Western Digital Outlines HDD Roadmap Toward 140TB Drives

Despite ongoing memory shortages driving DRAM and SSD prices higher, storage manufacturers continue to push hard-drive innovation. According to VideoCardz, Western Digital has announced two new HDD technologies aimed at significantly boosting bandwidth and sequential performance.

Dual Pivot targets higher sequential I/O

Western Digital’s Dual Pivot technology introduces a second, independently controlled actuator mounted on its own pivot inside a standard 3.5-inch hard drive. WD says this approach can deliver up to 2× higher sequential I/O compared to traditional single-actuator HDDs.

Unlike earlier dual-actuator designs, Dual Pivot avoids trade-offs such as reduced usable capacity or the need for customer-side software changes. WD designed the technology to integrate cleanly into existing platforms, making it easier for enterprise and hyperscale deployments.

High Bandwidth Drives scale throughput further

Dual Pivot works alongside WD’s High Bandwidth Drive technology. This design allows simultaneous read and write operations using multiple heads across multiple tracks. WD claims High Bandwidth Drives can already deliver up to 2× bandwidth, with a longer-term roadmap targeting as much as 8× bandwidth as the technology matures.

When combined, Dual Pivot and High Bandwidth Drive technologies could increase sequential I/O by up to 4×, especially as HDD capacities continue to scale upward.

Roadmap points to massive capacity targets

A separate report from PC Watch focuses on WD’s long-term scaling goals rather than near-term products. These targets include up to 10 TB per platter and as many as 14 platters per drive, implying a theoretical ceiling of around 140 TB per HDD. WD has not attached a confirmed product timeline to these figures.

In the near term, WD confirmed that its 40 TB UltraSMR ePMR HDD is currently in qualification with two hyperscale customers. The company plans to begin volume production in the second half of 2026.

Looking further ahead, Western Digital still relies on HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) to reach 100 TB HDDs by 2029, keeping magnetic storage competitive even as flash prices fluctuate.

In other industry news, Qualcomm and AMD are exploring SOCAMM2 memory for AI hardware, while SEAVIV has unveiled the AidaONE R27 all-in-one PC.