Western Digital unveils colossal ePMR HDDs to cater to surging nearline demand.

Western Digital, a leading provider of storage solutions, has announced the shipment of the world’s highest capacity UltraSMR HDD with up to 32TB. These drives, utilizing energy-assisted PMR recording technology, are designed for hyperscalers, CSPs, and enterprises. Additionally, Western Digital is also shipping the world’s highest-capacity ePMR CMR HDD with up to 26TB for enterprise and channel customers.

HDDs play a crucial role in the AI Data Cycle, handling both the input and output sides of data processing for AI systems. Western Digital’s new 26TB CMR and 32TB UltraSMR drives incorporate various technological innovations to maximize storage efficiency in data centers. These drives feature ePMR, OptiNAND, ArmorCache, and a triple-stage actuator, along with the world’s first commercially available 11-disk platform.

The Ultrastar DC HC690 SMR HDD with up to 32TB capacities is now shipping, providing cost-effective deep content storage at scale. These drives offer sequential performance of up to 257 MiB/s and consume as little as 5.5W power idle, making them ideal for warm and cold tiers of data. The Ultrastar DC HC590 CMR HDD with up to 26TB capacities is also now available, offering unbeaten CMR capacity and superior dependability.

Western Digital’s Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 hybrid storage platforms are being qualified and integrated with the new Ultrastar HDDs. These high-density, scalable storage solutions are ideal for modern data centers, private clouds, and big data analytics. The platforms can accommodate up to 60 or 102 HDDs, delivering up to 3.26PB of raw capacity.

For system integrators and resellers, Western Digital has introduced the 26TB WD Gold SATA HDDs. These drives provide a no-compromise storage solution for heavy, continuous read-write workloads in enterprise and commercial system environments.

John Chen, Vice President at TRENDFOCUS, highlights the critical role of HDDs in delivering high capacity, performance, and low power for enterprises in today’s data-intensive landscape. Ravi Pendekanti, SVP of Product Management at Western Digital, emphasizes the efficiency and TCO benefits of their CMR and UltraSMR technology, ensuring that customers have the storage efficiency, scalability, reliability, and value they need to stay ahead.

Background Information

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About Western Digital: Western Digital, established in 1970, is a prominent data storage solutions provider known for its wide range of hard drives and solid-state drives. Catering to various applications, from personal computers to enterprise storage systems, Western Digital emphasizes data management and security. With a reputation for reliability and innovative solutions, the company has been pivotal in shaping the storage industry. Their products are trusted by individuals, businesses, and data centers worldwide

  

Technology Explained

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HDD: A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a classic data storage device that utilizes spinning disks, or platters, coated with a magnetic material to store and retrieve data. An actuator arm with read/write heads accesses data by moving over the spinning platters. HDDs offer large storage capacities at a comparatively lower cost per gigabyte, making them suitable for applications where massive data storage is required, such as servers and desktop computers. However, HDDs are slower in terms of read and write speeds compared to SSDs due to the mechanical nature of their operation. They are more susceptible to physical shocks and are less energy-efficient due to the need to constantly spin the platters.