Storage volume doubled with record time

Storage technology is growing admirable with the ability to double the data density in just about 9 months. Following this momentum, by the end of 2007, the desktop computer will be equipped with a 1 terabyte hard drive (TB) and the notebook will support 200 GB drive.

Source: supergooddeal Recently, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies introduced a hard drive model of only 9 inches in size and up to 1,000 GB in capacity but insisted that it took 20 years to complete. "It's just a vision of the future, but the final product won't be much more expensive than the current price," said Bill Healy, Hitachi's deputy director.

Although Hitachi's project cannot be realized overnight, many companies such as Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Samsung and Toshiba are still actively supporting and applying reliable technologies for the product.

According to Celeste Crystal, an analyst with market research firm IDC, manufacturers of solid-state storage devices (flash) have added more data bits to each chip (cell), simultaneously. Use new ways to increase the "cell" layer while maintaining the same area.

Meanwhile, hard drive capacity with magnetic disks is also doubling at nearly a year. After decades of increasing the bit density, the industry has begun to encounter certain physical limitations and is turning to orthogonal recording technology, allowing it to store information vertically instead of horizontal.

At the end of 2006, customers will receive computers and storage devices with 750 GB hard drives, up 50% from the current 500 GB and this record will be broken right next year with a 1 terabyte drive. One TB means the opportunity to save 375 hours of standard-format TV program, 75 hours of high-definition video, more than half a million image files or 10,000 music CDs.

Another record is that the hard drive industry has generated revenues of $ 27.9 billion worldwide in 2005 and IDC predicts that by 2010, the sector will earn $ 41.5 billion. The flash unit will also reach $ 18.7 billion over the next four years, up from $ 10.6 billion last year.

IDC said, although flash technology is highly appreciated, hard drive will still be an important component in game players, car navigation systems, digital video (DVR) and handheld camcorders.

TN