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Toshiba launches 14TB HDD using CMR/PMR technology

by Mark Tyson on 11 December 2017, 13:01

Tags: Toshiba (TYO:6502)

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Toshiba has launched a high capacity 3.5-inch HDD which it claims is “the world’s first enterprise 14TB Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR)” hard disk drive. The 14TB Toshiba MG07ACA Series uses a 9-disk, helium-sealed design and is said to deliver an attractive density and power efficiency for enterprise storage solution providers to achieve their TCO objectives. Toshiba also launched a 12TB version with 8 platters.

Benefits of Toshiba’s CMR/PMR drives are that they work with existing server and storage system architectures. Meanwhile, rival SMR (shingled magnetic recording) HDD products require adjustments to server and storage systems that will take some organisations “several years,” according to a quote from John Rydning, Research VP for hard disk drives at IDC.

The MG07ACA Series platters spin at up to 7,200 rpm and the Helium atmosphere enveloping the disks reduces aerodynamic drag to deliver a lower operational power profile. Toshiba has put in extra effort to make sure the Helium gas doesn’t escape the disk enclosure by utilising a precision laser welding technology at all joins.

Toshiba says it has already started shipping out samples of the MG07ACA HDD drives. We will have to wait a while longer before they reach further distribution channels. As they are aimed at cloud and business data centres I wouldn’t expect these SATA 6.0Gbit/s interface drives to appear at retailers like Amazon.

Key Specs

  • 14TB and 12TB capacity models
  • Innovative 9-disk helium-sealed design for superior storage density
  • Industry Standard 3.5-inch 26.1mm Form Factor
  • 7,200 rpm Performance
  • SATA 6.0Gbit/s Interface
  • Buffer: 256MB
  • Low operational power profile, providing excellent power efficiency (W/TB) for better TCO
  • 550 Total TB Transferred per Year Workload Rating
  • 2,500,000 hours MTTF
  • 512e or 4Kn Advanced Format Sector Technology; (512e Model) Includes Toshiba Persistent Write Cache Technology for Data-Loss Protection in Sudden Power-Loss Events
  • Weight 780g max

Applications

  • Cloud-scale Storage Infrastructure
  • Software-defined data centre infrastructure
  • File- and Object-based storage infrastructure
  • Mid-line / Nearline Business Critical Workloads
  • Tier 2 Business-Critical Servers and Storage Systems


HEXUS Forums :: 10 Comments

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I had to re-read that a couple of times: Conventional Magnetic Recording.

Is that *really* what CMR stands for?
hopefully it won't be too long till these big drives come out at affordable prices, or at least push down the prices of 8tb drives under £100
Unique
hopefully it won't be too long till these big drives come out at affordable prices, or at least push down the prices of 8tb drives under £100

I wouldn't put money on it :S
azrael-
I had to re-read that a couple of times: Conventional Magnetic Recording.

Is that *really* what CMR stands for?

I guess they are just impressing that this isn't a shingled drive.
Unique
hopefully it won't be too long till these big drives come out at affordable prices, or at least push down the prices of 8tb drives under £100

It will, with one caveat, but the timescale is unclear.

The caveat is that while price/GB competitive pressure lowers prices furtyer down, there is a base price beyond which manufacture is not feasible, and is new technologies come with expensive new plant to install, then it may be a long time before that price pressure appears and if that base cost point rises too much, sub-£100 drives may never be feasible.

In other words …. who knows?