Seagate's Mozaic 4+ HAMR drives target AI data surge

Seagate has launched its next-generation Mozaic 4+ hard drive platform and has begun production with two hyperscale cloud providers after completing qualification for large-scale deployments.

Mozaic 4+ is based on heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and supports capacities of up to 44TB. Seagate described it as the only HAMR-based storage platform deployed at scale.

Qualification with two hyperscalers indicates the platform has met the operational and supply requirements large cloud operators apply before rolling out new drive technologies across their fleets. Additional customer qualifications are under way.

Capacity roadmap

Mozaic 4+ continues Seagate's approach of increasing areal density and drive capacity across successive platform generations. Seagate aims to move from more than 4TB per disk to 10TB per disk, which it says could enable hard drives of up to 100TB.

The platform includes a next-generation suspension architecture and an enhanced system-on-a-chip, designed to improve recording precision at higher densities while maintaining reliability for data centre use.

Seagate is positioning the platform for rising mass-capacity storage demand driven by artificial intelligence. AI systems often rely on large training datasets and long-lived archives, alongside growing volumes of AI-generated content.

These trends have increased attention on the economics of storing, retaining, and reactivating data at scale. Hyperscalers typically combine flash and hard drives across tiers, using high-capacity hard drives for large data pools where cost and energy efficiency remain key considerations.

"Data has become one of the most valuable assets for enterprises, fueling business insights, enhancing productivity, and enabling competitive advantage. As the foundation of modern data centre infrastructure, data storage solutions are essential to manage ever-increasing data volumes and maximise returns on investments in today's AI driven-world," said Dave Mosley, chair and chief executive officer of Seagate. "Seagate's HAMR-based Mozaic products deliver the scale, performance, and efficiency customers need to unlock the full potential of their data."

HAMR details

HAMR increases hard drive capacity by using heat to assist the writing process, allowing data to be recorded on media with higher magnetic stability at smaller bit sizes. Seagate says the platform uses custom-designed and manufactured laser technology as part of a vertically integrated approach to photonics for HAMR recording.

According to Seagate, in-house laser development improves control over yield and reliability and strengthens supply chain resilience. The company also says vertical integration shortens qualification timelines and supports more predictable manufacturing economics.

This manufacturing focus is significant for hyperscale customers, which require steady product availability and consistent performance across large deployments. New recording technologies can take years to move from lab demonstrations to volume production because of longevity, consistency, and cost requirements.

Data centre impact

Seagate says incremental increases in per-drive capacity can raise capacity per rack while limiting growth in floor space and energy use, affecting total cost of ownership through efficiency improvements.

As an example, Seagate cited a one-exabyte deployment, saying Mozaic improves infrastructure efficiency by about 47 percent compared with standard 30TB deployments. It also estimates the approach would reduce the required data centre footprint by about 100 square feet and lower annual energy consumption by roughly 0.8 million kilowatt-hours.

Independent industry analysts have argued that storage density remains a constraint as AI-driven data growth accelerates. Bob O'Donnell, president of TECHnalysis Research, linked hard drive capacity gains to the expansion of generative AI applications and the datasets used to build and tune models.

"As AI models have evolved and GenAI-powered applications have expanded their capabilities and reach, it's become abundantly clear that the need for massive amounts of data-both real and synthetically generated-are essential to keep AI advancements moving ahead," said Bob O'Donnell, president of TECHnalysis Research. "Whether for large-scale model training or sophisticated fine-tuning, companies who build and use these AI models have found that high-capacity hard drive innovations like HAMR have become critical to quality and speed of their outputs."

Supply and rollout

Seagate says Mozaic 4+ hard drives, with capacities up to 44TB, are shipping in volume to the two hyperscale cloud providers that have qualified the platform. Broader availability is planned as production scales.

Further qualifications are expected as hyperscalers and large enterprise buyers evaluate the platform against requirements for performance consistency, endurance, and supply continuity.