Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) has announced a breakthrough in data storage technology with the launch of the world’s highest-capacity energy-assisted Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (ePMR) hard disk drives (HDDs). The company is now shipping UltraSMR HDDs with up to 32TB capacity and Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) HDDs with up to 26TB capacity. These innovations are designed to meet the surging demand for efficient storage in hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise data centers, offering superior total cost of ownership (TCO) for businesses.

The introduction of the industry’s first commercially available 11-disk design is at the core of Western Digital’s advancements. The new drives utilize ePMR recording technology, further enhancing the efficiency and reliability of data storage. As businesses across the globe strive to optimize infrastructure and future-proof their data strategies, Western Digital’s drives provide solutions that meet today’s data-intensive workloads.

Western Digital’s 32TB UltraSMR HDD, specifically designed for hyperscale and cloud service providers, is now shipping and stands as a landmark in storage innovation. Meanwhile, the new 26TB ePMR CMR HDD provides enterprise customers with a plug-and-play solution for rapid data center integration. Both drives underscore the company’s leadership in the HDD space, driving the future of large-scale data storage.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has created an even greater demand for efficient storage solutions. AI systems require significant amounts of data to function, and HDDs play a crucial role in storing and processing both input and output data. As the AI Data Cycle expands, these new drives will become essential for businesses looking to maximize data storage efficiency at the lowest possible cost.

Western Digital’s innovations include technologies such as OptiNAND™, ArmorCache™, and a triple-stage actuator, further pushing the boundaries of HDD performance. These enhancements allow data centers to manage growing storage needs without increasing their physical infrastructure.

New Ultrastar HDDs Designed for Modern Data Centers

The Ultrastar DC HC690 UltraSMR HDD, with capacities up to 32TB, leads the industry in Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology. This drive is ideal for deep content storage, offering superior performance with up to 257 MiB/s sequential data transfer speeds and idle power consumption as low as 5.5W.

Meanwhile, the Ultrastar DC HC590 CMR HDD delivers a massive 26TB capacity and is designed for enterprises requiring a drop-in-ready solution. With a sustained transfer rate of up to 288 MiB/s and low idle power consumption, this drive ensures efficiency and reliability for high-performance data centers.

Both new HDDs are being integrated into Western Digital’s Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 hybrid storage platforms, scalable solutions capable of handling up to 102 drives and delivering over 3 petabytes of raw capacity. These platforms are perfect for data centers managing large-scale cloud environments and big data analytics.

WD Gold 26TB HDDs Now Available

In addition to its Ultrastar range, Western Digital has also introduced the 26TB WD Gold SATA HDDs, designed for system integrators and resellers. With a five-year warranty and a projected mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2.5 million hours, these drives offer unparalleled durability and performance for businesses with mission-critical workloads.

Expert Endorsements and Future Outlook

“With the rise of AI, edge computing, and large-scale data centers, HDDs play a critical role in delivering huge capacity, performance, and low power, making them indispensable for enterprises that want the highest storage density with the lowest TCO,” said John Chen, Vice President at TRENDFOCUS.

Ravi Pendekanti, Senior Vice President of HDD Product Management at Western Digital, echoed these sentiments, stating, “Our CMR and UltraSMR technology isn’t just breaking records—it’s giving customers the efficiency and TCO benefits they’ve been asking for, and we’re not done yet.”

As the demand for data storage continues to rise, Western Digital’s latest HDDs are positioned to drive significant advancements in cloud and enterprise data centers, ensuring scalability, reliability, and optimal cost-efficiency. Availability for the new Ultrastar drives is expected to expand by year-end.