Why Areal Density Matters to Data Centers

You’ve no doubt seen the ubiquitous slogan of “NOW with MORE (fill in the blank)!” on product packaging, despite the size of the item not changing. That (fill in the blank) could be more marshmallows in the cereal, or more magic cleaning crystals in the box of dish soap.

Often, the item’s price remains the same even with the added elements. This is the incentive. Perhaps you always wanted more marshmallows or magic cleaning crystals but, prior to the introduction of the “NOW with MORE (fill in the blank)!” version, you’d have had to purchase more of that existing product to get what you consider to be a sufficient amount. If a product of the same size and price is now packed with more of a desirable item, you might be more inclined to buy it.

NOW with MORE DATA!

At Seagate, the desirable item we produce is data storage. And the density we focus on is areal density: the amount of data that can be stored on a hard disk drive platter. Packing more data onto a single hard drive platter has been an industry challenge for some time. Seagate has been at the forefront of fostering technologies to propel further progress.

Each magnetic recording method was thought to be more than adequate for standard high-capacity storage at the time of its introduction.

Perpendicular recording technology (PMR) is the standard format across the storage industry, Seagate included, and is available in capacities in the high 20s of terabytes (TBs). However, there is always the push for more, especially with the need to store the world’s ever-increasing data. Pushing the boundaries of storing massive data sets, Seagate released new HAMR (heat-assisted magnetic recording)-enabled technology in January 2024.

Higher Capacity Without Higher TCO

Dealing with proliferating data demand by cramming more platters into the hard drive enclosure supports capacity growth but is a less efficient way forward due to the increase in the bill of material (BOM) and subsequently the customers’ total cost of ownership (TCO, or device acquisition and operational costs). Why add more expense when you just want more storage?

Capacity per platter is a far more efficient approach to scaling hard drive capacity. With this in mind, Seagate has prioritized areal density innovation over all other factors in anticipation of the world’s exponentially increasing storage needs–both now and in the future.

Introducing Mozaic 3+: Where the Future is Read and Written

Mozaic 3+ is a hard drive platform that incorporates Seagate’s unique implementation of HAMR technology to deliver mass-capacity storage at unprecedented areal densities of 3+TB per hard drive platter and beyond.

Mozaic 3+ is a composite of the most complex nanoscale recording technologies and material science breakthroughs on the planet. It is how data can now be stored to media at density levels that were previously inconceivable–all while using the same material resources as current Seagate hard drives–and delivered in a known 3.5-inch form factor. Mozaic 3+ is both the present and future, with an eye toward 50TB.

With Mozaic 3+, data center operators can now store more exabytes in the same space, with fewer racks, amounting to massive TCO savings related to CPU, RAM, power, and floor space. (Note that Seagate offers its Exos CORVAULT solution to provide multi-petabyte capacity, five nines reliability, hyperscale efficiency, and self-healing technology.)

To fit more data bits onto one disk platter, the density between them must increase. With legacy disk platter materials, placing the bits too close can cause some unwanted magnetic behavior, affecting the platter’s thermal stability (the tendency to stay put as intended rather than fluctuate unintentionally). Seagate engineers devised new platter materials to ensure thermal stability but still needed a way to intentionally alter the data bits in the newer, more thermally stable environment. That’s where HAMR enters the picture.

Seagate’s Mozaic 3+ HAMR implementation involves incorporating a small laser diode on each recording head that heats a spot on the disk in a fraction of a second so the recording head can flip the magnetic polarity of a single data bit and write the data. The heating and cooling of each bit happen within a nanosecond. The laser doesn’t affect drive temperature or stability, or the media reliability.

10 Platters + 20 Heads = A Winning Formula

Mozaic 3+, Seagate’s unique interpretation of HAMR technology, allows users to install higher amounts of data storage TBs without requiring larger equipment. Data center operators are very familiar with how increasing ‘U’ space for hardware can also increase spending for resource consumption/distribution, cooling, cabling, maintenance, and many other related expenses. Seagate envisions increasing data storage capacity via its Mozaic 3+ platform without having to expand the unit size of its current 20TB PMR-based solution.

Seagate Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Gianluca Romano told attendees of the Bank of America 2023 Global Technology Conference, “When you go to HAMR, our 32TB is based on 10 platters and 20 heads ... the same number of platters and heads as the current 20TB PMR. The following product will ... still be based on 10 platters and 20 heads. All the increase is coming through areal density. The next offering of 40TB+ is the same 10 platters and 20 heads. As is the 50TB+. In our lab, we are already running individual platters at 5TBs. We can increase capacity by a lot."

This approach is a major win-win for the customer and manufacturer. The customer doesn’t need to increase rack ‘U’ space compared to any prior committed storage solution and Seagate is able to increase customer-driven areal density without dramatically increasing its own costs per product.

TCO and Sustainability

Seagate’s Mozaic 3+ technology is meant to help organizations dramatically improve their storage TCO with lower per-TB acquisition and operational costs that supports productivity gains. Along with improved TCO, switching to Seagate drives with Mozaic 3+ technology also helps companies deliver on their sustainability goals with lower power consumption. For example, upgrading from a Seagate Exos X10 (10TB) to Exos Mozaic 3+ 30TB hard drive results in 60% fewer watts (Ws) per TB, fewer natural resources, and use of recycled materials. Increasing areal density via Mozaic 3+ technology does not add significant weight to the containing drive. In addition, hard drives with Mozaic 3+ technology reduce embodied carbon emissions by 70% due to the use of recycled materials and renewable energy (using the same 10TB PMR to Exos Mozaic 3+ 30TB hard drive upgrade example).

Dropbox, the renowned cloud storage provider, saw firsthand how implementing Seagate HAMR technology-based data storage solutions “increased data density (that) enables the company to store more data on a single server, leading to fewer required racks and reduced floor space. This consolidation contributes to significant savings in operational expenditure, including power, cooling, CPU, RAM, and floor space costs.”
(Read the full Seagate blog post on Dropbox here.)

It is Smart to Be Dense

More organizations are paying closer attention to how much data they generate, the value it contains, and the importance of how it gets stored. It’s safe to say the total amount of the world’s stored data will continue to increase. With that in mind, successful organizations will require solutions that help them best retain their vital data while helping maintain a low, expected TCO.

In January 2024, a new era in data storage began. Seagate released its HAMR technology developments throughout a broad range of its data storage solutions. This allows us to offer products designed with 10 platters or fewer, enabling the lowest cost per TB, the highest TB per square foot, and the lowest W per TB.

When improving hard drive capacity, being dense is really smart.

For more information on Seagate’s new Mozaic 3+ technology, visit https://www.seagate.com/innovation/mozaic.