The Data Explosion Era: Memory,SSD,and HDD - All Essential

Despite the advancements in technology that have led to the widespread adoption of solid-state drives (SSDs),we still face a rather thorny issue: the massive generation of new data every day—from common devices like smartphones and computers to various servers and edge computing devices.According to IDC's report "Data Age 2025," it is predicted that by 2025,the global annual data generation will grow from 33 zettabytes (ZB) in 2018 to 175 ZB,equivalent to 491 exabytes (EB) of data generated daily.This growth reflects the acceleration of the global digitalization process,as well as the widespread application of technologies such as the internet,AI,IoT,and cloud computing.The explosive increase in data volume has raised higher demands for data processing and storage capabilities.

Faced with the creation of a vast amount of new data,it is obviously impossible to save all of it in SSDs at a 1:1 ratio.Not only is this difficult for enterprises,but it is also challenging for individual users with relatively smaller increments of new data—installing a few games and office software on an SSD might not be a problem,but saving all the family's photos and videos from smartphones,movies downloaded,and games that were once played but are temporarily not being played can be very difficult.This is because the total volume of such data can easily exceed 1 terabyte (TB) and will continue to grow over time.Currently,purchasing a 1TB mainstream SSD costs around 600 yuan,whereas the same amount can easily buy a 4TB hard disk drive (HDD),making HDDs a more cost-effective choice for storing such data.

In fact,although enterprises or individuals generate a large amount of new data daily,data comes in various types,categorized into three levels: hot data,warm data,and cold data.Hot data refers to data that needs to be processed immediately,such as bank transfer requests,scene data that the processor needs to read while running a game,and questions that AI needs to answer promptly.Warm data consists of non-immediate status and behavioral data,such as various reports that financial personnel need to process and store within a certain period,various video clips that video editors need to process recently,AI models that users are preparing to deploy,and various games and movies that ordinary players have installed and downloaded,intending to run or watch in the near future.Cold data,on the other hand,is data that is not frequently accessed but has value for preservation,such as enterprise backup data,business and operational log data,various video materials shot by video editors previously,AI model files that are temporarily not in use,personal users' past photos and videos on smartphones,or web series and movies that have been watched or not watched but are still valuable to keep,as well as games that are not being played temporarily,etc.

At the inception of hard drives,the prototype of heterogeneous storage,where different levels of data are stored on different devices,had already emerged—warm data was primarily stored on HDDs,while hot data was mainly processed by memory.Due to the limited memory capacity of computers at that time,some hard drive capacity was also used as virtual memory to store hot data,and enterprise users stored cold data that was rarely used on tape drives.With the advent of SSDs,to store massive amounts of data more efficiently,the storage methods for data at various levels have changed somewhat.The current common data storage methods involve using memory to process hot data,storing most warm data in SSDs,and preserving cold data on HDDs.Among these three types of data,the largest in capacity is obviously cold data,as the amount of work everyone is preparing to handle,games to play,and movies to watch within a certain period is limited.The most substantial is still the cold data that has accumulated over time and needs to be preserved.Therefore,HDDs still have a significant role to play,and a pressing requirement for HDDs is that they must have large capacities.

This is because,with technological development,the capacity of various files is also increasing day by day.A half-hour 8K video material shot by a professional camera can occupy 58GB of space,the space requirement for the new game "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" has reached over 300GB,and the minimum requirement for saving the LLaMA AI model is 1TB of space for storing the model and data files,with a recommended configuration requiring 2TB to 4TB of storage space.The human pursuit of technology has led to increasingly larger file capacities,which also drives HDDs to develop in the direction of larger capacities.

Achieving 24TB Capacity with the Latest Trend in Desktop Hard Drives

Looking at the product library of the well-known storage manufacturer Western Digital,a significant trend in recent years has been the increasing number of high-capacity products.In the past few days,Western Digital has officially announced the mass shipment of the new 24TB WD Red Pro HDD and 24TB WD Purple Pro HDD in China.The secret behind Western Digital's ability to launch such high-capacity hard drives lies in its helium sealing technology,energy-assisted magnetic recording (ePMR),and triple-stage actuator positioning system (TSA),coupled with Western Digital's OptiNAND technology.This technology can utilize integrated iNAND embedded flash memory to perform critical maintenance functions,freeing up more capacity and enhancing overall hard drive performance.Therefore,by using only traditional CMR magnetic recording technology,the product series can achieve ultra-large storage capacities.

Portable Mobile Hard Drive Storage Capacity Finally Increased to 6TBOf course,merely having a large-capacity built-in mechanical hard drive is not enough to meet user needs.Often,users also require the use of portable storage devices.When users need to share large volumes of data at another location or require more convenient data storage without opening the case to install another hard drive,portable storage devices become indispensable.Although mobile SSDs have been widely used,their prices are still relatively high at present—a first-tier brand 4TB mobile SSD can cost nearly 2000 yuan.For the storage needs of more data,mobile mechanical hard drives still have an advantage.

However,it is unfortunate that for a long time,possibly due to the compact size of portable storage devices and the requirement for low power consumption,the capacity of mobile mechanical hard drives has not been increased and has remained at a maximum of 5TB.It was not until early June of this year that Western Digital,with its WD,WD_BLACK,and SanDisk Master product lines catering to different consumer groups and usage scenarios,introduced several 2.5-inch 6TB mobile mechanical hard drive products,including the WD My Passport series of mobile hard drives,the WD_BLACK P10 gaming mobile hard drive,and the SanDisk Master G-DRIVE ArmorATD external hard drive.

Through technological breakthroughs,Western Digital has increased the capacity of portable mobile hard drives to 6TB,with its size being almost the same as other 2.5-inch mobile hard drives.The thickness is only slightly increased compared to its 4TB and 5TB capacity products.For example,the thickness of the 6TB WD My Passport Portable hard drive is 1.4mm thicker,at 20.6mm,but its weight remains consistent with the 4TB and 5TB products,both at 0.21 kilograms.While providing large-capacity storage,it still maintains excellent portability,making it easy for even petite women to carry.

Stefan Mandl,Vice President of Sales for Western Digital in China and the Asia-Pacific region,said: "The launch of the world-leading 2.5-inch 6TB portable mobile hard drive further enriches Western Digital's product portfolio.We will continue to break boundaries and achieve more possibilities based on this outstanding technological innovation.The new portable mobile hard drive products,with their compact size,affordable price,and 6TB of ultra-large capacity,help students,gamers,and professional photographers to create content more flexibly and store more important content properly."

Several 2.5-inch 6TB mobile mechanical hard drives have hit the market,including the WD My Passport mobile hard drive,WD_BLACK P10,and SanDisk Master G-DRIVE ArmorATD.

The 6TB portable mobile hard drive product lineup launched by Western Digital this time can meet the needs of various users,from everyday consumers and business people who need reliable backups to gamers seeking additional storage space for high-quality games,as well as professionals who need to safely store data in outdoor environments.

The WD My Passport series of mobile hard drives,which combines fashion,capacity,and security,has always been a trusted mobile storage solution for consumers.This capacity upgrade includes the My Passport Ultra mobile hard drive,My Passport Ultra for Mac mobile hard drive,My Passport Portable hard drive,My Passport for Mac Portable hard drive,and My Passport mobile hard drive USB-C version,providing ample storage space for photos,videos,music,and important documents.At the same time,as digital content increasingly occupies a larger share of people's lives and its importance grows,there is a need for a safe and reliable place to store precious memories,whether personal or family,as well as confidential files for business people.Considering users' needs for data security and backup,the WD My Passport series of mobile hard drives all come with built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption password protection,and users can achieve seamless data backup and protection against ransomware threats through the included Acronis True Image for Western Digital software,making for a worry-free storage experience.As spectacular new game releases hit the market one after another and several classic games are remastered and re-released,gamers are thrilled but also anxious about the lack of storage space for their games.The WD_BLACK P10 gaming mobile hard drive,with its impressive 6TB capacity and high reliability,allows players to stop deleting old games for new ones or skipping updates.Whether it's a beloved game from the past or a brand-new captivating masterpiece,all can be stored in one's "game library." Additionally,the WD_BLACK P10,featuring a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface,boasts a sequential read speed of 130MB/s and is compatible with platforms such as Windows,macOS,PlayStation,and Xbox,providing every gamer with the trusted and reliable performance enhancement and capacity they need for their gaming consoles or PCs,further enhancing the gaming experience and allowing them to fully enjoy the exciting world of games.

For professional users such as photographers and geologists who often go on field trips,a flexible,high-capacity storage solution that ensures data security can help them better cope with harsh outdoor work environments and the need for massive amounts of material storage.The SanDisk Master G-DRIVE ArmorATD external hard drive is equipped with a high-quality anodized aluminum shell,an internal shock-absorbing frame,and a protective case that is easy to grip,as well as IP54-rated water and dust resistance and impact resistance,so users don't have to worry about the impact of environmental factors when shooting outdoors.Even if the SanDisk Master G-DRIVE ArmorATD external hard drive accidentally falls during an outing (note: it can withstand up to 453 kilograms of force),the stored photos,video footage,and files will remain safe and sound,providing every user with professional-level durability and enabling fast backup of content anytime,anywhere.

It is worth mentioning that although the products have been upgraded to offer a large 6TB storage capacity,their prices are not expensive.At the time of writing this article,the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 6TB Western Digital My Passport Ultra mobile hard drive and the Western Digital My Passport Ultra for Mac mobile hard drive are 1359 yuan and 1399 yuan,respectively.The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 6TB Western Digital My Passport portable hard drive and the Western Digital My Passport for Mac portable hard drive are 1,299 yuan and 1,329 yuan,respectively,and the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 6TB Western Digital My Passport mobile hard drive USB-C version is 1,329 yuan.The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 6TB WD_BLACK P10 gaming mobile hard drive is 1,359 yuan,and for the 6TB SanDisk Master G-DRIVE ArmorATD external hard drive,it is 1,999 yuan.All of the above products can be purchased through Western Digital's official flagship store,Western Digital's designated e-commerce platform stores,authorized agents,distributors,and retail channels.

Heading towards 50TB!The capacity of mechanical hard drives will continue to grow.

After seeing so many large-capacity mechanical hard drives,does everyone have the "illusion" that the capacity is finally enough?In fact,with the development of technology,storage capacity is obviously never enough,and there will definitely be larger and larger capacity videos and games in the future,after all,high-end cameras with 12K resolution have begun to hit the market one after another.Western Digital is also continuously improving the storage capacity and storage density of mechanical hard drives.It is reported that Western Digital will introduce HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology in the future,increasing the storage density to more than 2Tb per square inch,and at that time,the capacity of mechanical hard drives is expected to reach 40TB to 50TB.Therefore,no matter what the development status of SSDs is,for a considerable period,they will find it difficult to have the capacity and cost advantages of mechanical hard drives.Mechanical hard drives still have a promising future and will play a significant role in various application fields.