Nathan Davis18 September 2006, 11:48 PM
Hard drives will see a massive jump in available storage space in the next few years, thanks to new breakthroughs - and a new world record - in magnetic areal storage density from Seagate.
We may well be seeing 2.5TB desktop drives (3.5-inch) within several years time -- as soon as 2009, anticipates Seagate. This is all thanks to a new breakthrough -- and world record it says -- in magnetic areal storage capacity per square inch.
In the past, hard drives have stored their data using longitudinal magnetic properties; that being, each storage bit was on its side with both its north and south poles lying flat against the platter. This takes up space, and has essentially reached its physical limit in terms of allowed data density, so the newer generation of high-capacity hard drives that are coming out are using a perpendicular layout.
Rather than both poles lying flat, the magnetic bits are turned on their side with only one pole touching the platter. This allows a great deal of compression in terms of overall data density, creating room for loads more storage within the same space.
"Today's demonstration [...] clearly shows that the future of hard drives is stronger than ever," beamed Bill Watkins, CEO of Seagate. "Breakthroughs in areal density are enabling the digital revolution and clearly indicate that hard drives can sustain their advantage to meet the world’s insatiable demand for storage..."
Seagate's world record is in producing an areal density of 421-gigabits per square inch (Gbpsi). In case the tantalising 2.5TB of highly usable space didn't steal your attention, to give you an idea of how incredible this is, Seagate's 160GB Momentus notebook hard drive -- which uses perpendicular technology -- packs in at a tight 130Gbpsi. That's less than a third the density of this new tiger.
This news is right on the heels of Hitachi's announcement last week that it has managed to produce a density of 345Gbpsi. It expects to release 1TB drives in the first quarter of 2007, using an areal density "half way to" the 345Gbpsi mark -- we assume this means around 173Gbpsi. Just shy of Seagate's 2.5TB, Hitachi forecasts a release of its 2TB drive in 2009.
At these new density levels, desktop drives won't be the only ones to benefit from the immense surge in available areal capacity. Using Seagate's 421Gbpsi, 2.5-inch notebook drives will hit a more useful 500GB and 1 to 1.8-inch hard drives, such as those found in handheld media devices, will hit 40GB to 275GB, respectively. (We hope by the time the 275GB drive comes out, Apple will have finally figured out how to make a full-blown video iPod, because people surely aren't going to fill that amount of space with iTunes music purchases.)
Of course, these companies are only elated to look further into the crystal ball. Seagate, using new recording technologies, such as what it calls Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording, researchers estimate that capacities could exceed 50 terabits per square inch. Not to be outdone, Hitachi says beyond 2016, areal densities of 100Tbpsi "...will be possible, which would enable a 0.65-petabyte 3.5-inch drive."
We can dream too; we just lack the hover-boards and jet packs.