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Western Digital shuts down factory for hard drives, opens one for SSDs
While there always remains a user-base for traditional mechanical hard drives, the trend obviously is NAND storage. Western Digital will be closing a production facility in Malaysia, this year already as the demand for HDDs is on the decline.
The new has been confirmed with The Register. On the opposing side, WD will open up a new SSD factory. The location that will be closed is Petaling Jaya in Malaysia. A WD spokesperson mentioned that the HDD assembly site will be halted by the end of next year, and ramp up flash drive manufacturing; In response to declining long-term demand for client HDDs, Western Digital has taken steps to rationalize its HDD manufacturing operations globally. The company will decommission its HDD manufacturing facility in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, by the end of calendar 2019. This transition will be executed in close collaboration with employees, customers, supply partners and other critical stakeholders.
The data technology industry is undergoing substantial change. This market transformation is driving increased adoption of SSDs and NAND flash in traditional HDD applications. The change has contributed to growth in SSD/NAND flash and declining long-term demand for client HDDs. Consequently, Western Digital plans to expand SSD manufacturing in Penang. The company is in the final stages of commissioning its second SSD facility in Penang, which will go into production in the coming months. Thanks to its flash fab joint-venture with Toshiba, WD has a broad line of solid-state drives, and can sell them instead of hard disk drives in markets suffering HDD shipment erosion.
"Impacted employees will receive assistance, including severance compensation and upskilling support," a WD spokesperson told us. "Western Digital will retain a Center of Excellence in Selangor. This center will have several key engineering teams, core operational planning and regional support functions. They will relocate to new offices within Selangor.
"Western Digital remains firmly committed to Malaysia. The company values and appreciates its 45-year history of partnership with the Malaysian government and looks forward to many more years of shared prosperity and success.”
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k3vst3r
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#5565973 Posted on: 07/18/2018 02:51 PM
Probably just reducing supply, so prices of HDD climb, basically don't want make HDD's when price is just about breaking even. Not sure when it's forecast, but writing is on the wall for HDD as long term NAND flash chips going replace spinners for same price per GB of storage. Believe Samsung upto 96 layers now for their NAND chips? more layers per chip means price per chip is going down whilst storage per chip is climbing.
Probably just reducing supply, so prices of HDD climb, basically don't want make HDD's when price is just about breaking even. Not sure when it's forecast, but writing is on the wall for HDD as long term NAND flash chips going replace spinners for same price per GB of storage. Believe Samsung upto 96 layers now for their NAND chips? more layers per chip means price per chip is going down whilst storage per chip is climbing.
Fox2232
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#5565974 Posted on: 07/18/2018 02:57 PM
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Maybe they detected systematic cause for slow decline in demand for HDDs while SSDs are on rise?
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Maybe they detected systematic cause for slow decline in demand for HDDs while SSDs are on rise?
Kaarme
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#5565993 Posted on: 07/18/2018 03:44 PM
Lots of people, government offices, and businesses ought to be satisfied with only an SSD in their PCs, and maybe a single spinning HD in addition to it only when more space is required. Laptops will soon be a totally dead market for the traditional HDDs. So, its only the NAS, data centers/server farms, and some crumbs from the desktop PC market. It's a twilight business, even if the sun is setting really slowly.
Maybe they detected systematic cause for slow decline in demand for HDDs while SSDs are on rise?
Lots of people, government offices, and businesses ought to be satisfied with only an SSD in their PCs, and maybe a single spinning HD in addition to it only when more space is required. Laptops will soon be a totally dead market for the traditional HDDs. So, its only the NAS, data centers/server farms, and some crumbs from the desktop PC market. It's a twilight business, even if the sun is setting really slowly.
Ricepudding
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#5566009 Posted on: 07/18/2018 04:07 PM
Arent HDD's basically dead already on laptops, from what i see any new models made in the last couple of years either come with an SSD or an m.2 drive. Most people would be happy with a single SSD on their drives, they only need it for some documents, windows and music, 250gb or even 500gb is more than enough for the normal user. Gamers might need a bit more if they play lots of games at once, this is the last place you see people get HDD's for storage reasons.
Though i am sure i am not the only one who has switched over to purely SSD and m.2 drives in their system. Agree with the last bit though, its basically data centres who are left buying this for 99% of cases, if SSD falls down close enough to the £/$ per GB then they would switch in a heartbeat since SSD's are more reliable not to mention faster and last longer. I've yet to have a single SSD fail on me, and from the tests ive seen most of these should last well over 10 years and newer models even longer
Lots of people, government offices, and businesses ought to be satisfied with only an SSD in their PCs, and maybe a single spinning HD in addition to it only when more space is required. Laptops will soon be a totally dead market for the traditional HDDs. So, its only the NAS, data centers/server farms, and some crumbs from the desktop PC market. It's a twilight business, even if the sun is setting really slowly.
Arent HDD's basically dead already on laptops, from what i see any new models made in the last couple of years either come with an SSD or an m.2 drive. Most people would be happy with a single SSD on their drives, they only need it for some documents, windows and music, 250gb or even 500gb is more than enough for the normal user. Gamers might need a bit more if they play lots of games at once, this is the last place you see people get HDD's for storage reasons.
Though i am sure i am not the only one who has switched over to purely SSD and m.2 drives in their system. Agree with the last bit though, its basically data centres who are left buying this for 99% of cases, if SSD falls down close enough to the £/$ per GB then they would switch in a heartbeat since SSD's are more reliable not to mention faster and last longer. I've yet to have a single SSD fail on me, and from the tests ive seen most of these should last well over 10 years and newer models even longer
nhlkoho
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#5566011 Posted on: 07/18/2018 04:09 PM
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Of course there is more demand for HDD in that type of environment. For now.
They aren't shutting down their only manufacturing plant though. Instead of having maybe 5 that produce standard HDD now they have 4 (I don't know how many they really have but surely it can't be just 1)
SSD's are still way to expensive for that type of environment.
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Of course there is more demand for HDD in that type of environment. For now.
They aren't shutting down their only manufacturing plant though. Instead of having maybe 5 that produce standard HDD now they have 4 (I don't know how many they really have but surely it can't be just 1)
SSD's are still way to expensive for that type of environment.
schmidtbag
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#5566017 Posted on: 07/18/2018 04:18 PM
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
It's important to keep in mind that prices are very different for enterprise hardware. I haven't checked, but I'm guessing the price:capacity ratio when comparing HDDs to SSDs is narrowing too much for HDDs to remain a better option. Consider the long-term expenses involved in HDDs vs SSDs:
* HDDs tend to generate more heat. Heat is due to friction. Friction causes wear. Wear results in failure.
* To curb the heat-death issue, you need to keep the drives cool. Keeping up with the coolness (and humidity - dry air is dangerous) is very expensive.
* Since HDD lifespans are shorter than modern SSDs, they need to be replaced more often. That time spent replacing them isn't free, and if the warranty ran out, the replacement drive isn't free, either.
* HDDs often take up more space, and weigh more. This makes shipping and positioning them more difficult and time consuming. As I've already alluded to, time is money.
* HDDs need more electricity to operate.
* To compete with performance of SSDs, you need faster-spinning drives. The faster the drive, the more expensive it is, the more power it needs, and the hotter it gets. And so the above problems are exacerbated.
SSDs are reaching a point where their higher price point just isn't enough of a long-term turnoff to companies. Right now the only saving grace of HDDs is how SSDs seem to get exponentially more expensive as you go beyond 1TB.
So - for stuff like cloud-based mainframes and perhaps some media-based services like Youtube or Soundcloud, I think HDDs are going to remain in use for a long while. For everything else with much more finite or controlled data, I think SSDs are proving to be a better value.
EDIT:
On the consumer level, I still feel HDDs are very relevant if you need 1TB or more, at least as a secondary drive to store stuff like media.
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
It's important to keep in mind that prices are very different for enterprise hardware. I haven't checked, but I'm guessing the price:capacity ratio when comparing HDDs to SSDs is narrowing too much for HDDs to remain a better option. Consider the long-term expenses involved in HDDs vs SSDs:
* HDDs tend to generate more heat. Heat is due to friction. Friction causes wear. Wear results in failure.
* To curb the heat-death issue, you need to keep the drives cool. Keeping up with the coolness (and humidity - dry air is dangerous) is very expensive.
* Since HDD lifespans are shorter than modern SSDs, they need to be replaced more often. That time spent replacing them isn't free, and if the warranty ran out, the replacement drive isn't free, either.
* HDDs often take up more space, and weigh more. This makes shipping and positioning them more difficult and time consuming. As I've already alluded to, time is money.
* HDDs need more electricity to operate.
* To compete with performance of SSDs, you need faster-spinning drives. The faster the drive, the more expensive it is, the more power it needs, and the hotter it gets. And so the above problems are exacerbated.
SSDs are reaching a point where their higher price point just isn't enough of a long-term turnoff to companies. Right now the only saving grace of HDDs is how SSDs seem to get exponentially more expensive as you go beyond 1TB.
So - for stuff like cloud-based mainframes and perhaps some media-based services like Youtube or Soundcloud, I think HDDs are going to remain in use for a long while. For everything else with much more finite or controlled data, I think SSDs are proving to be a better value.
EDIT:
On the consumer level, I still feel HDDs are very relevant if you need 1TB or more, at least as a secondary drive to store stuff like media.
Ricepudding
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#5566025 Posted on: 07/18/2018 04:46 PM
EDIT:
On the consumer level, I still feel HDDs are very relevant if you need 1TB or more, at least as a secondary drive to store stuff like media.
see i question what Media? with streaming becoming a massive thing less and less people are downloading and/or torrenting media now. and with sites like Kodi exodus people are illegally streaming films instead of downloading them. i think the only people on a consumer level that need more than 1TB are gamers, or Media creators if they count, least small ones
EDIT:
On the consumer level, I still feel HDDs are very relevant if you need 1TB or more, at least as a secondary drive to store stuff like media.
see i question what Media? with streaming becoming a massive thing less and less people are downloading and/or torrenting media now. and with sites like Kodi exodus people are illegally streaming films instead of downloading them. i think the only people on a consumer level that need more than 1TB are gamers, or Media creators if they count, least small ones
Fender178
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#5566034 Posted on: 07/18/2018 05:01 PM
Not surprised. Since they have many other plants they could still do HDDs. Plus they need to get the ball rolling since SSDs are becoming more popular.
Not surprised. Since they have many other plants they could still do HDDs. Plus they need to get the ball rolling since SSDs are becoming more popular.
schmidtbag
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#5566051 Posted on: 07/18/2018 05:50 PM
There are plenty of people who still prefer, or even need local storage (especially those who want higher-quality content). I'm not sure where you're from, but most rural areas don't have access to internet fast enough for streaming, or at least it isn't cheap. Countries like Romania are an odd exception.
see i question what Media? with streaming becoming a massive thing less and less people are downloading and/or torrenting media now. and with sites like Kodi exodus people are illegally streaming films instead of downloading them. i think the only people on a consumer level that need more than 1TB are gamers, or Media creators if they count, least small ones
There are plenty of people who still prefer, or even need local storage (especially those who want higher-quality content). I'm not sure where you're from, but most rural areas don't have access to internet fast enough for streaming, or at least it isn't cheap. Countries like Romania are an odd exception.
sammarbella
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#5566058 Posted on: 07/18/2018 06:15 PM
I am not going full SSD anytime soon; SSD prices are still too high for (poor) data hoarders like me.
It's perfect for my laptop but my desktop PC and specially the NAS/HTPC need a lot of storage.
NAS: 1 SSD for OS/apps and 1 SSD for recordings, 7 HDDs (+40 TB) for media.
I am not going full SSD anytime soon; SSD prices are still too high for (poor) data hoarders like me.
It's perfect for my laptop but my desktop PC and specially the NAS/HTPC need a lot of storage.
NAS: 1 SSD for OS/apps and 1 SSD for recordings, 7 HDDs (+40 TB) for media.
EspHack
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#5566088 Posted on: 07/18/2018 07:28 PM
we will always need HDDs in some way, tape is still being used as long term storage because its super longevity or something, SSDs in my experience may seem indestructible but they just fail for no apparent reason with no warning and no way of recovering data, compare that to HDDs, I would never use an HDD again for anything but long term storage, things i absolutely dont want to lose, even though I have piles of "dead" HDDs, I could still add or pull data from them somehow, while the 2 SSDs that have failed me wont even show up on bios
we will always need HDDs in some way, tape is still being used as long term storage because its super longevity or something, SSDs in my experience may seem indestructible but they just fail for no apparent reason with no warning and no way of recovering data, compare that to HDDs, I would never use an HDD again for anything but long term storage, things i absolutely dont want to lose, even though I have piles of "dead" HDDs, I could still add or pull data from them somehow, while the 2 SSDs that have failed me wont even show up on bios
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#5566095 Posted on: 07/18/2018 07:44 PM
There's no future for mechanical storage devices and I will be happy to see them gone.
There's no future for mechanical storage devices and I will be happy to see them gone.
schmidtbag
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#5566096 Posted on: 07/18/2018 07:44 PM
Tapes are really only used for archiving purposes, and, in mainframes that still have one of those crazy expensive automated tape libraries. Otherwise, they're not really used anymore.
To my understanding, the failure rate of SSDs hasn't been a problem since 2012. It was due to firmware and manufacturing issues that have long since been resolved in newer models. So putting exceptions aside, HDDs don't have a predictable lifespan like SSDs do. If you absolutely don't want to lose something, putting your trust in something that could die without notice is risky. Both HDDs and flash-storage devices (including USB drives) have places to recover data if some other part of the drive failed. Though, it definitely is easier to repair a dead HDD on your own (still risky and difficult, though).
we will always need HDDs in some way, tape is still being used as long term storage because its super longevity or something, SSDs in my experience may seem indestructible but they just fail for no apparent reason with no warning and no way of recovering data, compare that to HDDs, I would never use an HDD again for anything but long term storage, things i absolutely dont want to lose, even though I have piles of "dead" HDDs, I could still add or pull data from them somehow, while the 2 SSDs that have failed me? wont even show up on bios
Tapes are really only used for archiving purposes, and, in mainframes that still have one of those crazy expensive automated tape libraries. Otherwise, they're not really used anymore.
To my understanding, the failure rate of SSDs hasn't been a problem since 2012. It was due to firmware and manufacturing issues that have long since been resolved in newer models. So putting exceptions aside, HDDs don't have a predictable lifespan like SSDs do. If you absolutely don't want to lose something, putting your trust in something that could die without notice is risky. Both HDDs and flash-storage devices (including USB drives) have places to recover data if some other part of the drive failed. Though, it definitely is easier to repair a dead HDD on your own (still risky and difficult, though).
waltc3
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#5566114 Posted on: 07/18/2018 08:58 PM
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Oh, there is plenty of demand for large-capacity hard drives, atm. But the problem is that the HDD market is cutthroat whereas the SSD market is still relatively profitable on a per-GB basis. I just bought a new 4TB Seagate Barricuda 5400 rpm, 256-MB cache hard drive for the astounding price of $92 plus tax--via Amazon. Even 1TB HDDs have dropped in price 10% or more in the last year or so, simply because HDD demand has been so soft. I think that the future is definitely SSD based, as soon as it becomes possible to manufacture them in multi-terabyte sizes for a cost very close to large-capacity HDDs today. I think there are a few more tricks in-store for the HDD market yet, but the end for the market will come when it is possible to do big SS drives at current big-drive HDD pricing, imo. SSD technology is advancing very quickly.
I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?
Oh, there is plenty of demand for large-capacity hard drives, atm. But the problem is that the HDD market is cutthroat whereas the SSD market is still relatively profitable on a per-GB basis. I just bought a new 4TB Seagate Barricuda 5400 rpm, 256-MB cache hard drive for the astounding price of $92 plus tax--via Amazon. Even 1TB HDDs have dropped in price 10% or more in the last year or so, simply because HDD demand has been so soft. I think that the future is definitely SSD based, as soon as it becomes possible to manufacture them in multi-terabyte sizes for a cost very close to large-capacity HDDs today. I think there are a few more tricks in-store for the HDD market yet, but the end for the market will come when it is possible to do big SS drives at current big-drive HDD pricing, imo. SSD technology is advancing very quickly.
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I am surprised.
Surely there is more than enough demand for mainframes/co-lo/DR/cloud and of course companies like Google to store data?
Hate to sound like someone who prefers vinyl over mp3s, but platter drives over silicon must be cheaper for datacentres around the world?
tap tap tap...Are we really at the point where the cost of running a datacentre is so high that more expensive silicon drives are better than platter?