Seagate to launch 18TB HDDs in 2018

Posted on Friday, March 10 2017 @ 12:54 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck

A bit more details have emerged about Seagate's HDD plans for the next couple of years. In the 2016-2020 timeframe, the company is focusing its HDD research on shingled magnetic recording (SMR), two-dimensional MR (TDMR) and heat-assisted MR (HAMR).

Market watchers believe Seagate will launch its first perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) 12TB HDDs by the end of this year, with 18TB models expected to follow in 2018.

SMR-based models with 12TB capacity are expected in Q4 2017 or 2018, this technology is expected to replace traditional PMR HDDs once it becomes mature enough. Consumers may want to avoid these SMR-based disks as they're even slower than PMR HDDs.

DigiTimes also writes the first TDMR-based HDDs are expected in 2017, this is a technique that improves areal density by 5-10 percent versus PMR.

More research will be focused on HAMR as this challenging technology offers 5Tb/square inch of storage capacity. Seagate is anticipated to reveal its first 16TB HAMR HDD in 2018 at the earliest.

About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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