In context: Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) can improve storage density on laborious drives by partly overlapping information tracks, nevertheless it additionally brings slower efficiency in writing operations in comparison with conventional, PMR-based drives. But, Western Digital continues to be evolving the know-how to supply new density ranges to its enterprise purchasers.
In its most up-to-date earnings name regarding the fourth quarter of fiscal yr 2023, Western Digital (WD) confirmed its plans to start out promoting a brand new HDD mannequin for “hyperscaler” purchasers. The 28TB laborious disk will use the corporate’s ePMR 2 recording heads with an UltraSMR monitor format, which in line with WD are already acquainted within the enterprise enterprise.
WD CEO David Goeckeler stated that product sampling for the brand new 28TB HDD fashions will start quickly, offering a brand new “cutting-edge” product constructed upon ePMR and UltraSMR applied sciences for qualification in manufacturing environments. Likewise, the corporate is seemingly able to ramp up manufacturing as quickly because the “fast qualification” part is accomplished.
Proper now, WD is delivery 26TB laborious drives, which already use UltraSMR overlapping information tracks, that had been launched a yr in the past to a choose bunch of enormous cloud and information heart prospects. Hyperscalers have examined and certified these drives, attending to understand how they behave and carry out, so WD is assured {that a} new 28TB UltraSMR mannequin will likely be adopted and deployed shortly and easily.
As defined by WD’s official documentation, ePMR heads improve areal density of written bits due to an extra electrical present utilized to the primary pole of the write head. In the meantime, UltraSMR will increase the variety of “shingled bands” (i.e., overlapping tracks), offering round 20% of extra storage capability in comparison with typical magnetic recording-based (CMR) platters.
To convey UltraSMR and 28TB SMR drives to the enterprise market, WD seemingly had to make use of a bunch of extra ancillary applied sciences subsequent to UltraSMR and ePMR 2. These superior options embrace triple stage actuators with two-dimensional (TDMR) heads, OptiNAND, Distributed Sector (DSEC) and a proprietary error correcting code (ECC) algorithm designed to keep away from information corruption between more and more adjoining SMR tracks.
Whereas WD is rising reliance on shingled magnetic recording, Seagate goes all-in with its proprietary Warmth-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) tech coupled with conventional Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) options. WD’s 28TB SMR laborious drives are anticipated to compete within the enterprise market with Seagate’s 32TB HAMR PMR drives, which supply larger storage capacities and extra constant and predictable efficiency ranges.
