Mighty HAMR – Seagate launches their first 32TB Hard Drive

Seagate launches their first 32TB HDD thanks to their HAMR technology

Seagate, utilising its Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, has launched its first-ever 32TB HDD. This release is the result of over a decade of research and development and signals what could be the start of a new era of HDD density increases.

These new high-capacity HDDs will be released as EXOS M HDDs and will be available in 30TB and 32TB forms. The 30TB model will use Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR), while the 32TB model will use Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR). SMR drives are slower than CMR drives but offer increased storage capacities.

The good thing about Seagate’s new HAMR HDDs is that they are compatible with existing computers. While it uses new technology, it acts like a regular HDD. This means that systems can be upgraded with 32TB drives without compatibility issues. This should help these new drives find customers, as customers will be able to upgrade from older, lower-capacity HDDs and won’t need to replace entire servers or systems.

(Image from Seagate)

The promise of Seagate’s HAMR technology has always been to boost HDD storage capacities to new heights. The company has 4+TB and 5+TB HDD platters on their roadmap, which will enable 40+ and 50+ TB HDDs in the future. Expect HDD densities to continue increasing in the years ahead.

You can join the discussion on Seagate’s 32TB HAMR HDDs on the OC3D Forums.