Seagate announced an ambitious roadmap. They foresee 150TB hard drives. This relies on HAMR technology advances. Innovative platter designs also contribute. However, the company cautions. This storage milestone is years away. Therefore, patience is key.
The Path to Massive Storage
Seagate’s 2025 Investor Conference revealed plans. CEO Dr. Dave Mosley discussed vision. CTO Dr. John Morris also participated. They detailed hard drive development. Seagate’s Mozaic platform is central. It leverages HAMR technology. This pushes data storage limits.
Currently, Mozaic 3 is in full production. It uses 3TB platters. The next step is Mozaic 4. This offers 4TB per platter. Customer qualification begins soon. Volume shipments expect early 2026. Following that, Mozaic 5 is planned. It targets 5TB per platter. This should arrive late 2027 or early 2028. Thus, steady progress is visible.
10TB Per Platter by 2028
Dr. Morris expressed confidence. Seagate can achieve 10TB per platter. This milestone is set for 2028. Further refinement enables this leap. Granular iron platinum media improves. “We have high confidence in our product roadmap,” Morris stated. He noted new technologies. They take about five years to qualify. This moves from demonstration to commercial. Therefore, the 2028 target seems achievable.
The 150TB Dream and Challenges
Looking further ahead, Seagate explores possibilities. They envision 15TB platters. Stacking 10 would create a 150TB drive. This would be the largest ever. However, both executives emphasized a point. Reaching this level requires “disruptive innovation.” It goes beyond current HAMR plans.
“We believe another extension is possible,” Morris explained. This involves the iron platinum architecture. It “could theoretically get as high as 15 terabytes per disk.” But he cautioned, “Beyond 15 terabytes per disk is going to require some level of disruptive innovation.” Therefore, significant hurdles remain.
Not Arriving Soon
Despite bold projections, these drives are not imminent. Seagate made that clear. “It’s not going to be easy,” Mosley stated. “But I’m convinced that’s going to keep us competitive.” He believes no other technology will supplant them. This applies for the next decade. Perhaps beyond.
In summary, Seagate’s roadmap points to a future. 150TB hard drives are possible. However, the technology is still far off. It is at least a decade away. For now, the company focuses on incremental advances. 4TB and 5TB platters are near. 10TB platters expect by 2028.