Western Digital plans to release a 40TB hard drive with HAMR technology in late 2026. The company needs to upgrade its factory lines for these new drives, which will cost extra money at first. Kimihiko Nishio from Western Digital Japan shared this news during a PC Watch interview. He said prices should fall after a few years as more people want bigger storage drives. Manufacturing costs will decrease when demand grows higher.
Most home users still buy smaller 2TB to 4TB hard drives today. The market for all hard drives has become smaller recently. Western Digital expects more people will need larger storage space over time. They also plan to make bigger WD Blue hard drives for both regular users and businesses. These drives will help store large amounts of data for different uses.
Nishio discussed the changes between Western Digital and SanDisk. Western Digital bought SanDisk in 2016 to add different products when hard drive sales slowed down. The companies split apart in 2023 because investors wanted different things. The hard drive business offers steady growth, but SanDisk's flash memory business might grow faster.
Most home users still buy smaller 2TB to 4TB hard drives today. The market for all hard drives has become smaller recently. Western Digital expects more people will need larger storage space over time. They also plan to make bigger WD Blue hard drives for both regular users and businesses. These drives will help store large amounts of data for different uses.
Nishio discussed the changes between Western Digital and SanDisk. Western Digital bought SanDisk in 2016 to add different products when hard drive sales slowed down. The companies split apart in 2023 because investors wanted different things. The hard drive business offers steady growth, but SanDisk's flash memory business might grow faster.
