Toshiba has detailed its roadmap for higher-capacity hard disk drives, targeting a 40TB model in 2026 and a 55TB version by 2030. The company plans to achieve these capacities by expanding platter counts and refining its MAMR and HAMR technologies. HAMR is expected to become increasingly prominent after 2029.
Toshiba is advancing its hard disk drive (HDD) technology to meet growing data storage demands. According to recent slides, the company aims to introduce a 40TB HDD model in 2026, followed by a more ambitious 55TB drive by 2030.
These developments hinge on increasing the number of platters in the drives, which store data magnetically. Toshiba is also enhancing its existing microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) technology while preparing for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). MAMR allows for denser data packing without extreme heat, but HAMR, which uses laser heating to write data more precisely, is projected to take a larger role starting after 2029.
This roadmap reflects Toshiba's strategy to remain competitive in the enterprise storage market, where higher capacities are crucial for data centers and cloud services. By pushing HDD limits beyond current 20TB+ models, Toshiba seeks to offer cost-effective alternatives to solid-state drives for massive data archiving.
The plans underscore ongoing innovations in recording technologies, balancing reliability and performance for future applications.
