Explaining Hard Drive Technologies: SMR, HAMR, ePMR & more!

Hard drives are evolving fast, and it's all about fitting more data into the same physical space. Traditional drives used CMR, writing tracks side by side with some space in between. But SMR overlaps tracks like shingles, boosting capacity while sacrificing some write speed. Then we have helium-filled drives that reduce turbulence, allowing more platters inside. But the real game-changers are new recording technologies. ePMR uses electric current to boost writing precision. HAMR uses a laser to briefly heat the disk, making it easier to write tiny data bits. And MAMR uses microwaves for the same purpose. These energy-assisted techs make higher aerial densities possible—think 30TB+ drives today and maybe 100TB+ in the near future. Whether it’s SMR for backup or CMR for speed, understanding how your drive writes data can help you pick the right one. The age of smarter, denser hard drives is already here—and it's only getting started.