Seagate, has initiated the shipping of its pioneering hard drives featuring Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, boasting storage capacities exceeding 30 terabytes. 

The company is delivering these drives to a collaborator for qualification and intends to release them in limited quantities during the current quarter to revive dwindling sales observed in the latest fiscal quarter.

HAMR technology, long in development, aims to amplify HDD storage density by employing a tiny laser. As a trailblazer in this domain, Seagate previously introduced 20 TB HAMR HDDs in small-scale production. Seagate CEO Dave Mosley disclosed in the company's recent earnings call that the inaugural samples of "30-plus terabyte platforms" incorporating HAMR technology have been dispatched to a cloud storage associate. The company anticipates these cutting-edge HDDs to bolster sales this quarter as part of Seagate's Corvault system solutions.

Nonetheless, widespread availability is projected for early 2024, as partners require time for technology qualification and due to economic conditions. Seagate aims to outpace competitors like Western Digital, which unveiled a 22 TB HDD using conventional recording (CMR) a year prior. With sales plunging by one-third to a mere 1.8 billion USD in the latest quarter, Seagate needs to deliver on HAMR technology.

Mosley asserts that Seagate is diligently executing its HAMR-based product strategy to maintain a substantial lead time advantage. To remain competitive and boost revenue, Seagate must succeed with HAMR technology. Failure to do so could spell a dire future for the company.

Seagate Debuts 30+ TB HAMR Hard Drives for Enhanced Storage Solutions