Western Digital has introduced two new hard drives aimed at meeting the rising data demands of AI-driven industries. The company’s latest offerings include a 32TB UltraSMR drive and a 26TB CMR hard drive, both designed for hyperscalers, cloud providers, and enterprise data centres.
These record-breaking storage solutions mark a significant step forward for large-scale data environments.
The new drives feature Western Digital’s energy-assisted PMR (ePMR) technology, which increases both capacity and efficiency, making them suitable for handling the vast volumes of data generated by AI systems.
With businesses increasingly reliant on AI, the need for high-capacity storage has become more pressing. Western Digital’s new models promise to help companies store and retrieve large datasets quickly, while also reducing operational costs.
Built with technologies like OptiNAND and ArmorCache, the drives aim to improve data handling and reliability under heavy workloads. The inclusion of a triple-stage actuator (TSA) offers smoother operations, which is especially important for AI systems that depend on fast and efficient data access. These features are expected to appeal to enterprises looking to optimise storage without sacrificing performance.
The timing of this release reflects the growing need for better storage solutions in a world increasingly driven by AI. As businesses continue to generate and analyse massive datasets, storage providers are under pressure to keep up. Western Digital’s new drives offer companies the chance to scale up their infrastructure and reduce costs, addressing both capacity and energy concerns.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe 32TB and 26TB models are now available for hyperscalers and enterprises, with broader adoption expected by the end of 2024. As AI technologies evolve and data volumes soar, Western Digital’s latest release signals an important shift towards more advanced storage solutions, aimed squarely at the challenges of modern data centres.


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