Fujitsu achieves another storage milestone using patterned media technology

Although it seemed that Seagate was comfortably at the forefront of magnetic recording developments, Fujitsu is hoping that its latest "breakthrough" will add a little friction to the areal density competition. Using patterned media technology, the firm "was able to achieve a one-dimensional array nanohole pattern with an unprecedented 25 nanometer pitch," which essentially means that recording one-terabit per square inch onto HDDs of the future is now realizable. Additionally, the company also revealed a new development "involving perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) read / write operation on random patterned media," which utilizes the soft underlayer (SUL) as the PMR media. As expected, the presenters weren't as forthcoming about when we'd actually see these achievements make a difference in our laptops, servers, and other HDD-equipped devices, but the sooner the better, okay Fujitsu?

[Steve "BeefBaron" K @ Jan 20th 2007 4:20AM]

Can't wait to see this tech become available to us in the 24th century..ry..ry..ry..y..

[Karl @ Jan 20th 2007 7:51AM]

I can't wait to see solid state storage that can reach these sorts of capacities and not have erase-write limitations.

Why is so much money still being invested in mechanical magnetic storage? Solid state is faster, more reliable, more durable, more energy efficient...etc. I'd prefer if these storage giants started investing more in revolutionary solid state storage (revolutionary as in not flash based).

[Urza9814 @ Jan 20th 2007 8:41AM]

Man, I'm dreading solid-state. Waaay too expensive. I've got a 2.5GHz 64 bit CPU, 3.5 gigs of RAM, 500GB of harddrive space...and yet....the only sold-state drives I've yet seen cost more than my entire computer, and only hold I think 60 gigs. I know, they'll get cheaper and better as technology progresses....but so will mechanical drives. Hell, standard hard drives are dropping in price way faster than flash ever has.

[Karl @ Jan 20th 2007 10:53AM]

That's why we need more investment in that area. Once it becomes mass produced in the numbers mechanical drives are, it'll be really cheap. And we've already got 128GB capacities.

But its not just bumping up the storage capacity and finding new production methods, it's finding a new storage paradigm. Flash uses high voltages to push new data in to a block, which deteriorates gate quality over time. That means your capacity goes down the more you write to your drive. This needs to be changed before SSDs can take off.

[Dr. Pete @ Jan 20th 2007 10:20AM]

Didn't they encounter a "one-dimensional array nanohole" in the third season of ST:TNG?

[Castle @ Jan 20th 2007 10:27AM]

one-terabit per square inch?

Damn, that means ~1.2 Terabyte(TB) 2.5" HDD, and over 6 Terabype 3.5" drives!

[Aaron @ Jan 20th 2007 7:36PM]

I don't know if anyone has opened many hard drives but that is the weirdest read/write arm I've ever seen. The inertia to move that whole arm assembly thing would take a lot more power than it does to move the standard ones.

Also I think they could have kept the platter a little cleaner for a sample picture.

[Lonnie McClure @ Jan 21st 2007 2:58AM]

That pic is obviously NOT any type of sample drive using the technology, but instead a relatively ancient drive. I recognize that actuator arm drive as being the type that was in use even before IDE became a standard.

Engadget obviously did not have an image to go along with the article, grabbed a random HD pic, and happened to get one of a rather old drive.