Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC560 20TB Hard Drive for Enterprise

The Ultrastar DC HC560, featuring the pioneering implementation of OptiNAND technology's capacity-enabling features, delivers an unmatched 20TB capacity in a standard 9-disk, 3.5-inch platform (2.2TB per platter) utilizing Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) format. OptiNAND seamlessly integrates an iNAND Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Embedded Flash Drive (EFD) with traditional spinning disk media, accompanied by innovative enhancements to the firmware algorithm and system-on-a-chip (SoC). This groundbreaking solution is not a hybrid technology, but rather a drive that operates intelligently, leveraging expanded metadata offloaded to the iNAND to enable higher tracks per inch (TPI) and consequently, increased areal density.

Equipped with a 6Gb/s SATA interface, the Ultrastar DC HC560 with OptiNAND technology is designed to work seamlessly with all high-capacity enterprise applications and environments. The HelioSeal design provides outstanding power efficiency and performance, with sustained transfer speeds reaching up to 291 MB/s.

OptiNAND technology represents a significant advancement in hard drive engineering, integrating flash storage and optimized firmware to deliver unprecedented capacity in a standard 3.5-inch form factor. By offloading metadata to the iNAND EFD, the drive's firmware algorithms can leverage this expanded data pool to enable higher TPI, resulting in a remarkable 20TB capacity.

This innovative approach sets the Ultrastar DC HC560 apart from traditional hybrid technologies, which typically combine spinning disk and flash storage in a complementary manner. Instead, OptiNAND seamlessly blends these elements, allowing the drive to operate more intelligently and efficiently.

The addition of the iNAND UFS EFD provides several key benefits. It enables enhanced firmware algorithms that can take advantage of the expanded metadata, leading to increased areal density and, consequently, higher storage capacities. Furthermore, the HelioSeal design ensures outstanding power efficiency and performance, with sustained transfer speeds reaching up to 291 MB/s.

In summary, the Ultrastar DC HC560, featuring the first implementation of OptiNAND technology, represents a significant milestone in the evolution of high-capacity hard drives. By integrating flash storage and optimized firmware, this solution delivers an unparalleled 20TB capacity in a standard 3.5-inch form factor, catering to the ever-growing demands of enterprise-level data storage applications.

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