The new generation of Exos M and IronWolf Pro units with HAMR technology offers unprecedented capacity for on-premise data centers, edge, and hybrid infrastructures.
Seagate, the technology company, has announced the worldwide availability of its new 30-terabyte hard drives, both in its enterprise line, Exos M, and the NAS-optimized IronWolf Pro. These units are powered by the Mozaic3+ platform and the innovative HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology, which enables record-high storage densities by using nanophotonic lasers to precisely record data on magnetic platters.
Seagate claims to have already surpassed one million Mozaic units sold, solidifying its commitment to massive storage technologies that adapt to a new landscape: the relentless expansion of artificial intelligence, the rise of sovereign data, and the return on investment in local and private data centers.
A direct response to the AI boom and regulatory requirements
With 90% of global data concentrated in just ten countries, new digital sovereignty laws, and the need to run AI models close to where data is generated, the adoption of edge and on-premise infrastructures is accelerating. As Melyssa Banda, senior vice president of Edge Storage at Seagate, explains:
“Our 30 TB drives are designed to address these trends by providing the capacity, efficiency, and resilience needed for AI-driven workloads.”
According to HPE, the on-premise AI market is expected to grow at a 90% annual rate, reaching $42 billion in three years. Meanwhile, NVIDIA describes modern data centers as true factories of intelligence, highlighting the urgent need for scalable, low-power storage solutions.
Technical performance: efficiency and density without sacrificing speed
The new Exos M and IronWolf Pro 30 TB drives deliver a sustained transfer rate of up to 275 MB/s and feature 512 MB of multi-segmented cache. While their random write performance on small blocks is slightly lower than previous models, mixed workload tests show significant improvements in latency and efficiency during concurrent operations.
These drives use CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) technology, ensuring compatibility with standard storage systems. Thanks to their 3.5-inch format and moderate power consumption (average of 6.9 W), they are suitable for high-density racks, supporting up to 36 PB per 48U rack, setting a new capacity record.
Applications: from hyperscale to smart NAS
The Exos M models are geared toward enterprise and hyperscale environments, specifically designed to withstand vibrations, high temperatures, and continuous loads in demanding data centers. Conversely, IronWolf Pro drives are intended for NAS systems in commercial or small business settings, and now enable transforming these systems into data hubs with local inference capabilities for video, image, or data analysis with LLM models.
Manufacturers like QNAP and UGREEN have already integrated these drives into their NAS systems. Dhaval Panara from QNAP highlights that their systems can now “run local AI models with RAG and LLM technologies on proprietary datasets.” Meanwhile, Evan Li of UGREEN emphasizes the importance of having “robust, scalable storage at the edge for local data processing.”
A landmark for the storage sector
Priced at $599.99 for the 30 TB versions and $569.99 for the 28 TB models, Seagate is for the first time bringing its HAMR technology to the mainstream channel, opening access to companies of all sizes. Until now, only large hyperscale providers could qualify these units.
The launch reinforces Seagate’s position as a leader in massive storage solutions and addresses the monumental challenge posed by AI: not only building powerful models but also storing and managing the Billions of data they require efficiently.
via: seagate