD’s 28TB hard drive is based on second-generation ePMR technology with an improved recording head that allows for higher recording densities and thinner tracks.
UltraSMR technology increases storage density by 20% compared to conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology, which is why the company needed to implement a 28TB UltraSMR drive on top of the 24TB drive.
With at least 1.5 years until WD’s HAMR-based hard discs enter the market, the company intends to deliver higher capacities to the market in the coming quarters using a combination of second-generation ePMR and UltraSMR technologies.
