In a world where data is king, storage wars are heating up. Seagate has already started testing its 40TB HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) drives, and now Toshiba is finally stepping into the ring, but it might be too little, too late.
Toshiba’s plans involve a 12-platter design using Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR), aiming for a 2027 launch. But hold your horses, because Seagate has been busy. Back in May 2025, Seagate shipped limited units of its 40TB HDDs, using HAMR to store 4TB per platter across ten platters. Full-scale production is set to begin in the first half of 2026.
Seagate’s CEO, Dr. Dave Mosley, has revealed that they’re not stopping at 40TB. They’re planning 44TB models for 2027 and 50TB drives by 2028. So, while Toshiba is just starting to talk about 40TB, Seagate is already looking beyond.
Toshiba’s new design adds two disks to the ten-disk nearline format and uses glass platters for thinner, more precise, and durable storage. They’re also exploring how this 12-disk configuration could work with HAMR for future products. But by 2027, when Toshiba’s drives hit the market, Seagate might already be well past the 40TB mark, leaving Toshiba playing catch-up.
So, while Toshiba’s 40TB HDD is an impressive feat, it might just be a drop in the bucket in the fast-paced world of data storage. Stay tuned to see who comes out on top in this storage showdown!
