Seagate will release 18TB and 20TB HDDs next year

Seagate has stated that it will launch hard drives in 18TB and 20TB capacities in 2020. The company expects to be able to release its first HDDs with a capacity of 50TB or higher around 2026.

Seagate will release its first 18TB HDDs in the first half of 2020. These hard drives will most likely be based on Seagate’s nine-platter platform. The nine-platter platform is already used in some hard drives, including the Exos 16TB HDD. This will make it relatively easy for Seagate to produce the upcoming 18TB HDD on a large scale. Seagate also indicates that the upcoming 18TB HDD will use conventional magnetic recording, a technique for which the production process is relatively simple.

Seagate also says it will release its first 20TB HDD in the second half of 2020; which uses shingled magnetic recording. This is a bit more complicated compared to the aforementioned cmr, but should allow for higher storage capacities. This hard disk will also be based on the hamr technology. This heat-assisted magnetic recording technique should provide a higher data density, which in turn should also provide higher capacities.

Seagate plans to release hard drives with a capacity of 50TB or higher by 2026. These discs will also be based on the hamr technology. Seagate is already supplying some hamr HDDs to a select few partners, but production should be ramped up in 2020. In 2017, Seagate indicated that the company would come with 20TB hamr HDDs this year, but this has now been pushed back a year.