Earlier this week, Western Digital released its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year financial report. Alongside the financial results, the company announced its plans to commence testing 28-terabyte hard drives for utilization in data centers.
These hard drives incorporate energy-efficient perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR) and the latest variant of "tiled" magnetic recording technology called UltraSMR, aiming to deliver unparalleled storage capacity. Western Digital CEO David Goeckeler stated during an analyst and investor call, "We are preparing to initiate qualification of our 28-terabyte UltraSMR drive. This advanced product builds upon the success of our ePMR and UltraSMR technologies, providing the performance and reliability trusted by our global customers. We are gearing up for swift qualification and volume ramp-up as demand increases."
An interesting aspect of Western Digital's 28TB hard disk drive is its foundation on second-generation ePMR technology, featuring advanced recording heads that enable higher recording densities and thinner tracks. Given that UltraSMR technology enhances recording density by 20 percent compared to conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology, a 24TB hard disk drive is used as the basis to create a 28TB UltraSMR drive.
Western Digital commenced shipping 26 terabytes of UltraSMR hard drives in the previous quarter. The qualification testing procedure for these drives consumed a significant amount of time as involved companies needed to assess the behavior and performance of this new technology. This is due to the fact that UltraSMR integrates various hardware, firmware, and software innovations.
Western Digital's 28TB hard drives will compete with Seagate's 32TB drives, which are based on Seagate's heated magnetic recording (HAMR) technology. Seagate's product, currently undergoing evaluation, is anticipated to enter the market by early 2024 and is expected to provide higher capacity and performance, particularly in write operations. However, Western Digital's hard drives are more familiar to customers already using SMR and UltraSMR drives, potentially affording the company a competitive advantage.
Given that Western Digital's HAMR-based hard drives are at least 1.5 years away, the company intends to leverage the combination of second-generation ePMR and UltraSMR technologies to introduce higher-capacity products in the upcoming quarters. David Goeckeler mentioned during the investor meeting, "The next step on the roadmap will involve transitioning from 20 terabytes to 30+ terabytes using a blend of ePMR, OptiNAND, and UltraSMR technologies. We have a few more steps to take."
