Toshiba has announced that it is the first company in the hard disk storage space to “verify 12-disk stacking technology.” Rivals currently aren’t able to squeeze more than 10 platters in their 3.5-inch HDDs. Thanks to this latest innovation, Toshiba expects to be able to commercialize 40TB HDDs for data centers as early as 2027.
Turn it up to 11? This one goes to 12.
How did Toshiba manage to add 20% more platters to the confines of a standard 3.5-inch form factor drive? The answer is, of course, through miniaturization. More specifically, the squishing of platters required “the development of new dedicated parts in the stack, and replacement of the current aluminum substrate medium with a glass substrate that offers greater durability and allows thinner designs.” Furthermore, Toshiba promises “improved mechanical stability and in-plane accuracy, higher density and greater reliability,” with its advanced design.
Safe from HAMR?
Toshiba is going to support the new 12-disk stacking technology devices with its Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR) technology for the headlining 40TB HDDs, sometime in 2027. However, it is also investigating devices using next-generation Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology. This could be important, as its MAMR roadmap has been relatively conservative compared to rivals already on the HAMR train.
Some competitors, like Seagate, have roadmaps with 100TB+ HAMR drives (from 2030). WD is also plowing forward with HAMR, but Seagate seems to have leveraged its Invetac acquisition to put it ahead.
In summary, the 12-platter stacking breakthrough is an important engineering milestone for Toshiba. It will help prevent it from trailing too far behind rivals. Beyond capacities, Toshiba’s work is claimed to deliver “greater durability,” and that could also resonate with data center storage buyers and their TCO and reliability-focused decision-making.
More details Friday
Toshiba will be showcasing its new 12-disk stacking technology at the IDEMA Symposium on October 17, 2025, in Kawasaki, Japan. We expect to get some more technical data about its innovation there.
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