Seagate begins production of hamr HDDs and will launch 20TB models in 2019

Seagate says it will deliver HDDs with a storage capacity of 20TB or more from 2019, thanks to the use of heat-assisted magnetic recording. The manufacturer states that the price per terabyte of hamr HDDs is lower than that of current HDDs.

Seagate reports in a blog that it is already delivering the first hamr HDDs to customers for testing. The manufacturer says it has already produced more than 40,000. According to Seagate, the HDDs have passed the tests and are working as expected. It is not known what the storage capacity of the current models is.

Next year, Seagate plans to start producing hamr HDDs on a larger scale and in 2019 it should start supplying HDDs with a storage capacity of 20TB or more. The HDDs are made on the same production line as current traditional HDDs. According to Seagate, HDDs with a capacity of 40TB or more will be available in 2023.

With hamr HDDs, the magnetic areas where data is stored are demagnetized and remagnetized under heating of a laser. As a result, data can be placed more easily and the data density can be increased. The hamr HDDs use glass platters, Seagate reports. This is necessary because the platters must be able to withstand higher temperatures, according to Hoya up to 700°C. Current aluminum based platters could withstand up to 200°C.

Seagate has been working on the hamr technique for years. The manufacturer states that in the past nine years the data density has increased by 30 percent every year and that increase could continue in the future. In addition, the manufacturer states that the price per terabyte is lower than with current pmr-hdds. The write head used is more expensive, but because the capacity per disk is higher, this results in a lower price per terabyte.

With the current pmr technology, it is virtually impossible to make HDDs with a higher storage capacity. Manufacturers are therefore looking for alternatives. WD announced earlier this month that it will release the first HDDs with microwave-assisted magnetic recording technology in 2019. The mamr technology uses microwaves generated by a spin torque oscillator, which is located near the writing head. It generates an electromagnetic field that makes it possible to write data with a much higher density to a magnetic layer without compromising reliability.

WD claims that Seagate’s hamr technology poses more ‘challenges’ in terms of materials and reliability, and that would not be the case with its own mamr technology. WD also says that the costs for mamr HDDs are comparable to current HDDs. According to Western Digital’s plans, HDDs with a capacity of 40TB would be on the market around 2025.