Showa Denko, a hard drive manufacturer from Tokyo, Japan has started shipments of its 3.5″ 26 TB HDDs, the largest (and densest) the industry has ever seen. Using eSMR (Energy-assisted Shingled Magnetic Recording) technology, the company was able to develop 2.6 TB platters, allowing the production of 26 TB HDDs. These drives feature platters with a recording density of 1 TB/in^2, enabling the firm to plan the release of HDDs exceeding 30 TB by the end of 2023.
The recent boom in cloud computing and online services has led to the setting up of massive data centers. One of the primary requirements of these servers is dense (and fast) storage which is presently being fulfilled by a handful of suppliers. As the largest independent HD media supplier, the Showa Denko Group will continue contributing to the increases in storage capacities of HDDs in accordance with its motto of “Best in Class,” thereby supporting the expansion of the data economy.
About Showa Denko K.K.
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR: SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance, and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, and the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes, and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components.
