Toshiba has launched a four terabyte hard disk drive (HDD) for enterprise.
The new MG03xxx400 series HDD has a range of 8.9cm (3.5in) serial attached SCSI (SAS) and serial ATA (SATA) models, which Toshiba claims are ideal for business-critical server and storage platforms, as well as private cloud storage.
There are four models in the range, each available in capacity increments up to 4TB, including the SATA MG03ACA400 and SAS MG03SCA400 drives, as well as two self-encrypting models, the SAS MG03SCP400 and SATA MG03ACA400Y.
The range has been developed with the storage challenges presented by big data and cloud services in mind, Toshiba said.
The 4TB hard drives are touted as providing a 50 per cent increase in storage capacity compared to the previous generation. The range also features the company's first SATA 6GB HDD for enterprise, which has transfer rates claimed to be 18 per cent faster than the previous generation.
The new range has also been developed to be environmentally friendly. The HDDs are all compatible with the European Union Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and are free of both halogens and antimony, both of which are toxic.
"Our new range of hard disk drives has been developed to meet [the challenges of increasing data and the need to cut costs], providing [IT departments and cloud service providers] the high capacity and performance required to keep up with this rapid and unpredictable data growth, whilst still getting the best value for money," said Martin Larsson, vice president of Toshiba Electronics Europe's storage products division.
Toshiba will begin sample shipments of the MG03xxx400(Y) series in December 2012, with volume shipments scheduled to begin early in the new year.
