Western Digital announced its nine-disk mechanical platform targeting more business from data center customers.
Western Digital will sample the 18TB Ultrastar DC HC550 CMR HDD and 20TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR HDDto select customers by the end of 2019. Western Digital is aiming to start mass production in the first half of 2020.
Western Digital estimates that 50 percent of its HDD exabytes shipped will be on SMR by 2023.
Western Digital will offer full portfolio of Capacity Enterprise HDDs, with cost-optimized configurations for every important capacity point: six-disk 10TB Ultrastar DC HC330 air-based HDD; eight-disk 14TB Ultrastar DC HC530 helium-based HDD; nine-disk 18TB Ultrastar DC HC550 helium-based HDD; and a nine-disk 20TB Ultrastar DC HC650 helium-based HDD.
According to TRENDFOCUS, 14TB will continue to be the industry’s dominant capacity point through the first half of 2020.
“Western Digital continues to innovate to deliver efficient, purpose-built storage with excellent TCO with the optimal combination of industry-leading areal density, mechanical innovations and materials advancements,” said Christopher Bergey, senior vice president and general manager of Data Center Devices, Western Digital.
Rick Kutcipal, product line manager, Data Center Solutions Group at Broadcom, said, “We continue to collaborate with Western Digital to deliver host-managed SMR and traditional CMR HDD high-capacity solutions across a broad ecosystem.”
Western Digital’s 10TB Ultrastar DC HC330 and 14TB Ultrastar DC HC530 are available now. The company will sample the 20TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR HDD and the Ultrastar DC HC550 CMR HDD in 18TB and 16TB capacities to select customers by the end of this year.
