Western Digital today announced a new milestone in data center storage with the launch of the Ultrastar® DC HC690 hard drive.
It’s an innovative hard drive that comes with 11 platters – an impressive number for a 3.5-inch model. This launch comes at a time when demand for storage is growing exponentially, driven by trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasing volume of data generated globally.
Let’s understand the technologies behind this launch, the challenges faced in implementing 11 platters in a compact, industry-standard format, and the differences that make the HC690 an ideal solution for modern data centers.
The Challenge of Incorporating 11 Platters into a 3.5-inch HDD
Traditionally, 3.5-inch hard drives had 4 or 5 platters, depending on the technology and capacity of the drive. This has expanded to 8 or 10 platters. However, with the growing need for more storage capacity, Western Digital went further and managed to design a 3.5-inch HDD with 11 platters – an impressive feat in hard drive development.
But how can you add more platters in a limited space without increasing the total height of the HDD? This was made possible thanks to the combination of several cutting-edge technologies that allow you to optimize space and maximize design efficiency.
And you can't increase the physical size of HDDs because the storage industry follows very strict size and format standards to ensure compatibility between storage devices and server or data center racks.
So, to accommodate the 11 platters, some innovations are essential:
1. Reducing the Spacing Between Disks and Structural Components
One of the main solutions was to reduce the spacing between disks. Western Digital needed to reduce the gap between each platter, that is, the disk spacing, without compromising data integrity. In addition, the thickness of the disk and other parts, such as the base casting or the top cover (top of the structure), was also optimized. These modifications allowed for the efficient accommodation of the 11 disks.
The TSA (Triple Stage Actuator) had to be redesigned to a low-profile version to fit into this tighter spacing, and the spindle motor design, which spins all the disks, was changed to allow for more space.
The HDD design also took into account reducing the thickness of the die-cast base without losing the structural rigidity needed to securely support the internal components.
In addition, there were changes to the PCB (printed circuit board) format, which helped to avoid overlapping with the disk stack. The PCB contains the essential electronic components of the hard drive, soldered onto a single board. The change in the PCB format was essential to ensure that it would fit efficiently and not interfere with the physical structure of the HDD.
22 reading heads! - Image Credit: Disclosure/WD
2. HelioSeal®: Higher Efficiency with Lower Power Consumption
Another crucial factor in the design of the Ultrastar® DC HC690 is the use of HelioSeal technology. In this approach, the disk is filled with helium instead of air, which reduces the resistance to movement of the platters and read/write heads and improves energy efficiency. With this, Western Digital has managed to reduce heat dissipation while maintaining stability even as storage density increases. Idle power consumption is only 5.5W, which is extremely efficient for high-capacity, high-performance disks.
Ultrastar® DC HC690 Technological Innovations
The Ultrastar® DC HC690 is not just a hard drive with more platters; it also features advanced technologies that ensure performance and reliability, even under the intense demands of modern data centers.
1. OptiNAND™: Integrated Flash Storage and HDD
OptiNAND™ technology combines NAND Flash memory with conventional hard drives, allowing for optimized data management and increased performance. With this combination, the HC690 can reduce latency and improve data storage efficiency. This is essential in data center environments, where response time and agility in data access are critical.
2. UltraSMR and ePMR: Increasing areal density
Both the DC HC690 SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) and DC HC590 CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) models use ePMR (energy-assisted Perpendicular Magnetic Recording) technology, which improves the quality and density of recording on the platters. This ensures that data is recorded with greater accuracy, allowing for larger storage capacities without compromising data integrity.
UltraSMR adds large block coding and more advanced error code correction algorithms, which further increase capacity by 10% over SMR, or 20% over CMR.
Utilizing new data encoding techniques such as Distributed Sector Format (DSEC) and Soft-Decoded Track ECC (sTECC) to increase the drive’s error correction margin. These data encoding techniques reduce the likelihood of uncorrectable sector errors while increasing the drive’s ability to correct errors that would otherwise be uncorrectable. This additional margin enables a tighter track pitch, increasing areal density.
3. ArmorCache™: Additional Data Protection
A key feature of ArmorCache™ is that it provides data protection in the event of a power failure. This feature ensures that data in transit is not corrupted, increasing system reliability, especially in environments where operational continuity is critical.
It’s the performance of Write Cache Enable combined with the data protection of Write Cache Disable.
11-Platter - Image Credit: Disclosure/WD
Capacity and Performance: Preparing for the Future of Storage
The Ultrastar® DC HC690 excels not only in storage capacity but also in performance and energy efficiency. The SMR version offers a density of 2.91TB per platter, with a total capacity of up to 32TB on a single 11-platter disk. The CMR version offers up to 2.36TB per platter, with a capacity of up to 26TB.
Sequential performance is also a strong point: the SMR reaches up to 257 MiB/s (269.5 MBps), while the HC590 version reaches up to 288 MiB/s (302 MBps). Both versions spin at 7,200 rpm, with SATA 6 Gbps or SAS 12 Gbps interfaces, making them suitable for large read and write volumes in high-demand environments.
In addition, idle power consumption is 5.5W, which represents significant energy savings compared to drives with smaller capacities, making it an even more attractive solution for data centers looking to reduce operating costs and improve sustainability.
Conclusion
The Western Digital Ultrastar® DC HC690 redefines expectations for 3.5-inch hard drives by integrating 11 platters and 32TB of capacity, while maintaining the device's standard height. With innovative technologies such as HelioSeal, OptiNAND, UltraSMR, ePMR, and ArmorCache, the HC690 not only offers greater storage capacity but also ensures high performance, energy efficiency, and reliability.
Each of these innovations contributes to a storage device with a better TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
In a world where data grows exponentially, driven by areas such as artificial intelligence, the Ultrastar® DC HC690 presents itself as an ideal solution to meet the storage demands of modern data centers. It offers the perfect combination of capacity, speed, and efficiency.
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