The Economics of AI Storage Have Changed

Higher-capacity architectures are changing how AI data centers scale.

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UltraSMR

Capacity Just Took a Leap Forward

UltraSMR helps data centers scale AI without scaling infrastructure.

Up to 23%

More capacity vs. CMR

Up to 20%

Fewer drives needed

1

Software change

Diagram showing larger footprint of Traditional CMR vs smaller footprint of UltraSMR Technology

AI Doesn't Need More Drives. It Needs More Capacity.

UltraSMR enables organizations to store more data, reduce infrastructure growth, and scale AI more efficiently than conventional HDD architectures. The future belongs to higher-capacity, software-enabled storage architectures—and UltraSMR is the bridge that lets customers begin that transition today.

Store more data
Deploy fewer drives
Delay infrastructure expansion
Lower power
Lower cooling
Reduce TCO

Ready to Evaluate UltraSMR for Your Environment?

Still Scaling with CMR?

	CMR	Traditional SMR	WD UltraSMR
Architecture	Conventional	First-generation SMR	Next-generation SMR
Software Changes	None	Required	Required
Capacity Gain	Baseline	Moderate	Up to 23% higher
Enterprise Readiness	Excellent	Limited adoption	Purpose-built for hyperscale
Economics	Today's baseline	Improved	Maximum TCO advantage
Future Roadmap	Mature	Transitional	Foundation for future generations

Why Migration Is Worth It

One Change. Years of Savings.

Is UltraSMR Right for Your Storage Architecture?

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Cold & Archival

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How Customers Migrate

UltraSMR adoption doesn't require a rip-and-replace. Depending on your workload, application stack, and development resources, there's a path that fits—from solutions that work out of the box to custom integrations that unlock the full performance envelope. The right approach depends on your environment. WD can help you assess workload fit and identify the lowest-friction path to SMR adoption.

Lower Effort Higher Control

01 Turnkey SMR

02 SMR-Native SDS

03 File System Managed

04 DIY Implementation

01

Turnkey SMR Implementation

The lowest-effort path. Pre-integrated SMR solutions that require minimal configuration. These storage appliances handle all the SMR abstraction, making them suitable for nearly any software application.

02

SMR-Native SDS Implementation

Software-defined storage platforms with native SMR support handle the complexity at the software layer. Customers benefit from SMR capacity gains without modifying their application stack.

03

File System Managed SMR Implementation

The file system handles SMR zone management transparently, allowing non-native SDS solutions to ride atop an SMR-native file system. A practical middle path for customers with preferred SDS solutions providing flexibility at the infrastructure layer.

04

DIY SMR Implementation

Full control, highest investment. Teams with deep storage engineering resources build SMR management directly into their application or storage stack. Highest effort, but also the highest degree of optimization for purpose-built workloads.