HDD roadmap predicts 100TB HDDs by 2025
Okay so it's gonna be a while, but the Advanced Storage Technology Consortium (ASTC), consisting out of parties like HGT, Seagate and WD, states that storage density expand 10 times by the year 2025. That would bopils down to 100TB HDDs (in 2025).
Perpendicular magnetic recording enables areal densities of under 1Tb/in² but new recording methods are expected to increase storage density to 10Tb/in² by 2025, paving the way for HDDs with a capacity of 100TB. Here's tachreport on this report:
Right now, we're in perpendicular territory, with areal densities under 1Tb/in². Shingled magnetic recording has already appeared in datacenter drives optimized for cold storage. Along with two-dimensional recording, a similar and potentially complementary approach, shingled tech looks poised to drive density scaling until at least 2017. That's when heat-assisted hotness is slated to take over, the crystal ball says. If the ASTC's projections are accurate, heat-assisted and bit-patterned recording will combine around 2021, pushing areal densities up to 10Tb/in² by 2025. In a four-platter consumer unit like Seagate's Desktop HDD.15 4TB, which packs only 625Gb/in², that density would theoretically fuel 64TB of storage. Well over 100TB would be possible with a seven-platter monster like HGST's enterprise-oriented Ultrastar He8.
Now, the ASTC's members won't necessarily hit all of their targets—a lot can happen over the course of a decade. But this is the plan as it stands right now. Kudos to Forbes contributor Tom Coughlin for being the first to publish the roadmap.
Senior Member
Posts: 538
Joined: 2010-01-20
I'm not sure if I would be still interested in mechanical HDD's 10 years from now even for storage purposes because it's obvious that mechanical HDD's can keep up anymore or gain much more speed in the future paired with future (even current) lightning speed CPU's and everything else.
If SSD technology can't mature enough and becomes cheaper so that everyone can own affordable 5 to 10TB SSD in their HTPC/business/gaming rig 10 years from now then... then I don't know what to say.
Good point, i think maybe we can see affordable 2 TB SSDs in next two years, but i'm not an expert.
Senior Member
Posts: 241
Joined: 2005-10-08
10 times? Where is my cheap 10TB HDD?
Senior Member
Posts: 2557
Joined: 2013-02-26
100TB... TBH I'm not sure if I would ever need so much storage space as long as I live. Dozen of HTPC's & gaming rigs with HDD's/SSD's inside in my house together with NAS storage are something around 15 to 16TB and more than 1/2 of that space is unused. Few dozens of games in my kids gaming rigs, huge collection of personal pics and videos, I don't watch/collect movies/porns - I like to do that live

But I'm sure out there 10, 15 years from now there will be enough Virtual/3D porn movies collectors with need for huge amount of storage space, 100TB, 200TB of space, meh, even that wouldn't be enough for them

Member
Posts: 46
Joined: 2010-12-14
100TB... TBH I'm not sure if I would ever need so much storage space as long as I live. Dozen of HTPC's & gaming rigs with HDD's/SSD's inside in my house together with NAS storage are something around 15 to 16TB and more than 1/2 of that space is unused. Few dozens of games in my kids gaming rigs, huge collection of personal pics and videos, I don't watch/collect movies/porns - I like to do that live

But I'm sure out there 10, 15 years from now there will be enough Virtual/3D porn movies collectors with need for huge amount of storage space, 100TB, 200TB of space, meh, even that wouldn't be enough for them

Yuck, you watch porn. Gross. TBH, I presume there will be 16k screens by then, thats 36 megapixel per frame. A single movie would be around 1/2 TB. That would be 200 movies on 100TB drive.
Senior Member
Posts: 2557
Joined: 2013-02-26
I'm not sure if I would be still interested in mechanical HDD's 10 years from now even for storage purposes because it's obvious that mechanical HDD's can keep up anymore or gain much more speed in the future paired with future (even current) lightning speed CPU's and everything else.
If SSD technology can't mature enough and becomes cheaper so that everyone can own affordable 5 to 10TB SSD in their HTPC/business/gaming rig 10 years from now then... then I don't know what to say.