Seagate could launch 8TB, 10TB HDDs as early as next year

Right now the biggest consumer HDD you can buy is 6TB, but what will 2015 bring? Well, Seagate is looking into the future, with its Chief Executive Officer, Steve Luczo, teasing a roadmap to 10TB... something that could happen next year.

During Seagate's most recent earnings call, the CEO promised to move from the current highest 3.5-inch mechanical drive capacity of 6TB, right up to 10TB very soon. Luczo said to analysts: "I just don't see those price erosions sustaining themselves, given the capacity points that we have to deliver over the next year. Going from 6 to 8 to 10 terabytes, that's a lot of technical investment as you know, it's also a lot of test investment".

Don't get too excited though, as the shift to these gigantic HDDs would be made available in limited quantities. Luczo continued: "As you get to the 6 and the 8 and the 10TB drives, the lead time on those drives is going to be pretty significant whether or not that's wafer-related or whether or not that's test related. So you are not going to kind of be able to call up and say "by the way I need an extra 500,000 8TBs I forgot to order," because they are just not going to be there and the industry can't respond that quickly".