UltraSMR

Western Digital is gearing up to start sampling of its 28 TB nearline hard drive for hyperscalers. The new HDD will use the company's energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR) technology with UltraSMR track layouts. Since both technologies are now familiar to hyperscalers, the validation and qualification of this hard drive should be relatively straightforward. "We are about to begin product sampling of our 28 TB UltraSMR drive," said David Goeckeler, chief executive of Western Digital, at the company's most recent earnings call. "This cutting-edge product is built upon the success of our ePMR and UltraSMR technologies with features and reliability trusted by our customers worldwide. We are staging this product for quick qualification and ramp as demand improves." Right now, Western Digital is shipping its 26...