Companies

Western Digital Advances Data Center Storage with 24TB CMR and 28TB SMR HDDs

Published November 25, 2023

In a significant development for data storage solutions, Western Digital Corporation WDC announced the commencement of shipping its 24TB Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) hard disk drives (HDDs) and the production ramp-up of its 28TB Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) HDDs. These storage innovations are specifically designed to meet the ever-increasing demands of data center customers, intent on harnessing the maximum storage capacity while maintaining cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency in their operations.

About Western Digital's New HDD Offerings

Western Digital, a frontrunner in the data storage industry, described the 24TB CMR drive as the apex of high-capacity, high-performance storage solutions tailored for modern data centers. In parallel, the 28TB SMR HDD is positioned to offer even higher densities that are suitable for specific workloads that benefit from sequential write patterns. These drives exemplify the company's commitment to innovation and its ongoing effort to push the boundaries of storage technology.

Energy Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness

Focusing on the ever-important aspect of sustainability, WDC claims that these new-generation HDDs are engineered to be approximately 10% more energy-efficient per terabyte than the previous generations. As data centers around the globe face the dual challenge of expanding their capacity while minimizing their environmental footprint, these drives are touted as a definitive step in the right direction, offering a blend of high storage densities with reduced energy consumption.

The combination of higher capacity and increased energy efficiency translates to direct benefits for enterprises. Lower operational costs and an enhanced sustainability profile make these storage solutions particularly appealing for businesses conscious of their environmental impact and total cost of ownership.

Market Impact and Competitive Edge

With these advanced HDDs, WDC is poised to make a notable impact on the storage market, offering compelling options for data centers that constantly need to scale up their storage capabilities without inflating costs. These products are also anticipated to provide WDC a competitive edge, as demands for high-capacity, energy-efficient storage continue to escalate with the ongoing explosion of data across various industries.

As an investor eyeing technology and data storage sectors, keeping track of companies like WDC and Data Storage Corporation DTST—which offers multi-cloud IT solutions—could prove essential in understanding the market dynamics that drive innovation and profitability in this field.

DTST, with its operations based in Melville, New York, also remains an integral part of the data storage industry narrative, providing a range of products and services that could complement or compete with those of WDC. As organizations increasingly adopt hybrid and cloud environments, the contributions and offerings of DTST alongside WDC's new HDDs will likely shape future storage solutions and infrastructure.

WesternDigital, DataStorage, HardDrives