Western Digital’s first HAMR-based HDDs will be introduced sometime in 2026, with a 36TB capacity for conventional magnetic recording (CMR) and a 44TB capacity for shingled UltraSMR recording.
The company plans to commence volume shipments of its HAMR drives in the first half of 2027.
OK, so the really big numbers are because of SMR. 36TB for the CMR drives is about in the same ballpark as what Seagate’s shipping out on their new HAMR drives IIRC, and those are CMR (or CMR-like) right?
OK, so the really big numbers are because of SMR. 36TB for the CMR drives is about in the same ballpark as what Seagate’s shipping out on their new HAMR drives IIRC, and those are CMR (or CMR-like) right?