Western Digital unveils world's highest capacity HDDs

Western Digital has announced the launch of the world's highest capacity UltraSMR and ePMR CMR hard disk drives, offering significant advancements in data storage technologies.

The company is now shipping the UltraSMR HDD with up to 32TB capacity, which uses energy-assisted PMR (ePMR) recording technology and is aimed at hyperscalers, cloud service providers (CSPs), and enterprises. The world's highest capacity ePMR CMR HDD, with up to 26TB, is also available for enterprise and channel customers.

These new drives are part of Western Digital's commitment to enhancing HDD technology and improving capacity and reliability. The company's introduction of an 11-disk design underscores its dedication to advancing high-capacity storage solutions.

The burgeoning AI Data Cycle is a significant growth factor for the storage industry. As AI systems evolve, they generate substantial data that needs efficient storage. HDDs are crucial in this cycle, managing data input and AI content output and ensuring data is stored cost-effectively.

The latest 26TB CMR and 32TB UltraSMR drives integrate various technological innovations to optimise storage efficiency in data centres. These include ePMR, OptiNAND, ArmorCache, and the triple-stage actuator, among other enhancements. Western Digital's new products also introduce the first commercially available 11-disk platform.

The Ultrastar DC HC690 UltraSMR HDDs boast up to 32TB capacities and support cost-effective large-scale content storage with up to 257 MiB/s sequential performance and idle power usage of 5.5W. These drives are suitable for warm and cold data storage tiers.

In addition, the Ultrastar DC HC590 CMR HDD provides up to 26TB capacity and features a sustained transfer rate of up to 288 MiB/s with idle power use at 5.6W. These are designed as drop-in replacements for customers needing continued capacity growth without sacrificing reliability.

The Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 Hybrid Storage Platforms incorporate the new HDDs, offering high-density, scalable storage solutions suitable for modern data centres. These platforms deliver flexible configurations and significant raw storage capacity with key technologies that enhance performance and reliability.

The 26TB WD Gold SATA HDDs are now available for system integrators and resellers. These drives are designed to handle heavy-duty workloads and have a five-year limited warranty.

John Chen, Vice President at TRENDFOCUS, remarked on the new drives: "With the rise of AI, edge computing, and large-scale data centres, HDDs play a critical role in delivering huge capacity, performance and low power, making them indispensable for enterprises that want the highest storage density with the lowest TCO. With the addition of the new 11-disk platform, Western Digital is well-positioned to continue to drive key HDD use cases – optimising virtually all users in all markets for success in today's data-intensive landscape."

Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President of Product Management, HDD Business Unit at Western Digital, noted, "Our CMR and UltraSMR technology isn't just breaking records—it's giving customers the efficiency and TCO benefits they've been asking for, and we're not done yet. By delivering the industry's highest ePMR capacities available today, we are ensuring that our customers have the storage efficiency, scalability, reliability and unmatched value they need to stay ahead."