Seagate and WD boost HDD output to meet Chia demand

Posted on Thursday, June 10 2021 @ 22:11 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
TechPowerUp picked up news that both Seagate and Western Digital have increased HDD production to meet the high demand from Chia cryptocurrency miners. The firms have increased the utilization rate of existing production lines to meet the higher demand.
The companies have limited options to increase production in the short-term due to bulk contracts for 60% - 70% of total production and neither company plans to construct new factories in the immediate future. The total global storage capacity allocated to Chia mining has recently surpassed 20 Exabytes up from 1 Exabyte in April and doesn't show any signs of stopping.
Chia mining, or "plotting", is primarily done on fast SSDs, while the finished plots are used to store those plots. The Chia craze has resulted in shortages and higher prices for some disks. One quick word of caution, Chia mining is pretty harsh for SSDs and will significantly reduce the expected lifecycle of your disk.


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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