Toshiba has managed to break through the barrier in storage technology by developing hard drives exceeding 30 terabytes in capacity. This monumental achievement was made possible through the utilization of two next-generation magnetic recording technologies: Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) and Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR).
Toshiba’s Use of HAMR to Achieve Increased Storage
HAMR technology lets Toshiba create more tightly packed data by heating specific sections of the disk using a laser beam. This approach affects the magnetic properties of the substrate, making it possible to achieve greater storage densities. Toshiba has successfully created a 32-terabyte hard drive, which consists of ten platters. This was achieved by utilizing Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology. The Japanese manufacturer plans to begin shipping test hard drives based on the HAMR technology in 2025.
Further Boosting Storage Capacity with MAMR Technology
The MAMR technology is another approach that Toshiba has successfully incorporated into its hard drives. This method enhances magnetization by using microwave radiation. Toshiba led the pack by demonstrating the efficiency of this technology and commencing mass production of the first-generation MAMR disks in 2021. Presently, Toshiba has generated an impressive 31-terabyte storage capacity by installing 11 platters, employing SMR technology and optimizing signal processing.
Longstanding Collaborations Yield Results
Toshiba’s impressive accomplishments are the result of years of close collaboration with hard disk platter manufacturer Resonac and read-write head producer TDK. Toshiba and its partners are committed to advancing their HAMR and MAMR technologies with the aim of supplying data centres and cloud storage providers with even larger capacity hard drives in the future.
