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640GB hard drive platters coming in 2010

by on22 October 2007

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WD on track to deliver 3TB drives


Western Digital
is on track to deliver hard drives with 3 terabyte capacity using platters that offer areal density of 520 Gbits per square inch. These platters would hold 640GB using a combination of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) with a tunneling magneto-resistive (TuMR) head. The new technology was shown off in WD’s labs earlier in the month.

While the company did not indicate how many platters these new hard drives would use, the technology used to get these high capacity hard drive sizes is different from the technology that Hitachi using to delivery on its promise of 4TB capacity drives. Hitachi is using a method that they are calling perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magnetoresistive technology.

Don’t get too excited about these big drives because WD says that they don’t expect to go into production with them till 2010. Hitachi, on the other hand, says that they expect to be in production with their 500 Gbit platters by 2009. In the meantime, consumers can expect 1TB hard drives to continue to be the largest available size, with a slight bump to perhaps 1.5TB to 1.75TB expected by mid next year.

Last modified on 22 October 2007
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