Seagate Technology has introduced its latest innovation in mass data storage with the announcement of Exos M hard drives, offering storage capacities of up to 36 terabytes (TB). Built on the Mozaic 3+ platform, which employs Seagate’s cutting-edge heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology, these drives aim to redefine storage efficiency and scalability for large-scale data centres.
Next-generation storage for cloud providers
Seagate is preparing to ramp up volume shipments of Exos M drives with capacities reaching 32TB, collaborating with a leading cloud service provider. In addition, the company is sampling its groundbreaking 36TB drives for select customers. These advancements represent a significant leap in the storage capabilities available to enterprise customers managing growing data demands.
The Mozaic 3+ platform, featuring HAMR technology, delivers transformative benefits, including a 300% increase in storage capacity within the same data centre footprint, a 25% reduction in cost per terabyte, and a 60% decrease in power consumption per terabyte.
Industry-leading areal density and innovation
Seagate’s Exos M drives achieve unmatched areal density, boasting 3.6TB per platter across a 10-platter design. This makes Seagate the only company capable of producing hard drives with this level of density at scale. The company has also demonstrated its ability to push boundaries further, achieving over 6TB per disk in testing, with future drives expected to reach 10TB per platter.
Dave Mosley, Seagate’s CEO, highlighted the importance of these advancements, stating, “Weโre in the midst of a seismic shift in the way data is stored and managed. From capturing training checkpoints to archiving source-data sets, the more data organisations retain, the better they can ensure their applications are working as expected.โ
Mosley added, โAs the worldโs leading producer of exabytes, Seagate is laser-focused on delivering the storage scale required for the applications of the future.โ
AI-driven demand and industry validation
The growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and its associated data demands are driving the need for scalable, efficient storage solutions. Dell Technologies, one of Seagateโs early adopters, is integrating Exos M 32TB drives into their high-density systems to support AI workloads.
Travis Vigil, SVP of ISG Product Management at Dell, explained, โAs customers build out their AI factories, they need cost-efficient, scalable and flexible storage engineered to reliably handle the most demanding AI workloads. Together, Dell Technologies and Seagate are setting the standard for industry-leading AI storage innovation.โ
Industry analysts also see Seagateโs innovation as timely. Kuba Stolarski, Research Vice President at IDC, remarked, โAs businesses and people everywhere continue to use AI applications, more widespread adoption of AI is creating unprecedented amounts of data. Hard drives remain critical for delivering this scale, with 89% of data in the leading cloud service providersโ data centres stored via hard drive. Seagateโs progress in areal density innovation positions them well to address increased demand.โ
