A revolutionary laser smaller than a grain of salt is shaping the future of the data storage industry. Seagate Technology, a leader in hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing, has introduced heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) to push the limits of data storage capacity in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing demand ever-growing amounts of storage.
Hard Drives vs. Solid-State Drives: The Ongoing Battle
Since the 1950s, hard disk drives have been a staple of data storage, surviving waves of technological advancements that rendered punch cards, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs obsolete. However, in the 1990s, the rise of solid-state drives (SSDs) introduced a formidable challenger. Unlike HDDs, which store data using magnetized spinning disks, SSDs use electrons to store information, enabling faster read and write speeds.
While SSDs have gradually become the default choice for personal computing, data centers have remained reliant on HDDs due to their lower cost per terabyte. However, the price gap between SSDs and HDDs continues to shrink, raising questions about the future of HDD technology.
Seagate’s HAMR Technology: A Game Changer for HDDs
Seagate’s latest innovation, HAMR, uses an ultra-precise laser to heat data-storing bits on HDD platters for a nanosecond, allowing for more densely packed information. The company has already shipped a 36-terabyte (TB) HAMR-based hard drive, capable of storing 1,400 Blu-ray movies, with laboratory tests achieving nearly double that capacity.
With demand for AI and cloud storage soaring, data centers spent approximately $40 billion on storage devices in 2023, and that figure is expected to grow by 31% in the next two years. Wall Street analysts predict Seagate’s revenue will surge by 55% from fiscal 2024 to 2026, reaching $10 billion, while its earnings per share could jump by more than 650%.
Will HDDs Survive the Solid-State Revolution?
Despite the growth of SSDs, HDDs still account for over 80% of data center storage, according to market research firm IDC. Some industry experts argue that HDDs will eventually be replaced by SSDs as costs continue to decline. Companies like Pure Storage are already shipping 150TB SSDs and expect capacities to quadruple in the next two years, potentially undermining HDDs’ cost advantage.
However, HDDs still hold a crucial advantage in high-capacity storage applications. Many data center operators prioritize cost-effectiveness over speed, using HDDs for archival storage, backups, and bulk data repositories. Jason Burnett, Chief Operations Officer at Tampa-based Hivelocity, emphasized that not all operations require ultra-fast data retrieval, making HDDs a viable option for many businesses.
The Future of HDDs: Beyond HAMR
Seagate’s main competitor, Western Digital, believes HAMR could eventually enable HDDs to reach 100TB. Beyond that, the next-generation heat dot magnetic recording (HDMR) technology is in development, which could push storage density even further.
IDC projects that by 2028, HDDs will remain one-fifth the cost of SSDs on a per-terabyte basis, with data center spending on HDDs expected to reach $22 billion—an increase of 69% over 2024. While SSDs will continue to gain market share, their manufacturing capacity remains insufficient to replace HDDs entirely.
Brian Beeler, chief analyst at StorageReview.com, underscores the enduring appeal of HDDs: “They’re not fast, they’re not that big, but they store data cost-effectively for long periods. That’s why they’re still around, and why they’ll be here for a while.”
HDDs Still Have Life in the AI Era
While solid-state technology is advancing rapidly, Seagate’s HAMR innovation has reinforced the relevance of HDDs in a data-hungry world. With AI, cloud computing, and big data analytics fueling an explosion in storage demand, HDDs continue to offer a compelling balance of capacity, reliability, and cost efficiency. As the battle for data storage supremacy continues, Seagate’s tiny laser may play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital storage.
