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WD Announces 8TB, 10TB Helium Hard Drives

Posted by Soulskill on from the ballooning-storage-capacity dept.

Lucas123 writes: Western Digital's HGST subsidiary today announced it's shipping its first 8TB and the world's first 10TB helium-filled hard drive. The 3.5-in, 10TB drive also marks HGST's first foray into the use of shingled magnetic recording technology, which Seagate began using last year. Unlike standard perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR), where data tracks rest side by side, SMR overlaps the tracks on a platter like shingles on a roof, thereby allowing a higher areal density. Seagate has said SMR technology will allow it to achieve 20TB drives by 2020. That company has yet to use helium, however. HGST said its use of hermetically-sealed helium drives reduces friction among moving drive components and keeps dust out. Both drives use a 7-platter configuration with a 7200 RPM spindle speed. The company said it plans to discontinue its production of air-only drives by 2017, replacing all data center models with helium drives.

12 of 296 comments (clear)

  1. Data Distortion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    All my audio files sound like "Tiny Tim"

  2. USA has it. by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Funny

    helium, that is. invisible gold, Texas A (for Amarillo).

  3. well of course they did! by sribe · · Score: 4, Funny

    I ordered 6TB drives 3 hours ago...

  4. Only one problem... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now all my MP3s sound like the Chipmunks!

  5. Crossfire Hurricane by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1, Funny

    Who needs Terabyte Flash
    When you spin rust in gas?

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:Crossfire Hurricane by sexconker · · Score: 4, Funny

      BURMA SHAVE

  6. Re:containment by confused+one · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just fill the datacenter with helium... That way as much will leak into the drives as leaks out.

  7. Re:containment by sexconker · · Score: 4, Funny

    The enterprise grade drives are designed to be refillable. Consumer grade will not be, but will have a several year MTBF by which time the drive will be obsolete anyway and you'll be able to get one 4X the size for the same price.

    So not really an issue.

    Yeah, because I'm going to have keep a helium tank on hand to refill my drives / call a WD tech to do it for me with hs own supply of helium - "Go ahead and open up the drive bays in our secure data center and jam your nozzle into our running drives, you said you were coming between 8 AM and 5 PM, right?".

  8. Re:What about heat-assisted magnetic recording? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I tried using HAMR, but my drive is just in pieces now.

  9. Re:What about heat-assisted magnetic recording? by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 4, Funny

    What's the news on HAMR? Is it still being pursued?

    Don't stop. It's not HAMR time.

  10. Myanmar much? by tepples · · Score: 4, Funny

    If these signs / were here today / the final one / would likely say / Myanmar Shave

  11. Re:containment by dissy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why not just fill the whole data center with helium... that way, if any gets out of the drive, it's quickly refilled from the outside :-)

    Yeah, that will work.... until the data center floats away.

    Sorry boss, as much as I've tried to fight the fad, our data center is now in the cloud...