- Seagate quietly changes 40TB Hamr -Drive that sets the pace to the next storage next time
- Mozaic Hamr Tech Crams 4TB per Fad that promises massive boost in storage efficiency
- Data center extension dictates how fast these record-breaking 40TB drives hit the mainstream
At the recent Seagate Investor and Analyste Conference, the company revealed that it has provided limited units of its new 40TB hard drives based on its Mozaic Hamr Platform.
These 40TB drives use heat assistant magnetic recording (Hamr) to achieve 4TB per day. Pad across ten plates marking a shift against Seagates Mozaic 4+ platform.
Although these are not yet widely available, the production of full scale is intended to begin in the first half of 2026 after extensive customer qualification tests.
Production at full scale to begin next year
“We have already sent a limited 40 terabyte engineering tests to our customer. We are planning to initiate Quals next quarter, and we will continue Quals in 2026, where we will convey a long part of our customer base to the Mozaic 4 platform,” Dr. John Morris, Seagate’s CTO.
Volume readiness depends on how data centers integrate and validate the drives. However, the goal is to move a significant proportion of Seagate’s Exabyte shipments to Hamr-based drives that promise higher capacity and data contract efficiency.
As CEO explained Dr. Dave Mosley, “10 disks would get you to 40 terabytes … This provides better efficiency in the data center. At the fleet level, that’s how our customers think.”
Seagate’s long-term plan involves rolling out even larger capabilities, including 44 TB drives in 2027 and 50 TB drives in 2028.
The delay from its original projection 2017 for 50 TB drives in 2026 emphasizes the complexity of scaling Hamr technology. Still, the development of 40 TB still places Seagate in the course of offering the largest HDD on the market.
Rival companies follow different strategies. Western Digital (WD) continues to expand capacity through EPMR and Optinand, which reserves Hamr for its own 40TB launch, which is expected at the end of 2026.
“Other companies have begun to adopt Hamr with 30 TB HDDs, but we believe Hamr’s true potential begins at 40 TB. Until then, we continue to use technologies such as Optinand and UltrasMR to increase the capacity of existing HDDs up to 40 TB,” said Kimihiko Nishio, WDS sales manager in Japan.
Toshiba, another key player, has developed its technologies, such as microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR).
The company aims to release its first 35TB HDD based on Hamr before 2026. Toshiba’s strategy involves combining Mamr with future Hamr implementations to achieve these capabilities.
These drives do not appeal to average consumers looking for the fastest HDD or even the best HDD for home use, their development is closely linked to the AI-driven cybersecurity weapons race.
Seagate’s early 40 -TB drift shipments suggest technical management in the course of developing the largest HDD, but the path to commercial reality is twisted and competitors’ cautious attitude implies that the challenges are significant.
