- Seagate is already testing its 40TB HAMR drives, while Toshiba plans its launch in 2027
- Toshiba drives use 12-disk stacking technology and microwave-assisted magnetic recording
- Seagate plans 44TB models for when Toshiba's 40TB models arrive
In May 2025, we reported that Seagate had shipped limited units of its 40TB hard drives built into its Mozaic HAMR platform. These drives used heat-assisted magnetic recording to store 4TB per platter across ten platters, setting a new benchmark at the time for mechanical storage density.
Full-scale production is planned to begin in the first half of 2026, once extensive customer testing is completed.
At the recent Seagate Investor and Analyst Conference, Dr. Dave Mosley, the company's CEO, explained that the ten-drive configuration offers better fleet-level efficiency for data centers, while also serving as the basis for the company's roadmap.
a dozen dishes
Seagate said then that it expected to surpass 40TB in the coming years, with 44TB models expected in 2027 and 50TB drives in 2028.
Fast forward to now, Toshiba announced that it has verified 12-drive stacking technology for hard drives, a first for the storage industry.
Its design combines the firm's mechanical engineering expertise with microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) to achieve capacities of 40 TB in 3.5-inch format. Toshiba plans to launch these units in 2027.
The new design adds two discs to the ten-disc nearline format and also replaces aluminum substrates with glass, resulting in thinner platters, greater precision and greater durability.
This can reportedly increase storage density without sacrificing stability or reliability.
Toshiba engineers are also studying how this 12-drive configuration could work alongside HAMR, suggesting a hybrid direction for future products.
The company says it ultimately aims to provide data centers with higher capacities while maintaining lower TCO as demand for data continues to grow.
Still, by the time Toshiba's drives hit the market, if Seagate's roadmap comes to fruition, the competition may already be pushing past 40TB, leaving Toshiba playing catch-up.
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