The Increasing Demand for Higher Capacity HDDs
Cloud-based workloads continue to drive demand for high capacity HDDs.  Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), artificial intelligence, machine learning, video analytics are just some examples of applications that are placing greater demands on storage. Data centers depend on higher capacity HDDs to create new business models and improve existing products and services while continually lowering their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Host-Managed Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) for the Highest Capacities
The Ultrastar DC HC650 20TB HDD with host-managed SMR enables the highest capacity HDDs for data centers. Media tracks are overlapped (or ‘shingled’) with adjacent tracks, resulting in greater tracks per inch (TPI) to achieve increased areal density. SMR drives are specifically for sequential write environments. Data streams are organized and written sequentially. Adjacent tracks can be overlapped (or ‘shingled’). Overlapping tracks are grouped into bands, called zones, of fixed capacity for more effective data organization and partial update capability. 

Raising the Capacity Bar with New Technologies
Ultrastar DC HC650 integrates a suite of technologies on a 9-disk platform to create a new class of HDDs. 20TB capacity is achieved by combining SMR with technologies that improve areal density, improve IOPS and reduce power consumption.
●  The first internal hard drives in the industry to harness Energy-Assisted Magnetic Recording (EAMR) technology improves writability and therefore increases areal density.
●  The industry’s first Triple Stage Actuator (TSA) enhances head-positioning accuracy, delivering better performance and increased areal density.
●  HelioSeal® technology is the foundation for Western Digital’s high capacity HDDs and this is the 6th generation of HelioSeal product. Western Digital has shipped >65 million HelioSeal products to date.