Throughout Western Digital’s latest Q3 earnings name, CEO David Goeckeler disclosed that the ever-growing want for larger capability and speedier information entry from prospects internationally is pushing the corporate to increase its solid-state capacities.
The corporate chalked up a worthwhile quarter, with revenues hovering over forecast to $3.46 billion, a 29% YoY rise. The corporate managed to show round a streak of losses, reporting a $135 million revenue. These achievements are in stark distinction to rival Seagate, which posted an 11% YoY discount in its revenues to $1.66 billion.
Goeckeler underlined that Western Digital’s improved monetary efficiency was a results of the corporate’s efforts to supply a extra diversified product vary. He additionally mentioned that WD was dedicated to delivering bigger SSD capacities off the again of rising demand for AI-related purposes. He mentioned prospects “need them [SSDs] in a lot larger capability factors, 30- and 60-terabyte capability factors.”
HAMR HDD know-how
Reporting on the third quarter outcomes, Blocks & Information wrote “WD presently ships DC SN640 TLC PCIe gen 3 SSDs with as much as 30.72 TB capability and PCIe gen 4 SN650 and 655 drives with 15.36 TB. We now count on 60 TB SSDs to be introduced by WD later this yr.”
With out going into particulars of the precise capacities being labored on, Goeckeler mentioned the corporate was increasing the dimensions of the drives in keeping with what prospects had been demanding, stating WD is “rising capability and going by way of a qualification on that. So, we’re in that course of with prospects.”
He additionally mentioned hard-drive recording (HAMR) know-how, together with the problems surrounding it, stating, “we have been engaged on HAMR for fairly a while. We perceive HAMR extraordinarily properly. We perceive all the problems with HAMR, and what it takes to get it certified. Clearly, we’re doing that each one behind the scenes, as a result of we’ve got a product portfolio with the very best TCO we will provide out there at present, and we will do that each one the way in which as much as 40 terabytes.” Western Digital’s rival Seagate just lately introduced the outcomes of an experimental check that confirmed considered one of its arduous drives utilizing HAMR might run repeatedly for over 6,000 hours.