Western Digital has introduced a six-stage AI Data Cycle framework that defines the optimal storage mix for AI workloads at scale.
As AI technologies become more advanced, data storage systems must deliver the capacity and performance to support the computational loads and speeds required for large, sophisticated models while managing immense volumes of data.
Western Digital has strategically aligned its Flash and HDD product and technology roadmaps to the storage requirements of each critical stage of the cycle, and introduced a new high-performance PCIe Gen5 SSD to support AI training and inference; a high-capacity 64TB SSD for fast AI data lakes; and a high-capacity ePMR, UltraSMR 32TB HDD for cost-effective storage at scale.
The new Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD has capacities up to 16TB, delivering up to 3x random read performance increase versus the previous generation with ultra-low latency and incredible responsiveness for large language model (LLM) training, inferencing and AI service deployment. The low power profile delivers higher IOPS/Watt, and the increased PCIe Gen5 bandwidth addresses the growing needs of the AI market for high-speed accelerated computing combined with low latency to serve compute-intensive environments of AI.
The Ultrastar DC SN861 includes NVMe 2.0 and OCP 2.0 support, 1 and 3 DWPD, and a five-year limited warranty.
The expanded Ultrastar DC SN655 enterprise-class SSD range designed for storage-intensive applications, reaching up to 64TB, driving higher performance and capacity for AI data preparation and faster, larger data lakes.
The 32TB ePMR enterprise-class HDD is designed for massive data storage in hyperscale cloud and enterprise data centres.