Home Enterprise WD 24TB CMR HDDs Shipping, 28TB SMR HDD Ramping

WD 24TB CMR HDDs Shipping, 28TB SMR HDD Ramping

by Lyle Smith
Ultrastar DC HC680 SMR HDD

Western Digital (WD) is now shipping a new series of 24TB CMR HDDs for hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise data center customers, marking a significant advancement in the storage technology landscape. In addition, WD is also ramping up the new 28TB SMR HDD, as the 26TB model has reached nearly half of its data center exabytes shipped in Q1 2024.

Western Digital (WD) is now shipping a new series of 24TB CMR HDDs for hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise data center customers, marking a significant advancement in the storage technology landscape. In addition, WD is also ramping up the new 28TB SMR HDD, as the 26TB model has reached nearly half of its data center exabytes shipped in Q1 2024.

WD Ultrastar DC HC580 24TB CMR HDD

The WD 24TB Ultrastar DC HC580 CMR HDD is a 10-disk family of drives and is designed to cater to the demanding storage needs of hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise data centers. These HDDs, which have been improved with OptiNAND technology, focus on maximizing storage density in the same footprint, especially in power-constrained environments.

The HC580 allows for up to 612TB of raw storage per rack unit in WD’s 4U 102-drive bay solution. Notably, these drives offer a 12% improvement in power efficiency (Watt/TB) compared to the company’s previous 22TB version, helping reduce effective operational cost per TB.

Ultrastar DC HC580 24TB CMR HDD

WD Ultrastar DC HC580 24TB CMR HDD Specifications

Feature Specification
Capacity 24TB
Form Factor 3.5-Inch
Compatibility Windows®, Windows Server®, Linux®
Interface SATA
Transfer Rate Up to 298MB/s
Disk Speed (RPM) 7200 RPM
Recording Technology CMR
Cache Size 512MB
Security SED
Warranty 5-Year Limited Warranty
Endurance (TBW) 550TB/year
Dimensions (L x W x H) 5.79″ x 4″ x 1.03″
Weight 670gms
Model Number 0F62795
Operating Temperature 5°C to 60°C
Non-Operating Temperature -40°C to 70°C
Additional Details Cloud and hyperscale storage, Massive scale-out (MSO), high-density data centers, Distributed File Systems, Primary and secondary storage for Apache Hadoop® for Big Data analytics, Hybrid cloud environments, Hyperconverged infrastructure servers

WD Ultrastar DC HC680 28TB SMR HDD

Additionally, WD is amplifying its presence in the SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) HDD sector with the new 28TB Ultrastar DC HC680 SMR HDD. This drive is designed for sequential write workloads, offering high storage density and efficiency in parameters such as watt/TB and cost/TB.

These drives are ideal for various applications including bulk storage, online backup and archive, video surveillance, cloud storage, regulatory compliance storage, big data storage, and other use cases where data is infrequently accessed.

Ultrastar DC HC680 SMR HDD

WD Ultrastar DC HC680 28TB SMR HDD Specifications

Feature Specification
Capacity 28TB
Form Factor 3.5-Inch
Compatibility Windows®, Windows Server®, Linux®
Interface SATA
Transfer Rate Up to 265MB/s
Disk Speed (RPM) 7200 RPM
Recording Technology SMR
Cache Size 512MB
Security Base (SE)
Warranty 5-Year Limited Warranty
Endurance (TBW) 550TB/Year
Dimensions (L x W x H) 5.79″ x 4″ x 1.03″
Weight 670gms
Operating Temperature 5°C to 60°C
Non-Operating Temperature -40°C to 70°C

The 28TB HDD is a strategic addition for customers who have optimized their stacks for SMR benefits, enabling them to integrate high-capacity HDDs in a lower-power footprint.

The new 28TB and 24TB HDDs are designed with sustainability in mind, as they are constructed with 40% recycled content by weight and are over 10% more energy-efficient per terabyte.

Availability and Integration

The Ultrastar DC HC680 and HC580 HDDs are currently undergoing qualification by select hyperscalers, CSPs, and OEM customers. Furthermore, SAS versions of the Ultrastar DC HC680 and HC580 HDDs will be available in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year.

Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 Hybrid Storage Platforms

These new Ultrastar drives are also being qualified and integrated into WD’s Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 JBOD hybrid storage platforms. These platforms are instrumental in building next-generation disaggregated and software-defined storage (SDS) infrastructures. The integration of these new HDDs in the Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 platforms (equipped with IsoVibe and ArcticFlow technologies) will commence next month.

WD Gold 24TB CMR HDDs

But wait there’s more! WD has started shipping its 24TB WD Gold CMR SATA HDDs. These drives are tailored for system integrators and resellers serving enterprises and SMBs, offering more reliable storage for big data and enterprise storage workloads compared to traditional client HDDs.

The WD Gold 24TB HDDs derive innovations from the Ultrastar technology platform while providing up to 2.5 million hours of MTBF and vibration protection technology. They are also designed to handle workloads up to 550TB per year and come with a 5-year limited warranty.

Ultrastar DC HC580 24TB CMR HDD

Ultrastar DC HC680 SMR HDD

WD Gold CMR SATA HDD

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