Microsoft is using AI and robotics to target valuable components in hard drives

Microsoft has reportedly deployed robots and artificial intelligence to pull apart defective hard disks to gather the valuable materials within them.

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Reports from Tom's Hardware and Blocks & Files revealed Microsoft is using a line of robots paired with artificial intelligence capabilities to disassemble old hard drives used in its data centers. Components within these hard drives are also removed by the robots, which feature AI that has been trained to identify the different screw and components locations on various hard disks. Notably, 90% of the components deemed valuable are recycled, which contributes to Microsoft's overall goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2050.

So, what is a valuable component? According to the reports, each year, between 20 and 70 million hard drives die, and just in 2022, Microsoft shredded two million hard drives. Now, Microsoft is committed to "NoShred" and is aiming to hit a 90% recycle rate with its hard drives. The robots dismantling the drives recover valuable components and materials such as magnets, circuit boards, stainless steel chassis, neodymium, and more. Moreover, these robots are designed to ensure data security by identifying and destroying components that carry data.

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