CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Sameer Bhatia, Director of Asia Pacific Consumer Business Group and Country Manager for India & SAARC at Seagate
- What are some of the most common misconceptions about SSDs and HDDs? How does the reality of these technologies differ from popular perceptions, especially in terms of their respective roles in data storage?
One of the most common misconceptions about SSDs and HDDs is that SSDs will take over HDDs. It is true that flash revenue is growing, as is all-flash-array (AFA) revenue. Flash storage is indeed well-suited for applications that require high-performance and speed. However, this is not at the expense of hard drives. The reality, however, is that the hard drive industry addresses the vast majority—almost 90%—of data centre storage needs and it will continue to store the vast majority of the world’s data far into the future.
HDD and SSD both have their unique advantages and roles in data storage. Here’s how these technologies complement each other:
- Scale: Contrary to optimistic claims from some all-flash array vendors, it is not possible to replace hard drives with AFAs. This is the case not only because of the prohibitive NAND supply cost and capability, but also because NAND does not hit the required cost to drive a transition.
- Pricing: Recent forecasts from IDC and Trend FOCUS confirm that hard drives will remain the most cost-effective option for most enterprise tasks. The smallest annual price-per-TB difference between enterprise AFAs and nearline enterprise hard drives is projected to rebound and stay at or above a 5:1 premium for flash-only storage at least the next decade.
- Purpose: The type of workload matters. Enterprise storage architecture uses various types of media, from disk to hybrid arrays, depending on the purpose of a workload required, which needs a certain budget, storage capacity, and performance. Rather than serving that purpose on a device level, hard drive performance level — at scale in data centre racks — is more than enough for most workloads, amounting to almost 90% of the storage installed base in hyperscale data centres. Simply put, hard drives remain the most economical way to satisfy mass storage needs.
In conclusion, it is not a zero-sum game. Hard drives and SSDs have always worked in synergy and will continue to coexist, supporting different services, forming a balanced and efficient data storage ecosystem.
- In light of the rapid advancements in SSD technology, how does Seagate Technologies view the future of HDDs? Do you believe there are specific roles or niches where HDDs will continue to be the preferred choice over SSDs? Considering the current market trends and consumer preferences, how does Seagate Technologies plan to balance its investments and innovations in both HDD and SSD technologies?
With hard drives comprising almost 90% of the installed storage base at hyperscale data centres, they will continue to be the primary storage choice. This is especially so because large data centres and enterprises are now tasked with scaling infrastructure and expanding storage capacity at an unprecedented speed. HDD’s advantage is also reinforced by Seagate’s Mozaic 3+ platform, an areal density innovation that marks a new era of data storage.
The conventional PMR technology gave us 8% CAGR over 9 years to double capacity. However, with the Mozaic 3+ hard drive platform, which incorporates Seagate’s unique implementation of HAMR, along with a collection of other breakthrough nanoscale technologies to deliver mass-capacity storage, we can achieve 20% CAGR and doubling the capacity in just under 4 years.
Mozaic 3+, which heralds unparalleled areal densities of 3TB+ per platter, with 4 and 5 per platter on the horizon, is an answer to the challenges that enterprises have: scalability, TCO and sustainability. It empowers data center operators to tackle the ever-expanding storage challenge by enabling the storage of exabytes within the same footprint, without consuming additional space, power, or natural resources.
These innovations not only effectively double the storage capacity within the same data centre footprint, but also reduce per terabyte power consumption by 40%, underscoring Seagate’s commitment to sustainability and efficiency.
Mozaic 3+ hard drives platform reinforces the vital role of hard drives for the years to come. Seagate plans to leverage Mozaic technology across the entire hard drive product portfolio over time. The company will remain focused on further increasing capacity per disk, enhancing data reliability and performance, and reducing environmental impact.
